Comparisons

sevdesk vs Lexware Office (formerly lexoffice): the country question

Both are bookkeeping solutions with an invoicing module, and their invoicing plans cost €11.90 (sevdesk) and €12.90 (Lexware Office) a month, net — so price settles little here. The line that actually matters is country: Lexware Office is built for Germany, while sevdesk covers Germany and Austria.

sevdesk vs Lexware Office (formerly lexoffice): the country question
Published
Updated
Reading time
5 min read
On this page
  1. First things first: lexoffice is now Lexware Office
  2. At a glance
  3. In detail
  4. The decision that overrides everything else
  5. Which one fits you?
  6. What the workflow looks like
  7. Backbone, the modern alternative
  8. Ask Billy about sevdesk vs Lexware Office
  9. How Backbone does it

First things first: lexoffice is now Lexware Office

If you searched for “sevdesk vs lexoffice” — same product. lexoffice was renamed Lexware Office and folded under the Lexware brand. The rename changes nothing about the features.

At a glance

sevdeskLexware Office
Invoices and quotesYesplan RechnungYesplan M and up
E-invoicesYeseven in the free tierYessending from plan M
Payment remindersYeslevels from plan BuchhaltungYesplan M and up
Reminders that go out on their ownnot listedvia partner autoMahntion
Invoice layoutsAdd-on6 premium layouts, €3.90 / monthYeslayout designer
Time trackingAdd-on€4.90 / monthpartner extensions
Bookkeeping in the tool (EÜR, VAT return)Yesplan BuchhaltungYesplan L
AustriaYesown Austrian siteNoGermany only, says its help center
An assistant that does the work for youhelp agent Sevi answers questionsnot listed

“Not listed” means the vendor's own pages say nothing about it; we do not guess. Plans and prices are in the detail table below.

In detail

sevdeskLexware Office
Invoicing plan (net, monthly)€11.90 / month, plan Rechnung€12.90 / month, plan M
Free plan3 invoices / monthnone; 30-day free trial
Document limitpaid unlimitedno limit stated (fair use per T&Cs)
Austriayes, own Austrian siteno — Germany only, says its help center
Bookkeepingplan Buchhaltung, €25.90plan L, €21.90
E-invoicingeven in the free tiersending from plan M
Templatesstandard layouts; 6 Premium for €3.90 / monthbase layouts and a layout designer
Payment remindersreminders from Rechnung, levels from Buchhaltungfrom plan M; automatic only via partner autoMahntion

Prices are net, plus VAT, without time-limited discounts. Checked on 8 October 2026 at sevdesk.de/preise, sevdesk.at/preise, sevdesk.de/rechnungsprogramm, sevdesk.de/addons-premiumlayout, lexware.de/preise, lexware.de/funktionen/layout-designer, lexware.de/funktionen/mahnung-schreiben and the Lexware help center on Austria.

The decision that overrides everything else

If you issue Austrian invoices, the comparison ends right here. Lexware Office is built around German tax law, ELSTER connection for VAT returns included. It does not cover Austria.

That is not a detail: Austrian invoices follow § 11 öUStG rather than § 14 UStG, have a different small-amount threshold, and above a certain total require the recipient's VAT ID — a duty Germany does not have at all. What else differs is in the post on Austrian mandatory invoice details.

Which one fits you?

Both are classic bookkeeping suites. Which one suits you depends on where and how you work:

  • sevdesk fits if you want a traditional bookkeeping program for Germany and Austria, with receipts, EÜR and VAT return in one place, and you're fine adding modules such as time tracking or premium layouts as paid add-ons.
  • Lexware Office fits if you work in Germany only and like the classic set-up: each step unlocked plan by plan, from invoices (M) to bookkeeping (L) to XL, with extras such as time tracking from partner extensions.
  • You invoice in Austria, or in both countries → sevdesk; Lexware Office is out
  • You want reminders to go out on their own → both send them only by click; Lexware Office dunns automatically only via a partner tool

What the workflow looks like

Create an invoice · Lexware Office

Backbone: the week's hours go onto the invoice as line items in one click, then create and send.
Lexware Office, “Rechnung erstellen” form (screenshot from the Lexware help center)
Lexware Office: the “Rechnung erstellen” form, header with client, address, invoice number and date.Source: Lexware help center, “Rechnung oder Teilrechnung erstellen – Schritt für Schritt”, as of 28.10.2026

Dunning · sevdesk

Backbone: set up the reminder and two dunning levels once. The fee and the statutory interest rate are already stored.
sevdesk, “Mahnung bearbeiten” form (screenshot from the sevdesk help center)
sevdesk: the “Mahnung bearbeiten” form, one form per invoice and dunning level.Source: sevdesk help center, “Mahnungen”, as of 23.10.2026

Backbone, the modern alternative

Backbone is the agentic back office for teams and agents. Backbone is not a bookkeeping suite, and it doesn't try to be. If you'd rather run your back office from your AI chat, take a look at Backbone. Ready in minutes, no accounting knowledge needed.

You don't climb through plans or menus. You ask: “Send Kinetik the September invoice.” “Which receipts are still missing?” The Backbone assistant does it, in the app or right inside ChatGPT, Claude or other AI apps with MCP support through the connector. Nothing goes out without your OK.

  • Say it instead of clicking. Backbone works out amounts, VAT and the e-invoice. Time tracking, invoices and payment reminders are in every plan, no partner extensions, no add-ons.
  • Germany and Austria, without thinking about it. Your invoices carry the mandatory details of both countries, ZUGFeRD and XRechnung included.
  • Chasing payment stops being your job. Reminders go out on the days you choose, with statutory interest where the law allows.
  • A clean month end. Receipts find their payments, and your bookkeeper gets one ZIP. The books stay with them, so your time stays with your work.

Coming soon: automatic bank connections, the API, the CLI, a Mac app and Automations for your own scheduled tasks.

Ask Billy about sevdesk vs Lexware Office

Ask Billy

Hi, I'm Billy, the friendly ghost in Backbone. Ask me about this topic or how to get it done with Backbone.

Why this one matters to us

My goal is to optimise and automate back-office tasks so that we founders can focus on what matters most.

Automating back-office work with AI agents and AI integrations is the future – that's why I built Backbone!

LucaLucaFounder, Backbone

How Backbone does it

Invoices done right. In the app, or in a chat with ChatGPT, Claude and many more.

  1. Create the invoice

    Say what goes on it. You approve.

    In the chat

    Write a draft invoice for Studio Nord: brand workshop, 16 hours at €95.

    Backbone connectorcreate_document

    Here's the draft.

    Open
    Invoice
    Studio Nord GmbH
    €1,808.80
    RE-2026-0142 · Issued 18/10/2026

    Looks good, issue it.

    Backbone connectorissue_document

    Issued as RE-2026-0142.

    In the app

  2. Bill your hours

    What you tracked goes on the invoice.

    In the chat

    Which hours are still open for Kinetik Studio?

    Backbone connectorlist_unbilled_time
    • 21–27/09/2026 · Design system · 8.00 h
    • 21–27/09/2026 · Website relaunch · 4.50 h

    Create a draft invoice and add those hours.

    Backbone connectorcreate_document
    Backbone connectoradd_time_to_document

    Here's the draft.

    • Draft · Kinetik Studio · €1,425.00
    • 12.5 h at €95.00 · plus 20% VAT
    In the app

  3. Switch on dunning

    Set it once. Runs by itself.

    In the chat

    Switch on dunning: first reminder after 7 days, then 14 and 28.

    Backbone connectorupdate_reminder_settings

    Automatic reminders are on.

    • Payment reminder after 7 days
    • 1st notice after 14 days
    • 2nd notice after 28 days
    In the app

  4. Receipts matched automatically

    Upload the statement. Clear matches assign themselves.

    In the chat
    Erste_Bank_10-2026.csv

    Here's the Erste Bank statement for October.

    Backbone connectorupload_file

    Imported. Where receipt and payment clearly match, they're already matched:

    • Bürobedarf Lindner KG · 14/10/2026 · −€86.90
    • Café Morgenrot · 13/10/2026 · −€23.40
    • Fotostudio Weiss · 09/10/2026 · −€350.00
    • Druckerei Nordwerk GmbH · 02/10/2026 · −€149.00
    In the app

  5. Off to your bookkeeper

    Month complete. One link, done.

    In the chat

    Send October to my tax adviser.

    Backbone connectorsend_to_bookkeeper
    Send to bookkeeper
    To
    Kanzlei Rehm & Partner[email protected]
    Period
    October 2026
    Contents
    48 receipts · 2 statements
    Expires in 28 min28 min
    In the app

  6. E-invoices per client

    Pick the format once. Every invoice follows.

    In the chat

    Studio Nord wants e-invoices in ZUGFeRD format from now on.

    Backbone connectorupdate_client

    Done. Invoices to Studio Nord now come as ZUGFeRD.

    • Studio Nord GmbH · E-invoice format: ZUGFeRD
    In the app

  7. Track your time

    One sentence in the chat. The hours are in your week.

    In the chat

    Log 3:15 hours for Kinetik Studio, website relaunch: homepage wireframes, round two.

    Backbone connectorlog_time

    Logged.

    • Sun 27/09/2026 · Kinetik Studio · Website relaunch · 3:15 h
    • Homepage wireframes, round two
    In the app
  • Invoices under German and Austrian lawLive
  • ZUGFeRDLive
  • XRechnungLive
  • ChatGPT, Claude and many moreLive
  • Cards in the chatLive

More on invoices

Try 7 days

Say it in your AI chat. Backbone does the rest, you approve.

Try 7 days

You pay €0.00 today. 7-day trial, card required, cancel monthly

General information, not legal or tax advice and no review of your case. Details on providers and laws can change. For your case, follow your tax adviser.

Sources: sevdesk.de · sevdesk.at · lexware.de · Lexware help center