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Rechnungskit
Rechnungskit vs. DATEV

DATEV alternative for businesses whose tax advisor uses DATEV

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Rechnungskit complements DATEV instead of replacing it: Rechnungskit creates documents automatically from your shop and payments and delivers finished bookings in DATEV format to your tax advisor. This comparison covers the invoicing side (Auftragswesen next and Unternehmen online), not the accounting software tax firms use.

Sources checked: July 28, 2026 · Updated: October 3, 2026 · No guarantee of accuracy · Sources below the table

The short version

Rechnungskit fits if …

your invoices should come automatically from Shopify, Stripe, Mollie or your own software, with the date of supply from shipping, automatic cancellation invoices and OSS logic. The result lands as a finished booking with your DATEV tax advisor.

DATEV fits if …

you write a few invoices by hand and want e-invoice receiving, collaboration with your tax advisor, payroll and banking in one ecosystem. Then Auftragswesen next and Unternehmen online are solid and affordable.

It's not either/or: Rechnungskit exports to DATEV and your tax advisor keeps working as usual. Auftragswesen next writes invoices by hand or as recurring invoices, with no shop or payment integration; Rechnungskit creates them automatically from your sales channels.

Rechnungskit and DATEV in detail

Every row is backed by a source. Where something couldn't be confirmed from public sources, the table says so.

Feature comparison of Rechnungskit and DATEV, as of July 28, 2026
Feature RechnungskitDATEV
E-invoicing
ZUGFeRD 2.x / Factur-X outgoing Yes ZUGFeRD 2.5 under EN 16931, every invoice Status: included Yes1 Auftragswesen next: XRechnung and ZUGFeRD from version 2.0 (EN 16931) Status: included, see footnote 1
XRechnung for public-sector buyers Yes XRechnung 3.0 automatically as soon as the customer has a Leitweg-ID (public-sector routing ID) on file Status: included Yes1 XRechnung and ZUGFeRD from 2.0 on an equal footing Status: included, see footnote 1
Validation before sending Mandatory fields under §14 UStG, tax rates, format rules Yes every invoice before sending (Mustang/EN 16931) Status: included On the platform2 EN 16931 validation documented on the DATEV e-invoicing platform, not for Auftragswesen next itself Status: limited, see footnote 2
Receive and process e-invoices No deliberately out of scope. Rechnungskit creates outgoing invoices Status: not available Yes, a strength2 TRAFFIQX, Peppol, email; virus scan, visualization, audit-proof storage Status: included, see footnote 2
Shop automation
Native shop and payment integrations no third-party tools Yes Shopify, WooCommerce and Shopware natively, Stripe/Mollie/PayPal/Unzer, own checkout link for one-time purchases and subscriptions without a shop, own push API Status: included Not for invoicing3 no shop integration in Auftragswesen next; payment data (Shopify, Stripe, Mollie and others) natively only on the bookkeeping side via the payment provider data service Status: not available, see footnote 3
Invoicing on the correct date of supply shipping date instead of payment date, automatically Yes from the shop's shipping event; for subscriptions, the service period comes from the billing period Status: included Manual1 fields available per line item, but without a shipping event; filled in by hand Status: limited, see footnote 1
Automatic cancellation invoices on refunds including partial refunds Yes to the cent, with its own correction document Status: included Manual1 invoice correction as a document type; no automatic cancellation from shop refunds Status: limited, see footnote 1
Payout reconciliation with fees Stripe, Mollie, PayPal and others as finished bookings Yes fees and payouts as bookings Status: included Bookkeeping side3 the payment provider data service matches payment data to open items (from €10/month); detailed fee booking not documented Status: limited, see footnote 3
Tax compliance
OSS / EU distance selling Yes destination-country rates, monitoring of the €10,000 threshold, export Status: included In the tax firm's accounting4 OSS accounts, evaluation and BOP transport file in DATEV accounting; no OSS automation publicly documented for Auftragswesen next Status: limited, see footnote 4
EU tax rates updated automatically Yes monthly from the EU database TEDB, with change alerts Status: included Not documented not documented for the merchant products Status: no reliable source found
Qualified VAT ID (USt-IdNr.) check with evidence archive Yes qualified check with the BZSt (Federal Central Tax Office), response archived for 8 years Status: included In the tax firm's accounting4 qualified check via the DATEV data center; not documented for Auftragswesen next Status: limited, see footnote 4
Single- and multi-purpose vouchers (§3 (13) to (15) UStG) Yes own voucher and store-credit register Status: included Not documented no documented voucher automation in the merchant products Status: no reliable source found
Deferred revenue (pRAP) / revenue recognition for subscriptions Yes pRAP for subscriptions and annual licenses Status: included Not documented1 recurring invoices in Auftragswesen next since 30.01.2026; automated deferrals for DATEV accounting not publicly documented Status: no reliable source found, see footnote 1
DATEV & archive
Finished DATEV booking records not just document images Yes EXTF for SKR03/SKR04, revenue + payments + fees; document images via Beleglink in the "Belegtransfer" package for Unternehmen online Status: included Native target1 route: Auftragswesen next into Belege online, your tax advisor books; Rechnungskit delivers finished booking records instead Status: included, see footnote 1
GoBD archive with locking (Festschreibung) Yes WORM archive, SHA-256, locked from creation Status: included Yes2 audit-proof storage in Belege online (DATEV data center) Status: included, see footnote 2
Free access for your tax advisor Yes own tax advisor portal, documents read-only Status: included Reverse model1 the tax firm is the DATEV user; Unternehmen online requires a DATEV member Status: note, see footnote 1
Accounting & operations
VAT return (UStVA) / cash-basis accounts (EÜR) / direct ELSTER filing EC Sales List (ZM) import files are covered separately ZM data ZM import file yes; UStVA, EÜR and direct ELSTER filing stay with your tax advisor Status: limited Yes, via your tax advisor4 UStVA and ZM from DATEV accounting via the data center Status: included, see footnote 4
Entry price from €9 base fee + tiered price per document; free to test in sandbox mode Status: included from €71 Auftragswesen next; stack with Unternehmen online and Belege online €22.39 net, plus access medium, storage and tax firm services Status: note, see footnote 1
API for your own systems Yes push API in every plan Status: included Partner channel5 DATEVconnect and data services via the developer portal, aimed at software vendors; no documented end-customer API Status: limited, see footnote 5

E-invoicing

ZUGFeRD 2.x / Factur-X outgoing
Rechnungskit Yes ZUGFeRD 2.5 under EN 16931, every invoice Status: included
DATEV Yes1 Auftragswesen next: XRechnung and ZUGFeRD from version 2.0 (EN 16931) Status: included, see footnote 1
XRechnung for public-sector buyers
Rechnungskit Yes XRechnung 3.0 automatically as soon as the customer has a Leitweg-ID (public-sector routing ID) on file Status: included
DATEV Yes1 XRechnung and ZUGFeRD from 2.0 on an equal footing Status: included, see footnote 1
Validation before sending
Mandatory fields under §14 UStG, tax rates, format rules
Rechnungskit Yes every invoice before sending (Mustang/EN 16931) Status: included
DATEV On the platform2 EN 16931 validation documented on the DATEV e-invoicing platform, not for Auftragswesen next itself Status: limited, see footnote 2
Receive and process e-invoices
Rechnungskit No deliberately out of scope. Rechnungskit creates outgoing invoices Status: not available
DATEV Yes, a strength2 TRAFFIQX, Peppol, email; virus scan, visualization, audit-proof storage Status: included, see footnote 2

Shop automation

Native shop and payment integrations
no third-party tools
Rechnungskit Yes Shopify, WooCommerce and Shopware natively, Stripe/Mollie/PayPal/Unzer, own checkout link for one-time purchases and subscriptions without a shop, own push API Status: included
DATEV Not for invoicing3 no shop integration in Auftragswesen next; payment data (Shopify, Stripe, Mollie and others) natively only on the bookkeeping side via the payment provider data service Status: not available, see footnote 3
Invoicing on the correct date of supply
shipping date instead of payment date, automatically
Rechnungskit Yes from the shop's shipping event; for subscriptions, the service period comes from the billing period Status: included
DATEV Manual1 fields available per line item, but without a shipping event; filled in by hand Status: limited, see footnote 1
Automatic cancellation invoices on refunds
including partial refunds
Rechnungskit Yes to the cent, with its own correction document Status: included
DATEV Manual1 invoice correction as a document type; no automatic cancellation from shop refunds Status: limited, see footnote 1
Payout reconciliation with fees
Stripe, Mollie, PayPal and others as finished bookings
Rechnungskit Yes fees and payouts as bookings Status: included
DATEV Bookkeeping side3 the payment provider data service matches payment data to open items (from €10/month); detailed fee booking not documented Status: limited, see footnote 3

Tax compliance

OSS / EU distance selling
Rechnungskit Yes destination-country rates, monitoring of the €10,000 threshold, export Status: included
DATEV In the tax firm's accounting4 OSS accounts, evaluation and BOP transport file in DATEV accounting; no OSS automation publicly documented for Auftragswesen next Status: limited, see footnote 4
EU tax rates updated automatically
Rechnungskit Yes monthly from the EU database TEDB, with change alerts Status: included
DATEV Not documented not documented for the merchant products Status: no reliable source found
Qualified VAT ID (USt-IdNr.) check with evidence archive
Rechnungskit Yes qualified check with the BZSt (Federal Central Tax Office), response archived for 8 years Status: included
DATEV In the tax firm's accounting4 qualified check via the DATEV data center; not documented for Auftragswesen next Status: limited, see footnote 4
Single- and multi-purpose vouchers (§3 (13) to (15) UStG)
Rechnungskit Yes own voucher and store-credit register Status: included
DATEV Not documented no documented voucher automation in the merchant products Status: no reliable source found
Deferred revenue (pRAP) / revenue recognition for subscriptions
Rechnungskit Yes pRAP for subscriptions and annual licenses Status: included
DATEV Not documented1 recurring invoices in Auftragswesen next since 30.01.2026; automated deferrals for DATEV accounting not publicly documented Status: no reliable source found, see footnote 1

DATEV & archive

Finished DATEV booking records
not just document images
Rechnungskit Yes EXTF for SKR03/SKR04, revenue + payments + fees; document images via Beleglink in the "Belegtransfer" package for Unternehmen online Status: included
DATEV Native target1 route: Auftragswesen next into Belege online, your tax advisor books; Rechnungskit delivers finished booking records instead Status: included, see footnote 1
GoBD archive with locking (Festschreibung)
Rechnungskit Yes WORM archive, SHA-256, locked from creation Status: included
DATEV Yes2 audit-proof storage in Belege online (DATEV data center) Status: included, see footnote 2
Free access for your tax advisor
Rechnungskit Yes own tax advisor portal, documents read-only Status: included
DATEV Reverse model1 the tax firm is the DATEV user; Unternehmen online requires a DATEV member Status: note, see footnote 1

Accounting & operations

VAT return (UStVA) / cash-basis accounts (EÜR) / direct ELSTER filing
EC Sales List (ZM) import files are covered separately
Rechnungskit ZM data ZM import file yes; UStVA, EÜR and direct ELSTER filing stay with your tax advisor Status: limited
DATEV Yes, via your tax advisor4 UStVA and ZM from DATEV accounting via the data center Status: included, see footnote 4
Entry price
Rechnungskit from €9 base fee + tiered price per document; free to test in sandbox mode Status: included
DATEV from €71 Auftragswesen next; stack with Unternehmen online and Belege online €22.39 net, plus access medium, storage and tax firm services Status: note, see footnote 1
API for your own systems
Rechnungskit Yes push API in every plan Status: included
DATEV Partner channel5 DATEVconnect and data services via the developer portal, aimed at software vendors; no documented end-customer API Status: limited, see footnote 5
Sources & footnotes
  1. 1. datev.de: DATEV price list for businesses (01|2026), shop pages for Auftragswesen next (€7.00), Unternehmen online (€11.56), Belege online (€3.83) and the announcement on recurring invoices, checked on July 28, 2026; prices net plus access medium and tax firm services.
  2. 2. datev.de: DATEV e-invoicing platform (receiving permanently free of charge; sending from third-party software partly charged since 01.07.2026) and Belege online, checked on July 28, 2026.
  3. 3. datev.de: payment provider data service (Amazon Pay, eBay, Klarna, Mollie, Shopify, Stripe; monthly from €10.00) and DATEV magazine of 28.01.2026, retrieved July 2026.
  4. 4. datev.de: OSS procedure and qualified VAT ID check in the DATEV accounting programs, checked on July 28, 2026.
  5. 5. developer.datev.de and DATEV marketplace partner pages, retrieved July 2026.
  6. 6. datev.de: end of development, maintenance and service for Mittelstand Faktura on 31.12.2026 (bundles with accounting excluded); Auftragswesen next as the alternative, checked on July 28, 2026.
  7. Information from the provider's website (pricing, feature and help pages), last checked on July 28, 2026; prices net of VAT.
  8. Rows marked "Not documented" mean we found no reliable public source, not that the feature is missing.
  9. Rechnungskit information reflects the current product; items marked "Planned" are not available yet.
  10. Legal basis for the rows and sections (German law): mandatory invoice details § 14 (4) UStG, e-invoicing § 14 (1) and (2) UStG with the transition rules in § 27 (38) UStG, small-amount invoices § 33 UStDV, vouchers § 3 (13) to (15) UStG, OSS threshold § 3c (4) UStG and filing § 18j UStG, VAT ID confirmation § 18e UStG, intra-EU supply § 6a UStG, tax arising in the filing period of the supply § 13 (1) no. 1 (a) UStG, retention § 14b (1) UStG and § 147 (3) AO, deferred revenue § 250 (2) HGB, archive GoBD, BMF letter of 28.11.2019.

All information from publicly available sources, checked July 28, 2026. Providers' features and prices can change. Please report mistakes to support@rechnungskit.de. How we rate is explained in How we compare.

When is DATEV the better choice?

Rechnungskit doesn't do everything. In these cases, DATEV is the more honest recommendation.

You receive a lot of e-invoices

Receiving via Peppol and TRAFFIQX with virus scan, visualization and audit-proof storage is very well done at DATEV. Rechnungskit deliberately only creates outgoing invoices.

Few invoices, everything via your tax advisor

For manual invoicing from €7 plus the familiar collaboration via Unternehmen online, the DATEV stack is solid and affordable.

Payroll, banking and document approval in one ecosystem

Unternehmen online is the de facto standard for working with tax firms, including payroll and bank connections.

UStVA, ZM and OSS evaluation

The filings run through your tax firm's accounting and the DATEV data center. Rechnungskit deliberately doesn't file anything itself.

What Rechnungskit does differently

Invoicing

Invoicing on the correct date of supply

Shipped goods are invoiced on the shipping date, not the payment date. It sounds like a detail, but it decides which period the revenue lands in.

Date of supply (Leistungsdatum) from the shop's shipping event
Small-amount invoices automatically under §33 UStDV
Handover to DATEV in the right period
Tax compliance

VAT ID check with evidence archive

Qualified check with the BZSt (Federal Central Tax Office) including company name, city, postcode and street. The response is archived unchanged for eight years and linked to the individual invoice.

Qualified BZSt check instead of a simple format check
Response linked to the invoice and delivery date
No tax-exempt invoice without a usable check
Accounting

DATEV bookings with linked documents

Your tax advisor gets finished EXTF booking records, not just a folder of PDFs. Revenue, payments, fees and payouts are already matched, and every invoice booking carries a Beleglink to its document image in the "Belegtransfer" package for Unternehmen online.

EXTF bookings for SKR03 and SKR04
Document image attached to the booking via Beleglink
Fees and payouts already matched
Your tax advisor downloads them directly

Price comparison

List prices net per month, as of July 28, 2026. Discounts and promotions are not included.

Rechnungskit List price
from €9 / month net + tiered price per document
Free to test in sandbox mode; billing starts at go-live
After that, a €9 base fee plus €0.15 to €0.03 per document
OSS, ZM, DATEV, GoBD archive and every feature always included
Self-service signup with no waiting list, up and running in minutes
Cancel monthly, no setup fee
DATEV List price
from €7 / month net (Auftragswesen next)
Stack with Unternehmen online and Belege online: €22.39 net
Access medium required (mIDentity €25 or €50 one-time), storage if needed
Payment provider data service from €10/month on top
Tax firm services come on top and vary
Source: datev.de shop and pricing pages, as of July 2026
Worked example
Shop with 500 orders a month: Auftragswesen next has no shop or API integration; documents are created by hand or as recurring invoices. With Rechnungskit they are created automatically.
Rechnungskit
€68.00
DATEV
from €22.39 plus manual work per document

Switching in three steps

1
Bring your data over

Orders and payments from your connected sources are pulled in, and your invoice number sequence continues. Old documents stay available in your previous system; Rechnungskit doesn't import invoices created elsewhere.

2
Test in parallel

Both systems run side by side for one billing period. You compare documents and bookings before anything goes live.

3
Switch over

Sending is switched over and your tax advisor gets the new export access. The old system stays in place as an archive.

FAQ

No, quite the opposite: Rechnungskit is built around DATEV. It replaces manual invoicing (with Auftragswesen next, for example), creates documents automatically from your sales channels and hands finished bookings in DATEV format to your tax advisor, who keeps working in DATEV accounting as usual.

Yes, and that's the usual way to switch. You run both systems in parallel for one billing period and compare documents and bookings before you switch over.

They stay where they are. Rechnungskit doesn't import or archive invoices created elsewhere; you keep meeting your retention duty for old documents (eight years under § 14b (1) UStG and § 147 (3) AO) in your previous system. What Rechnungskit can pull in are past orders and payments from your connected shops and payment providers, which then become new, validated invoices. For the number sequence, you set the number Rechnungskit continues from, so nothing overlaps with your old documents.

Documents are stored tamper-proof and unchangeable for eight years for as long as your account exists (WORM archive with checksums). Eight years is the retention period for invoices and accounting records (§ 14b (1) UStG, § 147 (3) AO); the requirements for the archive are set out in the GoBD. You can export them at any time, and for 90 days free of charge after you cancel. The final assessment of your process documentation (Verfahrensdokumentation) is up to your tax advisor.

DATEV ends development, maintenance and service for DATEV Mittelstand Faktura on 31.12.2026; bundles with an accounting solution are excluded. DATEV names Auftragswesen next as the alternative. For shop or API data, Rechnungskit can create documents automatically and hand them to your tax advisor.

No. The export comes in the usual format (EXTF for SKR03/SKR04) and can be imported like any booking batch. Your tax advisor keeps their DATEV setup unchanged.

Yes. With every revenue export, Rechnungskit creates a "Belegtransfer" package (document.xml plus one PDF per invoice) that your tax advisor uploads to Unternehmen online via DATEV Belegtransfer or the XML interface online. Every invoice booking in the batch carries the matching Beleglink, so DATEV attaches the document image to the booking on import. Order: upload the documents first, then import the booking batch. If your tax advisor doesn't work with Unternehmen online, you switch the package off and get a simple ZIP of documents instead.

From the providers' publicly available sources, checked on July 28, 2026, with footnotes for each row. Where we found no reliable source, the table says "Not documented". If you spot a mistake, write to support@rechnungskit.de and we'll correct it and re-date the page.

Related reading

More comparisons

Rechnungskit is not a tax advisory or law firm. This article explains general principles and does not replace advice from a tax advisor (Steuerberater, § 5 StBerG) or a lawyer (§ 3 RDG). Rechnungskit is built for businesses based in Germany and prepares documents, tax rates and bookings automatically. How your specific case is treated remains your decision, ideally together with your tax advisor or a lawyer.

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