# sevdesk vs Papierkram: hours or books?

> These two get compared constantly although they solve different problems. Papierkram is project- and time-oriented — time tracking and projects are in every plan, including the free one. sevdesk is bookkeeping-oriented and has an Austrian edition. Price barely settles it: billed monthly, the entry plans cost €11.90 (sevdesk) and €15.90 (Papierkram), net.

Source: https://back-bone.io/en/compare/sevdesk-vs-papierkram  
Published: 2026-09-03 · Updated: 2026-10-22  
Category: Comparisons

## The real difference: hours or books

Comparing these two on price and feature lists misses the one decision that actually matters: **do you bill by time spent?**

Papierkram includes time tracking and project management in every plan, including the free one. That is not a side feature — it is why the product exists: tracked hours flow into the invoice. For agencies, developers and consultants who think in projects and hourly rates, that is the whole difference.

sevdesk starts somewhere else. It is built as a bookkeeping solution — receipts, EÜR, advance VAT returns — with invoicing as one part of it. Time tracking is a paid add-on at sevdesk (€4.90 a month); projects are not listed in its plan overview.

## At a glance

|  | Papierkram | sevdesk |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Invoices and e-invoices | ✓ every plan, e-invoices from plan S | ✓ even in the free tier |
| Time tracking | ✓ every plan | Add-on €4.90 / month |
| Projects | ✓ every plan | not stated |
| Payment reminders | ✓ plan S and up | ✓ levels from plan Buchhaltung |
| Recurring invoices | ✓ plan S and up | ✓ plan Buchhaltung |
| Receipts | ✓ every plan | ✓ AI capture from plan Buchhaltung |
| Bookkeeping in the tool (EÜR, VAT return) | ✓ plan S and up | ✓ plan Buchhaltung |
| Germany and Austria | partly: VAT return and EÜR follow German rules | ✓ own Austrian site |
| An assistant that does the work for you | not listed | help agent Sevi answers questions |

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

## In detail

|  | Papierkram | sevdesk |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Entry price (net, billed monthly) | €15.90 / month, plan S (€12.90 billed annually) | €11.90 / month, plan Rechnung (€9.90 on 12 months) |
| Free plan | €0 — invoices, quotes, receipts, time tracking, projects | 3 invoices / month; 14-day trial |
| Time tracking | every plan, including free | add-on, €4.90 / month |
| Projects | every plan, including free | not stated |
| Bookkeeping (EÜR) | plan S and up | plan Buchhaltung (€25.90 / month) |
| ELSTER / VAT return | plan S and up | plan Buchhaltung |
| Payment reminders | plan S and up, one click per notice | reminders in every paid plan, dunning levels from Buchhaltung |
| Recurring invoices | plan S and up | plan Buchhaltung, optionally automatic |
| E-invoicing | plan S and up | even in the free tier |
| Austria | usable, but VAT return and EÜR follow German rules | yes, own Austrian site |

Prices are net, plus VAT, without time-limited discounts. Checked on 6 October 2026 at papierkram.de/preise, sevdesk.de/preise, sevdesk.at/preise and sevdesk.de/rechnungsprogramm.

## Which one fits you?

Both are classic bookkeeping programs. Which one suits you depends on how you like to work:

- **Papierkram fits** if you want one traditional program that does it all in-house, from project hours to the EÜR and the VAT return as an ELSTER file, and you like working through its menus and forms yourself. Best if you invoice in Germany only: its VAT return and EÜR follow German rules.
- **sevdesk fits** if you want a full bookkeeping suite for Germany or Austria, with receipts, EÜR and VAT return in one place, and you don't mind adding modules such as time tracking as separate paid add-ons.
- **Neither is built for you** if you just want to tell your AI what to bill, get paid and hand the books to your tax adviser.

That last point is why we build Backbone.

## What the workflow looks like

**Invoice from hours · Papierkram:** Backbone: the week's hours go onto the invoice as line items in one click, then create and send. Papierkram: an invoice draft from tracked time. The hours appear as a line with quantity and unit. (Source: Papierkram help center, “Rechnungen”, 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: 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 bookkeeping software, and it doesn't try to be. If you'd rather run your back office from your AI chat, take a look at Backbone.

You don't learn menus. You say what you need: “Invoice Kinetik for September's hours.” “Who still owes me money?” The [Backbone assistant](https://back-bone.io/en/features/backbone-ai) does it, in the app or right inside ChatGPT, Claude or other AI apps with MCP support through the [connector](https://back-bone.io/en/features/ai-connector). Nothing goes out without your OK.

- **One calm place instead of a toolbox.** [Hours](https://back-bone.io/en/features/time-tracking), [invoices](https://back-bone.io/en/features/invoices), [reminders](https://back-bone.io/en/features/payment-reminders) and [receipts](https://back-bone.io/en/features/receipts) live together. No modules to add, no add-ons to price.
- **Simple from the first click.** No accounting vocabulary, no setup project. Germany and Austria are both built in.
- **The admin runs in the background.** Reminders go out on the days you choose. Receipts find their payments. At month end your bookkeeper gets [one ZIP](https://back-bone.io/en/features/bookkeeper-export).
- **More time for the actual work.** The books stay with your bookkeeper, on purpose. You keep the hours for the work you're paid for.

Coming soon: automatic bank connections, the API, the CLI, a Mac app and [Automations](https://back-bone.io/en/features/automations) for your own scheduled tasks.

> 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!

## 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.
2. **Bill your hours** What you tracked goes on the invoice.
3. **Switch on dunning** Set it once. Runs by itself.
4. **Receipts matched automatically** Upload the statement. Clear matches assign themselves.
5. **Off to your bookkeeper** Month complete. One link, done.
6. **E-invoices per client** Pick the format once. Every invoice follows.
7. **Track your time** One sentence in the chat. The hours are in your week.

## Frequently asked questions

### What is the main difference between sevdesk and Papierkram?

Papierkram is project- and time-oriented: time tracking and projects are in every plan, including the free one. sevdesk is bookkeeping-oriented and has an Austrian edition. If you bill by the hour, Papierkram fits; if you want to do the bookkeeping in the tool or issue Austrian invoices, sevdesk does.

### How do sevdesk and Papierkram compare on price?

Billed monthly, sevdesk's invoicing plan Rechnung costs €11.90 and Papierkram S €15.90; on a 12-month term, €9.90 and €12.90. Above them: Papierkram M at €29.90 (€24.90 on 12 months) and L at €59.90 (€49.90); sevdesk Buchhaltung at €25.90 (€22.90) and Buchhaltung Pro at €34.90 (€30.90). All net, as of 6 October 2026.

### Does Papierkram have a free plan?

Yes, permanently free. It includes invoices, quotes, receipts, time tracking and projects with 100 MB of storage. It excludes bookkeeping (EÜR), ELSTER, recurring invoices and dunning, which start with plan S. Papierkram does not state a numeric invoice cap for the free plan on its website.

### Does Papierkram work for Austria?

Partly. Papierkram says many features suit Austria, but its advance VAT return and EÜR follow German rules and are not (yet) suitable for Austria. sevdesk runs its own Austrian site. If you invoice in both countries, confirm this with the vendor before subscribing.

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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.

Checked on 06/10/2026

Sources: papierkram.de · sevdesk.de · sevdesk.at