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Rechnungskit
Rechnungskit vs. Lexware Office

Lexware Office alternative for online shops and SaaS companies

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Rechnungskit is the compliance layer in front of your accounting: every shop and payment transaction automatically becomes a compliant document and a finished DATEV booking. Lexware Office stays your full accounting system. Rechnungskit does not replace it; it feeds it clean data.

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

The short version

Rechnungskit fits if …

you invoice shop and payment transactions every day and want the date of supply, OSS, vouchers and payout reconciliation handled automatically.

Lexware Office fits if …

you want classic accounting with cash-basis accounts (EÜR), VAT returns (UStVA) and bank matching in one tool. That's what Lexware Office is built for.

The two tools don't rule each other out: many shops use Lexware Office for accounting and an invoicing layer in front of it for shop automation, and the two work together through the DATEV handover.

Rechnungskit and Lexware Office 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 Lexware Office, as of July 28, 2026
Feature RechnungskitLexware Office
E-invoicing
ZUGFeRD 2.x / Factur-X outgoing Yes ZUGFeRD 2.5 under EN 16931, every invoice Status: included Yes1 from plan M 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 from plan M 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 Partly1 mandatory-field checklist in the document preview; according to the provider, an EN 16931 validation report per invoice is only produced on the recipient side Status: limited, see footnote 1
Receive and process e-invoices No deliberately out of scope. Rechnungskit creates outgoing invoices Status: not available Yes1 in all plans Status: included, see footnote 1
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 Via partners2 Shopify via a third-party app, Amazon/WooCommerce e.g. via Billbee Status: limited, see footnote 2
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 Manual2 field selectable per invoice, not derived automatically from shipping Status: limited, see footnote 2
Automatic cancellation invoices on refunds including partial refunds Yes to the cent, with its own correction document Status: included Manual1 cancellation documents are not created automatically 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 Partly1 PayPal connected natively, fee shown separately; for Stripe/Mollie only manual instructions, no automatic payout matching Status: limited, see footnote 1
Tax compliance
OSS / EU distance selling Yes destination-country rates, monitoring of the €10,000 threshold, export Status: included XL only1 from plan XL (€32.90); destination-country rates + export file for the BZSt portal Status: paid add-on, see footnote 1
EU tax rates updated automatically Yes monthly from the EU database TEDB, with change alerts Status: included Partly1 destination-country rates are provided and picked manually per document; source and update cycle not documented Status: limited, see footnote 1
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 Yes1 qualified check, response is logged Status: included, see footnote 1
Single- and multi-purpose vouchers (§3 (13) to (15) UStG) Yes own voucher and store-credit register Status: included No1 provider documents that the necessary booking functions are currently missing Status: not available, see footnote 1
Deferred revenue (pRAP) / revenue recognition for subscriptions Yes pRAP for subscriptions and annual licenses Status: included No1 provider documents that deferred revenue cannot be booked Status: not available, 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 Yes1 DATEV booking data and invoice data services Status: included, see footnote 1
GoBD archive with locking (Festschreibung) Yes WORM archive, SHA-256, locked from creation Status: included Yes1 audited regularly under IDW PS 880, according to the provider Status: included, see footnote 1
Free access for your tax advisor Yes own tax advisor portal, documents read-only Status: included Yes1 in all plans Status: included, 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 Yes1 from plan L (€21.90) Status: included, see footnote 1
Entry price from €9 base fee + tiered price per document; free to test in sandbox mode Status: included from €7.901 creating invoices from plan M (€12.90) Status: note, see footnote 1
API for your own systems Yes push API in every plan Status: included XL only1 public API only in plan XL (€32.90) Status: paid add-on, see footnote 1

E-invoicing

ZUGFeRD 2.x / Factur-X outgoing
Rechnungskit Yes ZUGFeRD 2.5 under EN 16931, every invoice Status: included
Lexware Office Yes1 from plan M 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
Lexware Office Yes1 from plan M 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
Lexware Office Partly1 mandatory-field checklist in the document preview; according to the provider, an EN 16931 validation report per invoice is only produced on the recipient side Status: limited, see footnote 1
Receive and process e-invoices
Rechnungskit No deliberately out of scope. Rechnungskit creates outgoing invoices Status: not available
Lexware Office Yes1 in all plans Status: included, see footnote 1

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
Lexware Office Via partners2 Shopify via a third-party app, Amazon/WooCommerce e.g. via Billbee Status: limited, see footnote 2
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
Lexware Office Manual2 field selectable per invoice, not derived automatically from shipping Status: limited, see footnote 2
Automatic cancellation invoices on refunds
including partial refunds
Rechnungskit Yes to the cent, with its own correction document Status: included
Lexware Office Manual1 cancellation documents are not created automatically 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
Lexware Office Partly1 PayPal connected natively, fee shown separately; for Stripe/Mollie only manual instructions, no automatic payout matching Status: limited, see footnote 1

Tax compliance

OSS / EU distance selling
Rechnungskit Yes destination-country rates, monitoring of the €10,000 threshold, export Status: included
Lexware Office XL only1 from plan XL (€32.90); destination-country rates + export file for the BZSt portal Status: paid add-on, see footnote 1
EU tax rates updated automatically
Rechnungskit Yes monthly from the EU database TEDB, with change alerts Status: included
Lexware Office Partly1 destination-country rates are provided and picked manually per document; source and update cycle not documented Status: limited, see footnote 1
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
Lexware Office Yes1 qualified check, response is logged Status: included, see footnote 1
Single- and multi-purpose vouchers (§3 (13) to (15) UStG)
Rechnungskit Yes own voucher and store-credit register Status: included
Lexware Office No1 provider documents that the necessary booking functions are currently missing Status: not available, see footnote 1
Deferred revenue (pRAP) / revenue recognition for subscriptions
Rechnungskit Yes pRAP for subscriptions and annual licenses Status: included
Lexware Office No1 provider documents that deferred revenue cannot be booked Status: not available, 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
Lexware Office Yes1 DATEV booking data and invoice data services Status: included, see footnote 1
GoBD archive with locking (Festschreibung)
Rechnungskit Yes WORM archive, SHA-256, locked from creation Status: included
Lexware Office Yes1 audited regularly under IDW PS 880, according to the provider Status: included, see footnote 1
Free access for your tax advisor
Rechnungskit Yes own tax advisor portal, documents read-only Status: included
Lexware Office Yes1 in all plans Status: included, 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
Lexware Office Yes1 from plan L (€21.90) Status: included, see footnote 1
Entry price
Rechnungskit from €9 base fee + tiered price per document; free to test in sandbox mode Status: included
Lexware Office from €7.901 creating invoices from plan M (€12.90) Status: note, see footnote 1
API for your own systems
Rechnungskit Yes push API in every plan Status: included
Lexware Office XL only1 public API only in plan XL (€32.90) Status: paid add-on, see footnote 1
Sources & footnotes
  1. 1. lexware.de and help.lexware.de (pricing, e-invoicing, OSS, PayPal, payment providers, VAT ID check, DATEV, GoBD/IDW PS 880, vouchers and deferred revenue), checked on July 28, 2026.
  2. 2. Shop integrations according to lexware.de/funktionen/online-shop-buchhaltung (including Billbee, Kassenklingeln, Intercon Systems) and lexware.de/partner/shopify (paid Shopify app by Eshop Guide); scope and price depend on the third party.
  3. Information from the provider's website (pricing, feature and help pages), last checked on July 28, 2026; prices net of VAT.
  4. Rows marked "Not documented" mean we found no reliable public source, not that the feature is missing.
  5. Rechnungskit information reflects the current product; items marked "Planned" are not available yet.
  6. 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 Lexware Office the better choice?

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

You need real accounting

Cash-basis accounts (EÜR), VAT returns (UStVA), bank matching and fixed-asset management are not part of Rechnungskit. Lexware Office covers all of that, with payroll as an add-on.

Your business isn't transaction-driven

With a handful of invoices a month and no shop integration, a separate automation layer adds little.

You want exactly one tool

Rechnungskit is deliberately one layer in your stack. If you want everything behind one login, an all-in-one product suits you better.

You receive a lot of e-invoices

Receiving and processing incoming e-invoices is included in every Lexware Office plan. At Rechnungskit it is deliberately out of scope.

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
Lexware Office List price
from €7.90 / month net
Creating invoices from plan M (€12.90)
UStVA/EÜR from plan L (€21.90)
API only in plan XL (€32.90)
Source: lexware.de/preise, as of July 2026
Worked example
Shop with 500 orders a month, EU distance selling and DATEV handover: can't be automated without a third-party connector, and the connector adds its own cost.
Rechnungskit
€68.00
Lexware Office
from €32.90 + connector

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. Rechnungskit creates legally compliant invoices from your transactions and hands finished bookings to DATEV. Full accounting with cash-basis accounts (EÜR) and VAT returns (UStVA) stays with your accounting tool or your tax advisor.

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.

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.

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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