Market overview · July 2026
Invoicing software compared: sevDesk, Lexware Office, easybill & co. — and where Billy fits in
Anyone shopping for invoicing software in the German-speaking market in 2026 runs into the same names: sevDesk, Lexware Office, easybill, FastBill, Billomat, Papierkram or Accountable. All are established — and all are, at their core, accounting or receipt-management tools where “AI” has mostly meant receipt recognition so far.
This comparison honestly maps what each tool is built for, what the vendors currently charge (as of July 2026), and where Billy — the AI invoicing app for freelancers in Austria, Germany and the US — makes a real difference. And just as honestly: when another tool is the better pick.
The market at a glance
| Tool | Focus | Entry price (net/month)¹ | What "AI" means here | Austria |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Billy | Invoicing + AI assistant | from €9 | Assistant creates & sends invoices on request, reminders run automatically | Yes (AT, DE, US) |
| sevDesk | Invoicing & accounting | from €8.90 ("Rechnung" plan) | AI receipt capture, support chatbot "Sevi" | Yes (sevdesk.at) |
| Lexware Office | Accounting & invoicing | from €12.90 (plan M with invoicing) | AI receipt capture with booking proposals | No (Germany only) |
| easybill | Invoicing & e-commerce | Free (50 docs/month); from €9 | AI receipt capture & pre-booking, support chatbot | No |
| FastBill | Invoicing + VAT filing | from €9 | OCR receipt recognition, category suggestions | No |
| Billomat | Invoicing | from €19 (capped at 30 invoices/month) | OCR receipt capture | No |
| Papierkram | Bookkeeping + time tracking | Free; from €9.90 | AI receipt recognition | No (German tax rules) |
| Accountable | Taxes & invoicing | Free; from €9.90 | AI tax assistant (answers tax questions) | No (DE & BE) |
¹ Cheapest plan that includes invoicing, net prices with annual billing per the vendors’ pricing pages, retrieved July 2026. All information without guarantee — prices and feature scope change frequently; the vendors’ own pages are authoritative.
Invoicing app or accounting software? The honest difference
sevDesk, Lexware Office, Papierkram and Accountable are, at their core, bookkeeping and tax tools: they generate the EÜR profit statement, file the VAT pre-registration with the tax office via ELSTER, reconcile bank accounts and export to DATEV. That is a lot — and exactly right for freelancers who want to do their entire bookkeeping themselves.
Billy deliberately does not do that. Billy is a focused invoicing app: beautiful, legally compliant invoices (§14 UStG / §11 öUStG, §19 small-business scheme, §13b reverse charge), quotes, credit notes, recurring invoices, automatic payment reminders — plus an AI assistant that does all of it on request. If a tax advisor handles your books, or you simply want to get paid without learning accounting software, you often don’t need the rest at all.
Where Billy has a clear edge
The most important difference is in the AI column of the table: at every vendor compared here, "AI" as of July 2026 means receipt recognition, booking suggestions or a support chatbot. None of these tools has an assistant that does the actual work.
- A real AI assistant: "Invoice Anna €1,200 for the March workshop" — Billy drafts the invoice, you approve, Billy sends it.
- Automatic reminders from the entry plan: payment reminders and Mahnungen run on your schedule — easybill offers this only in its Premium plan, FastBill as a paid add-on, sevDesk and Lexware Office as a per-invoice click.
- Austria as a home market: §11 öUStG, the small-business scheme and reverse charge come preconfigured — Lexware Office, Papierkram and Accountable don’t support Austria at all.
- Bilingual (German & English) plus a US region: currency, date formats and tax logic switch automatically.
- Design first: five professional templates with a live preview as you type — the invoice is what your clients see of you.
- Control: the assistant sends nothing and changes no data without your confirmation.
When another tool is the better choice
A fair comparison names the other direction too. You should pick another tool if any of these apply to you:
- You want to file the EÜR and VAT pre-registration yourself inside the tool: sevDesk and Lexware Office (plan L) file directly via ELSTER, FastBill includes VAT filing in every plan, Accountable handles all tax returns. Billy has no bookkeeping or tax-filing features.
- You sell on Amazon, eBay or Shopify: easybill specializes in marketplace billing, OSS and shipping integrations.
- You need project time tracking with billing: Papierkram is known to be good at exactly that.
- You must issue XRechnung or ZUGFeRD today (e.g. for public-sector or large corporate clients): the tools compared here create structured e-invoices, some even in their free tiers. Billy currently creates PDF invoices — though as a Kleinunternehmer you are permanently exempt from the e-invoice issuing obligation (see below).
- You want receipt scanning and bank reconciliation: banking sync and receipt capture are the accounting tools’ strength, not Billy’s.
The e-invoicing mandate: what actually applies as of July 2026
For Billy’s core audience — freelancers and small businesses in Austria and Germany — there is therefore no obligation to issue e-invoices as of today. What remains important is being able to receive and open incoming e-invoices.
The tools in brief
sevDesk
The market leader for freelancers who want invoicing and bookkeeping in one: EÜR, VAT filing via ELSTER, banking, DATEV, plus a dedicated Austrian version (sevdesk.at). E-invoices (XRechnung/ZUGFeRD) are included even in the free tier with 3 invoices per month. "AI" here means receipt capture and the support chatbot Sevi; reminders are created per invoice with a click.
Lexware Office (formerly lexoffice)
The Haufe-Lexware classic with over 230,000 customers, a very approachable interface and a payroll add-on. Invoicing starts with plan M (€12.90 net), bookkeeping/EÜR/ELSTER with plan L. Important for Austrians: per its own help center, Lexware Office is suitable for Germany only.
easybill
Strong for e-commerce: Amazon, eBay and Shopify integrations, OSS and shipping labels, plus a permanently free tier with 50 documents per month including e-invoicing. Recurring invoices require the Professional plan, automated dunning the Premium plan; archiving costs extra.
FastBill
Back in its founders’ hands since the 2024 buyback. Its specialty: VAT pre-registration goes directly to the tax office via ELSTER in every plan. Recurring invoices require Pro, fully automatic dunning is a paid add-on, and an official EÜR is missing.
Billomat
A pure invoicing tool, part of aifinyo AG since 2022. Dunning and recurring invoices are included in all plans — but the entry plan costs more than most competitors at €19 net and is capped at 30 invoices per month.
Papierkram
A likeable German bookkeeping tool with the best project time tracking in the field and a free tier. EÜR, VAT filing and banking start at €9.90 net. It is not built for Austrian tax rules.
Accountable
The "taxes without a tax advisor" app: handles EÜR, VAT, income and trade tax directly from the app, with an AI tax assistant for questions and a tax guarantee. Invoicing including e-invoices is even free. Available for Germany and Belgium only.