Pathway Solutions alternative: e-invoicing and DATEV from one tool
Rechnungskit issues the e-invoice for every order itself, locks it in the archive and passes it to your tax advisor as DATEV bookings together with payments, fees and payouts. It all runs on one subscription, for Shopify, WooCommerce, Shopware and Stripe. Pathway Solutions comes from the accounting side: its main product is the DATEV export for shops, marketplaces and SaaS. Invoices are written by a second Shopify app with its own subscription, Rechnungsprinter Pro.
Sources checked: October 2, 2026 · Updated: October 2, 2026 · No guarantee of accuracy · Sources below the table
The short version
the invoice is your starting point: ZUGFeRD from Shopify, WooCommerce, Shopware or Stripe, XRechnung for public authorities, the qualified VAT ID check with the BZSt and DATEV bookings including deferred revenue, all from the same tool.
above all you need a DATEV export beyond your shop: Amazon, eBay, Otto, Zalando, Kaufland, About You, TikTok Shop or Chargebee, transferred via the DATEV booking data service, and if you like, support packages with a dedicated contact person.
Both bring Shopify orders all the way into DATEV, but from different starting points. At Pathway, the export is the main product and the invoice is a second subscription; ZUGFeRD is the documented e-invoice format. Rechnungskit starts with the invoice and builds the bookings from it. For many marketplaces Pathway currently covers more ground. If you want invoicing and the DATEV export for your shop and Stripe from one place, one Rechnungskit subscription does it.
Rechnungskit and Pathway Solutions in detail
Every row is backed by a source. Where something couldn't be confirmed from public sources, the table says so.
- 1. pathway-solutions.de (home page and integrations), Rechnungsprinter Pro, Steuerberatung, Shopify zu DATEV, blog: finway for the incoming side and help center, section Zahlungsanbieter; checked on October 2, 2026. Provider: pathway solutions gmbh, Hamburg (HRB 151552).
- 2. pathway-solutions.de/preise (e-commerce price calculator, add-ons, additional users, support packages, Enterprise) and help article Preisstruktur Rechnungsprinter ab 01.03.2026, checked on October 2, 2026; prices net in euros. In the Shopify App Store, Pathway bills in US dollars and lists a one-time onboarding fee of €29 to €149 per plan.
- 3. Pathway help E-Rechnung im Rechnungsprinter and Wie erzeuge ich eine E-Rechnung? ("invoices in ZUGFeRD format", fields BT-9 to BT-13), checked on October 2, 2026.
- 4. Pathway help Wann werden Rechnungen, Gutschriften und Stornos ausgestellt?, Lieferdatum fehlt auf der Rechnung, Archivierung ("your data is deleted after 8 weeks") and Shopify App kündigen, checked on October 2, 2026.
- 5. Pathway help DATEV (booking data service), Belegbildverknüpfung, OSS-Dashboard and PRAP-Liste buchen ("is not imported directly into DATEV"); add-on prices from the pricing page. Checked on October 2, 2026.
- 6. Pathway help Einzweck- und Mehrzweckgutscheine and Shopify-Gutscheine in DATEV, checked on October 2, 2026.
- 7. Pathway help Rechnungsprinter Secure Endpoint (API); Enterprise package from the pricing page. Checked on October 2, 2026.
- 8. Shopify App Store, DATEV > Buchhaltungsexport Pro: 4.7 stars from 108 reviews; Rechnungsprinter Pro > DATEV: 4.6 stars from 20 reviews; checked on October 2, 2026. The Rechnungskit price comes from the pricing curve on rechnungskit.de/preise (€9.00 base fee + €59.00 usage for 500 documents).
- Information from the provider's website, help center and App Store listing, last checked on October 2, 2026; prices net of VAT.
- Rows marked "Not documented" mean we found no reliable public source, not that the feature is missing.
- Rechnungskit information reflects the current product; items marked "Planned" are not available yet.
- 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 October 2, 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 Pathway Solutions the better choice?
Rechnungskit doesn't do everything. In these cases, Pathway Solutions is the more honest recommendation.
Pathway exports Amazon, eBay, Otto, Zalando, Kaufland, About You and TikTok Shop in DATEV format. Rechnungskit has no marketplace integration yet; marketplace orders only come in through the API or by hand.
If you like, Pathway transfers the booking batches straight to DATEV (add-on, €25 a month). With Rechnungskit, your tax advisor downloads the booking batch and document package as files and imports them.
For SaaS, Pathway books Stripe Billing and Chargebee. Rechnungskit connects Stripe Billing, but not Chargebee.
Pathway offers support packages from €350 to €1,360 a month, for example a quarterly audit with a plausibility check in DATEV, and Enterprise from €2,000 with dedicated server instances.
What Rechnungskit does differently
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.
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.
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.
Price comparison
List prices net per month, as of October 2, 2026. Discounts and promotions are not included.
Switching in three steps
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.
Both systems run side by side for one billing period. You compare documents and bookings before anything goes live.
Sending is switched over and your tax advisor gets the new export access. The old system stays in place as an archive.
FAQ
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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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