Comparison
sevDesk vs Papierkram: hours or books?
The real difference: hours or books
Comparing these two on price and feature lists misses the one decision that actually matters: do you bill by time spent?
Papierkram includes time tracking and project management in every plan, including the free one. That is not a side feature — it is why the product exists: tracked hours flow into the invoice. For agencies, developers and consultants who think in projects and hourly rates, that is the whole difference.
sevDesk starts somewhere else. It is built as a bookkeeping solution — receipts, EÜR, advance VAT returns — with invoicing as one part of it. sevDesk does not list time tracking or projects in its feature overview.
The facts side by side
| Papierkram | sevDesk | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | €9.90 / month billed annually (€12.90 monthly) | from €12.90 / month |
| Free plan | €0 — invoices, quotes, receipts, time tracking, projects | 3 invoices / month |
| Time tracking | every plan, including free | not stated |
| Projects | every plan, including free | not stated |
| Bookkeeping (EÜR) | plan S and up | in the accounting plan |
| ELSTER / VAT return | plan S and up | yes |
| Dunning | plan S and up | manual |
| Recurring invoices | plan S and up | yes, optionally automatic |
| E-invoicing | every plan | even in the free tier |
| Austria | not stated | yes |
“Not stated” means exactly that: the vendor makes no statement about it on its website. We do not guess in those places. Papierkram prices checked on 3 September 2026 at papierkram.de, sevDesk details last verified on 2 August 2026.
Which one fits you?
Short, and without diplomacy:
- You bill by the hour, work in projects, and want tracked time to flow into the invoice → Papierkram
- You want to do your full bookkeeping in the tool, receipts and VAT returns included → sevDesk
- You invoice in Germany AND Austria → sevDesk, since Papierkram does not state Austrian support
- You just want to try it, no card and no deadline → Papierkram has the more generous free plan
- You mainly want to send good-looking invoices fast and your tax adviser does the books → neither is built for that
That last point is why Billy exists — more in the direct Billy and sevDesk comparison. If you are weighing more than these two, the market overview covers the rest.
Last updated 3 September 2026. Papierkram plans and features checked on 3 September 2026 at papierkram.de/preise and /funktionen; sevDesk details from our vendor sweep of 2 August 2026. Prices and feature scope can change at any time — the vendor's own website always governs.