Comparison
Finovo vs Lexoffice
Lexoffice is the most popular accounting tool for German small businesses — and it does ELSTER well. But if your business also touches the UK or France, here’s where it falls short.
Lexoffice is the household name for German freelancers and SMBs — inexpensive, GoBD-aware, and deeply integrated with ELSTER. Founders search for a Lexoffice alternative when a UK customer, French TVA registration, or bilingual finance team appears and the German-only product stops scaling.
This Finovo vs Lexoffice page respects Lexoffice’s domestic strengths while documenting the international ceiling: no HMRC MTD or DGFiP filing, German-only interface, and payroll that still feels bolted on for some scenarios compared with Finovo’s tri-country payroll story.
You will find transparent pros/cons, the comparison table, pricing context, a migration guide that mentions DATEV exports, and FAQs tuned to Lexoffice alternative and Finovo vs Lexoffice searches.
Lexoffice
Where Lexoffice genuinely wins
- ✓Aggressive pricing for German micro-businesses — invoice-only tiers undercut almost everyone.
- ✓ELSTER and GoBD workflows accountants trust for domestic clients.
- ✓DATEV handoff is mature — German steuerberater workflows are first-class.
- ✓Strong domestic bank connectivity via FinTS/HBCI for everyday German accounts.
- ✓Large template library for German invoices and compliance copy.
Where Lexoffice is weaker for international teams
- ✗No UK MTD VAT or French DGFiP filing — you will buy separate software for each new country.
- ✗German-only UI — English or French finance staff duplicate effort in spreadsheets.
- ✗Payroll exists but international payroll is not the product thesis.
- ✗Multi-currency is EUR-centric compared with Finovo’s live ECB/BoE rate engine for 50+ currencies.
Finovo
Why Finovo fits German HQ with UK or French arms
- ✓Keep ELSTER quality while adding MTD and DGFiP in the same subscription — no parallel ledgers per country.
- ✓English and French UI alongside German — shared service centres finally stop translating screens manually.
- ✓DATEV export remains available for payroll and accounting collaboration with German advisors.
- ✓Professional-tier payroll covers scenarios Lexoffice customers often solve with yet another vendor.
- ✓SEPA pain.001 batch payments align with how German vendors expect to be paid across borders.
Where Finovo is still catching up
- ~Domestic German price points start higher than Lexoffice’s teaser tiers — compare fully loaded cost once you add UK/FR tools to Lexoffice anyway.
- ~Some highly specific Lexoffice marketplace connectors may need validation — bring your checklist to trial.
- ~If you are a German-only Einzelunternehmer with zero export sales, Lexoffice may remain the economic winner.
Feature
| Feature | Finovo | Lexoffice |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | £15/mo (≈ €18/mo) | €7.90/mo (invoice-only) · €16.90/mo (accounting) |
| German VAT (ELSTER / UStVA) | Included — direct ELSTER submission (DE launch pending approval) | Core feature — excellent ELSTER integration |
| German annual return (EÜR / Bilanz) | Yes — EÜR for Freiberufler, balance sheet for GmbH | Yes — EÜR and Bilanz supported |
| UK VAT (HMRC MTD) | Included — direct MTD submission | Not supported |
| French TVA (DGFiP) | Included — direct DGFiP CA3 submission (FR launch pending approval) | Not supported |
| German Payroll | DATEV export, Lohnsteuer Anmeldung | Payroll add-on — Lohnabrechnungen included |
| UK Payroll (PAYE) | BrightPay sync — Professional plan | Not supported |
| French Payroll (DSN/URSSAF) | From Professional plan | Not supported |
| Open banking | 2,400+ UK & EU banks — daily sync | German banks via FinTS/HBCI — daily sync |
| SEPA batch payments | Yes — pain.001 XML export | Yes — SEPA XML generation |
| Multi-currency invoicing | 50+ currencies with live ECB/BoE rates | Limited — primarily EUR |
| Receipt capture (OCR) | AI OCR — mobile + web | Yes — Belegerfassung via app |
| GoBD compliance | Yes — audit trail, immutable records | Yes — GoBD certified |
| DATEV export | Yes — payroll and accounting handoff | Yes — strong accountant integration |
| Fixed assets & depreciation | Yes — straight-line, declining balance | Yes — Anlagenverwaltung included |
| English / French UI | EN / FR / DE — full UI translations | German only |
| Free trial | 60 days (Professional) or 30 days — no card required | 30 days — no card required |
Pricing comparison (verify before you buy)
Lexoffice advertises low entry tiers for invoicing separate from full accounting. Model what you pay once ELSTER accounting, payroll add-ons, and hypothetical UK/FR tools are included.
| What you are comparing | Finovo | Lexoffice |
|---|---|---|
| German entry (public list) | From €15/mo (DE list) with tri-country compliance baked in | From €7.90/mo invoice-only · ~€16.90/mo for accounting — check current promos |
| ELSTER VAT filing | Included (DE launch pending approval) | Included — domestic strength |
| UK + French tax filing same stack | Included | Not available natively |
| Payroll depth | UK/FR/DE paths from Professional | German payroll add-on — verify scope vs your HR needs |
| Trial | 60 days (Professional) or 30 days, no card | 30 days, no card (confirm latest policy) |
VAT on software, partner bundles, and Lexware family promotions can change totals. Compare cost after you add every external tool you would need for UK and France alongside Lexoffice.
Switching from Lexoffice to Finovo
Most Lexoffice migrations lean on DATEV exports plus CSV downloads for open items. Your steuerberater should review opening balances before the first UStVA in Finovo.
Export DATEV and CSV backups
Pull Kontenplan, balances, and open invoices. Store immutable PDFs for GoBD traceability even after you move.
Map SKR accounts to Finovo chart
Finovo templates accept German account frameworks — adjust contra accounts with your advisor if you used custom SKR variants.
Reconnect German banks, add UK/French accounts
Authorise Finovo open banking per IBAN. Import at least one full statement cycle for reconciliation confidence.
Recreate VAT IDs and cash register settings
Copy USt-IdNr, Kleinunternehmer flags, and OSS registrations exactly. Add new HMRC or DGFiP registrations if expansion triggered the migration.
Shadow-run one UStVA period
Compare Finovo’s draft return to Lexoffice before switching ELSTER credentials — auditors love this evidence.
We help German advisors with DATEV handoff documentation — invite your steuerberater to the trial tenant early.
Common questions: Finovo vs Lexoffice
Our honest take
Lexoffice is the first choice for German-only small businesses and Freiberufler. At €7.90/mo for invoicing and €16.90/mo for full accounting, it’s competitively priced, GoBD-certified, and has excellent accountant handoff via DATEV.
Finovo is the stronger choice as soon as your business crosses borders. HMRC MTD, DGFiP TVA, and payroll for UK and France are simply not available in Lexoffice — meaning you’d need entirely separate tools to serve those markets.
Lexoffice is also German-only in the UI. If your team includes English or French speakers, Finovo’s fully translated interface (EN/FR/DE) removes the language barrier entirely.
Start your free trial
No card required. Import from Lexoffice via CSV or DATEV export in minutes.
Switching from Lexoffice? See our step-by-step migration guide →