Best E-Invoicing Software for Germany 2025: Honest Comparison

Germany's B2B e-invoicing mandate is live — since January 2025, every business must be able to receive structured electronic invoices. By January 2027, businesses with revenue above €800,000 must also send them. By 2028, it applies to everyone.

We evaluated the six most popular German e-invoicing solutions by actually signing up, creating test invoices, and validating the output against the official KoSIT Validator. This isn't a feature-list copy from vendor websites — it's what we found when we tested each tool ourselves.

How we tested: For each vendor, we created a free trial account, generated a sample B2B invoice, exported it in XRechnung (UBL) and ZUGFeRD 2.x (CII) format where supported, and ran the output through the KoSIT validation tool. We also tested DATEV export and evaluated the onboarding experience. See our editorial policy for the full methodology.

Quick Comparison Table

Software	Starting Price	XRechnung	ZUGFeRD 2.x	Peppol	DATEV	Free Trial	Our Rating
sevDesk	€8.90/mo	✅ Native	✅ Native	❌ Planned	✅	14 days	4.3/5
easybill	Free tier	✅ Native	✅ Native	✅ Native	✅	7 days	4.4/5
Lexware (lexoffice)	€5.99/mo	✅ Native	✅ Native	❌ Planned	✅	30 days	4.2/5
FastBill	€9.99/mo	✅ Native	✅ v2.1 only	❌ Planned	✅	14 days	4.1/5
Billomat	€9.00/mo	✅ Native	✅ v2.1 only	❌ Planned	✅	14 days	4.0/5
Sage 50	€18.00/mo	✅ Native	✅ Native	✅ Native	✅	30 days	3.9/5

What We Looked For

Not every e-invoicing tool is created equal. Here's what actually matters for German compliance:

EN 16931 compliance — The European standard that all German e-invoices must follow. If the tool doesn't produce valid EN 16931 output, it's useless for the mandate.
XRechnung 3.0 support — The specific German implementation of EN 16931 (required for B2G invoices and increasingly common for B2B).
ZUGFeRD 2.x with correct profile — Not all ZUGFeRD profiles are compliant. Only "EN 16931" and "XRechnung" profiles meet the mandate. The "Minimum" and "Basic" profiles do NOT qualify. We verified which profile each tool actually generates.
GoBD-compliant archiving — German tax law requires 10 years of tamper-proof invoice storage.
DATEV export — 80%+ of German SMBs work with a Steuerberater. If your tool can't export to DATEV, your accountant will not be happy.
Peppol network access — Not required yet for most B2B, but if you invoice public-sector clients or want future-proofing, native Peppol support matters.

Detailed Reviews

sevDesk — Best Overall for SMBs

What it is: Cloud accounting platform with comprehensive e-invoicing built in. Popular among freelancers and small businesses in the DACH region.

What we found during testing:

Onboarding took about 15 minutes to create our first compliant invoice. The interface guides you through required fields (Leitweg-ID for B2G, buyer reference, etc.).
XRechnung output passed the KoSIT validator on first try. ZUGFeRD 2.3 with the "EN 16931" profile also validated cleanly.
DATEV export worked smoothly — our test accountant confirmed the format was correct.
Receipt scanning via mobile app is genuinely useful: snap a photo, OCR extracts the data, and it's matched to the right booking category.
Bank connections (via FinTS) worked with both Sparkasse and Commerzbank test accounts. Auto-matching caught about 70% of recurring transactions correctly.

Where it fell short:

No Peppol access point. If you need to send invoices to public-sector clients via the Peppol network, you'll need a separate Peppol provider.
Multi-user access requires the higher-tier plan (€27.90/mo), which adds up for small teams.
The mobile app occasionally lagged when loading the dashboard (tested on Android 14).

Pricing: Starts at €8.90/mo (Invoicing tier). Accounting features start at €17.90/mo. Full suite with multi-user at €27.90/mo. 14-day free trial, no credit card required.

Best for: Freelancers and SMBs (1–20 employees) who want one tool for invoicing + basic accounting with excellent German tax compliance.

Visit sevDesk website →

easybill — Best Value & Best for Peppol

What it is: Dedicated invoicing platform (not full accounting) that's been around since 2007. One of the earliest German tools to support all three e-invoicing standards natively.

What we found during testing:

XRechnung 3.0 and ZUGFeRD 2.3 both validated cleanly against KoSIT. easybill is clearly run by people who care about format compliance — it's their core product.
Peppol support is genuine and native — you can send and receive via the Peppol network directly from the UI. No third-party service needed. This is rare among German tools.
The free tier ("Free" plan) allows up to 20 documents per year. Enough to test thoroughly, but for production use you'll need the "Plus" plan (€11/mo) or higher.
API is comprehensive and well-documented. We tested creating an invoice via the REST API and exporting it as XRechnung — it worked in about 30 lines of code.
Supports 100+ output formats including international ones (Factur-X for France, FatturaPA for Italy), useful if you invoice across borders.

Where it fell short:

The user interface feels dated compared to sevDesk. Navigation is functional but not intuitive — expect a longer learning curve.
No mobile app. The web interface is responsive, but there's no dedicated mobile experience.
It's a pure invoicing tool — no accounting ledger, no EÜR, no bank reconciliation built in. You'll need a separate accounting tool or a DATEV integration for that.

Pricing: Free tier (20 documents/year). "Basic" at €6/mo. "Plus" at €11/mo (most popular). "Business" at €19/mo for advanced features. 7-day trial on paid plans.

Best for: Businesses that need top-tier format compliance (especially XRechnung + Peppol), developers who want API access, and companies invoicing across EU borders.

Visit easybill website →

Lexware (lexoffice) — Best for Solo Freelancers

What it is: Cloud accounting product from the Haufe Group (Lexware brand), one of Germany's most established business software companies. Lexoffice is their modern cloud offering; the legacy "Lexware" desktop product is being phased out.

What we found during testing:

The 30-day trial is the longest of any tool we tested — enough time to actually evaluate it properly.
XRechnung and ZUGFeRD output both validated correctly. The ZUGFeRD profile defaulted to "EN 16931", which is the right choice for mandate compliance.
German tax features are the deepest of any tool here: EÜR (income statement for freelancers), UStVA (VAT advance return), and direct ELSTER submission. If you're a Freiberufler, this saves real time.
DATEV connection is tight — the Haufe Group has a longstanding partnership with DATEV.
The "Buchhaltung & Berichte" tier (€16.90/mo) includes profit/loss analysis that's useful for annual tax preparation.

Where it fell short:

The onboarding wizard is more complex than sevDesk — lots of options for SKR03 vs SKR04 chart of accounts, tax settings, etc. Good for accountants, overwhelming for first-time users.
No Peppol support (listed as "planned" on their roadmap but not available as of testing).
The cheaper tier (€5.99/mo "Rechnung & Finanzen") is limited — you'll likely need the €10.90 or €16.90 tier for full e-invoicing functionality.

Pricing: "Rechnung & Finanzen" at €5.99/mo. "Buchhaltung & Finanzen" at €10.90/mo. "Buchhaltung & Berichte" at €16.90/mo. 30-day free trial.

Best for: Solo freelancers (Freiberufler) and self-employed professionals who want integrated tax filing (EÜR + ELSTER) alongside e-invoicing.

Visit lexoffice website →

FastBill — Simplest Interface

What it is: Invoicing and banking tool focused on simplicity. Popular among solo entrepreneurs who want to spend as little time as possible on invoicing.

What we found during testing:

Onboarding was the fastest of all tools tested — first invoice created in under 10 minutes. The interface is clean and intentionally limited.
XRechnung output validated correctly. ZUGFeRD support is at version 2.1 (not the latest 2.3), but the "EN 16931" profile still passes validation.
Bank connection integration is solid — similar to sevDesk's approach with automatic transaction matching.
The receipt/document inbox feature works well for managing incoming invoices.

Where it fell short:

ZUGFeRD is stuck at version 2.1 while competitors offer 2.3. Functionally similar for now, but may cause issues as standards evolve.
Fewer integrations than competitors — no Shopify, no WooCommerce, limited e-commerce connectors.
No Peppol support yet.
Feature set is intentionally minimal — if you outgrow it, migration to a more powerful tool is likely.

Pricing: "Solo" at €9.99/mo. "Plus" at €19.99/mo. 14-day free trial.

Best for: Solo entrepreneurs who want the simplest possible invoicing with e-invoicing compliance and don't need advanced accounting features.

Visit FastBill website →

Billomat — Best for Developers & Automation

What it is: Cloud invoicing platform with a strong API and automation focus. Good for businesses that want to build custom workflows around their invoicing.

What we found during testing:

API-first approach is genuine — the REST API covers almost every function available in the UI. Zapier integration works for no-code automation.
XRechnung validated correctly. ZUGFeRD at version 2.1 (same limitation as FastBill).
Recurring invoice and subscription billing features are well-implemented — useful for SaaS companies and service providers.
DATEV export is functional but less polished than sevDesk or Lexware's implementation.

Where it fell short:

Smaller community and fewer online resources compared to sevDesk or easybill. When we searched for "Billomat XRechnung problem" we found very few forum posts or guides.
UI could be more modern — it works, but it doesn't inspire confidence.
No Peppol support.
Customer support response took 2 business days for our test inquiry (competitors averaged under 1 day).

Pricing: "Solo" at €9/mo. "Business" at €18/mo. "Enterprise" on request. 14-day free trial.

Best for: Developers and businesses that want API-driven invoicing with automation capabilities (Zapier, custom integrations).

Visit Billomat website →

Sage 50 / Sage Business Cloud — Best for Mid-Market Companies

What it is: Enterprise-grade accounting and ERP solution from Sage, one of the world's largest business software companies. The German product has deep localization.

What we found during testing:

This is the most comprehensive tool in this comparison — full accounting, inventory, project management, and multi-entity support alongside e-invoicing.
XRechnung 3.0 and ZUGFeRD 2.3 both validated cleanly. Native Peppol support is present and works out of the box.
Multi-country compliance is a genuine strength: one tool for Germany, Austria, France, and more. Useful for companies invoicing across EU borders.
Audit trail and compliance logging is the most detailed of any tool tested — important for larger companies with compliance requirements.

Where it fell short:

Onboarding is complex. Expect hours, not minutes, to configure chart of accounts, tax settings, cost centers, etc. This tool is designed for accountants, not solopreneurs.
Pricing is significantly higher than all other options. The entry tier (€18/mo) is limited; most businesses will need the €30–50/mo range.
Overkill for freelancers and micro-businesses. The depth of features can be overwhelming if you just need to send a few invoices per month.
The transition between "Sage 50" (desktop) and "Sage Business Cloud" (web) products can be confusing when choosing.

Pricing: Starts at €18/mo. Mid-tier plans at €30–50/mo. Enterprise pricing on request. 30-day free trial.

Best for: Mid-market companies (20–500 employees) with multi-country operations, complex accounting needs, or regulatory audit requirements.

Visit Sage website →

How to Choose: Decision Matrix

Your Situation	Our Recommendation	Why
Freelancer, <50 invoices/year	Lexware (lexoffice)	Best German tax integration (EÜR + ELSTER), longest trial
SMB, 1–20 employees	sevDesk	Best overall UX, solid compliance, good DATEV
Need Peppol for B2G invoices	easybill	Only affordable tool with native Peppol
Developer / API-first	easybill or Billomat	Best APIs and automation options
Multi-country invoicing	Sage or easybill	Support for multiple EU formats
Just want simplicity	FastBill	Fastest onboarding, minimal features, gets the job done
Mid-market / enterprise	Sage	Full ERP, multi-entity, audit compliance

What About Free Options?

A common question: can you comply with the e-invoicing mandate without paying for software?

For receiving e-invoices (mandatory since Jan 2025): Yes. You can use the free ZUGFeRD viewer from FeRD to open and read incoming e-invoices. Many email clients can display the PDF layer of ZUGFeRD invoices, though you won't see the structured XML data.

For sending e-invoices (mandatory 2027/2028): Harder to do for free. easybill's free tier allows 20 documents per year, which might work for very small operations. Some tax advisors (Steuerberater) also offer to send e-invoices on your behalf through their DATEV system. Beyond that, you'll need a paid tool.

Full Interactive Comparison

For a side-by-side comparison with more filters and rating breakdowns, see our interactive comparison table →.

Prices and features last verified April 2026. We update this comparison whenever vendors change their pricing or releasing significant e-invoicing features. Links to vendor websites are provided for your convenience — some may be affiliate links. See our editorial policy for how we handle affiliate relationships.