lexoffice Alternative 2026: When Switching Is Worth It

This article is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute purchasing or legal advice. Prices and features may change at any time. Check the respective provider's website for the latest information.

Is lexoffice Still Called lexoffice?

No. The product now goes by the name Lexware Office. It is the same software from the same provider, Haufe-Lexware, under a new name. Old addresses such as lexoffice.de now redirect to the Lexware site, and your existing login keeps working unchanged.

In practice: if you are looking for a lexoffice alternative, you are looking for an alternative to Lexware Office. We use both names in this article, because most self-employed people still know the product as lexoffice.

When Is a lexoffice Alternative Worth It?

Lexware Office is a full accounting suite. Switching to something leaner makes sense above all if:

your day-to-day work is mostly writing quotes and invoices
your tax advisor handles your income-expense report (EÜR) and VAT returns
you have no employees and therefore no need for payroll
the monthly subscription bothers you when you only use a fraction of the features

That last point is the most common one. If all you do is write invoices, you end up in the smallest package and still pay every month, indefinitely.

What Does Lexware Office Cost?

Lexware Office is sold in four packages: S, M, L, and XL. List prices range from 7.90 EUR to 32.90 EUR per month, each net and plus VAT. All packages can be cancelled monthly, and new customers get a temporary discount on the first few months.

Worth knowing for context:

There is no permanently free plan. You can try it free for 30 days, after which the subscription is paid.
Accounting sits in the larger packages. The entry package mainly covers quotes and invoices.
E-invoicing starts at package M. The entry package S cannot produce XRechnung or ZUGFeRD.
Payroll is an add-on module booked separately on top of your chosen package. It is not simply included in the price.

As of August 2026, the e-invoicing detail as of October 2026. Prices and package contents change regularly, so check the current overview on the provider's website.

revoBill, by contrast, is completely free. No subscription, no setup fee, no limit on the number of invoices or quotes. That includes e-invoices in XRechnung format. The only costs are the standard Stripe transaction fees when your customers pay online through the Stripe integration. Stripe charges those directly and revoBill earns nothing from them.

Lexware Office and revoBill Compared

Criterion	Lexware Office (lexoffice)	revoBill
Focus	Full accounting	Quotes and invoicing
Quotes and invoices	Yes	Yes
Kleinunternehmer scheme (§19)	Yes	Yes
Payment tracking	Yes	Yes
Issuing e-invoices	From package M, XRechnung and ZUGFeRD	Yes, XRechnung
EÜR and VAT returns	Yes	No
DATEV export	Yes	No
Bank connection	Yes	No
Receipt scanning (OCR)	Yes	No
Payroll	As an add-on module	No
Free plan	No, 30-day trial only	Yes, completely free
Best for	Small businesses doing their own accounting	Freelancers and small businesses

As of August 2026, the e-invoicing row as of October 2026. Features and prices may change.

Where Lexware Office Stays the Better Choice

A fair comparison needs both sides. Lexware Office stays ahead if you:

have employees. Payroll is where the suite sets itself apart from most competitors.
do your own bookkeeping. EÜR and VAT returns run straight out of the software.
want to digitise receipts. Photos and scans are read and matched automatically.
want to connect your business account so payments are reconciled automatically.
need to issue ZUGFeRD, since revoBill produces XRechnung but not ZUGFeRD. With Lexware Office you need at least package M for it.
need DATEV export, because your tax advisor works directly with your booking data.

If several of these apply, a suite is the right call. Which one is a question our invoicing software comparison helps narrow down.

When a Lean Invoicing Tool Is Enough

The opposite case is just as clear. A tool like revoBill fits if you:

write quotes, turn them into invoices, and track who has paid
invoice without VAT as a Kleinunternehmer under §19 UStG
hand your paperwork to your tax advisor at the end of the year
want to issue e-invoices as XRechnung without upgrading to a bigger package
want to start immediately, without onboarding or training videos

One note on e-invoicing, because it often gets muddled: since 2025 every business has to be able to receive e-invoices. For B2B sales you have to issue them from 2027 if your total 2026 revenue was above 800,000 EUR, otherwise from 2028. Kleinunternehmer are permanently exempt from issuing. If e-invoicing is the only reason you are looking at package M: revoBill issues XRechnung for free and with no volume cap. Which deadline applies to you is covered in e-invoicing in Germany 2027.

How to Switch Without Chaos

Moving from lexoffice to another tool is straightforward if you keep four things in mind:

Export and keep your old invoices. You have to retain invoices for 8 years (since 2025, previously 10) and store them in a GoBD-compliant way. Export everything as PDF before you cancel your subscription. If you issued or received e-invoices, save the XML files as well. For an e-invoice, the structured dataset is what you must retain, and the PDF view alone is not enough.
Move your master data. Set up customers, services, and company details cleanly once in the new tool.
Continue your invoice numbers. Do not restart at 1, or you risk duplicate numbers. Each invoice number may be assigned only once. Carry on your existing range or start a new one with its own prefix, both are allowed. The sequence does not have to be gap-free, by the way.
Check your notice period. Packages can be cancelled monthly, but a running discount period may be tied to a commitment. Look at your contract before cancelling.

Common Questions About lexoffice Alternatives

Is lexoffice now Lexware Office?

Yes. The product was renamed to Lexware Office. The provider and the feature set stayed the same. Existing accounts and data carry on unchanged, and old addresses redirect to the new site.

Is there a free lexoffice alternative?

Yes. revoBill is completely free, with no subscription and no limit on the number of invoices. The feature set is deliberately focused on quotes, invoices, and payment tracking, so accounting features such as EÜR or DATEV export are not included.

Can a lexoffice alternative issue e-invoices?

Yes. revoBill issues e-invoices in XRechnung format, for free and with no volume cap. ZUGFeRD is not currently included. With Lexware Office you can only issue e-invoices from package M, not in package S.

Can I skip Lexware Office as a Kleinunternehmer?

In most cases yes. As long as your tax advisor handles the bookkeeping and you have no employees, what you mainly need is a tool for quotes and invoices. To see how much headroom you have left before the revenue threshold, use the Kleinunternehmer threshold calculator.

What happens to my old invoices after switching?

You have to retain them regardless of which software you use. Export them as PDF before cancelling, e-invoices as XML as well, and archive them in a GoBD-compliant way. The retention period is 8 years.