DATEV vs Silae (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, DATEV and Silae share a 1.8 GPA, neither has a free plan and their prices can't be set side by side, so the choice depends on which features you need.
Checked Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
They get the same grade on all five counts.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Which one is for you
Pick DATEV if
- Fits if your tax advisor already works in DATEV
- Works for German employers paying staff under German rules
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you do not read German, as the site is German
- Not for you if you pay staff outside Germany
- Watch out: sign-in now requires a SmartCard, mIDentity or SmartLogin
- Watch out: no prices were found, and it is aimed first at tax, audit and legal professions
Pick Silae if
- Fits if you run payroll for French employees
- Makes sense if your accounting firm already works with Silae
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you pay staff outside France, as it is built on French rules and the DSN
- Not for you if you do not read French, since the site is French
- Watch out: no prices are published and you are routed to an expert
- Watch out: the site pushes the partner route through accountants and integrators
How we grade them
| 1.8GPADATEVWeak | 1.8GPASilaeWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CNo price was found; it is sold through a shop and tax advisors, so it sits in the middle of payroll tools. | CNo price is published and no pricing page was found, so it sits in the middle of payroll tools. |
| Free plan and trial | FNo free plan or trial on the pages read. | FNo free plan or trial on record; buyers are routed to an expert. |
| Features | BPayroll, cloud or on-premises, shared work with the tax firm, HR modules and an employee portal. The listing names no gap in the job. | BPayroll with DSN, a payslip vault, HR records, expenses and business intelligence. The listing names no gap in the payroll job. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. Sign-in needs a SmartCard, mIDentity or SmartLogin, which is extra setup. | CNo store rating on record. It is built around French collective agreements, so expect setup and training. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb on the listing, with no mobile app or integrations list. | CWeb only on the listing, with no mobile app or integrations list. |
| Best for | German payroll through your tax advisor | French payroll for firms and accountants |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: DATEV and Silae. How we grade
Where they differ
- DATEV also covers time clock.
- Silae also covers time off.
In commonWebReportsExpense trackingPayrollEmployee records
At a glance
| DATEV | Silae | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Paid |
| Starts at | Not published | Not published |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | DATEV eG | Silae |
| Price read from | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
DATEV
- No prices were found on the pages read, so pricing is unverified; it is sold through a shop and through tax advisors.
- Built for German payroll rules, and the site is in German.
- The company describes itself as serving tax, audit and legal professions first, with companies as a second audience.
- Sign-in now requires a DATEV SmartCard, mIDentity or SmartLogin, per a notice on the home page.
Silae
- No prices are published and no pricing page was found, so pricing is unverified.
- The product is built around French payroll rules, collective agreements and the DSN.
- The site has a partner program for resellers, integrators and accounting firms, and routes buyers to an expert.
- The site is in French.
Key features
DATEV
- Payroll software
- Lohn- und Gehaltsabrechnung programs, with versions for social institutions and the public sector. The site says about 14.5 million employees are paid with them each month.
- Cloud or on-premises
- Companies can choose a cloud solution or an on-premises one, and combine modules as needed.
- Shared work with the tax firm
- The payroll pages describe exchanging data with the company's tax firm, for example when it prepares the payroll.
- HR modules
- Related solutions cover recruiting, personnel management, time recording, HR controlling, staff development and travel expenses.
- Employee portal
- DATEV Arbeitnehmer online is listed as a way for employees to get their payroll documents.
Silae
- Payroll and DSN
- mySilae Paie produces and validates payslips, takes in variable pay entries and generates the DSN declarations automatically.
- Digital payslip vault
- A coffre-fort stores and archives payroll documents and makes them available to employees, with a variant for the public sector.
- HR information system
- mySilae Entreprise covers employee records from hiring to exit, time and absences, remote work, e-signatures and medical follow-up.
- Expenses and advances
- mySilae Expense digitizes expense reports, and a separate service handles pay advances.
- Business intelligence
- mySilae BI uses payroll and DSN data for HR reporting, and a REST API is mentioned in the site's security and technology section.
Plans
DATEV
Pricing could not be confirmed. See datev.de.
Silae
Pricing could not be confirmed. See silae.fr.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, DATEV or Silae?
As of Nov 13, 2026, DATEV has no price we could confirm, and Silae has no price we could confirm.
Which has a free plan, DATEV or Silae?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither DATEV nor Silae has a free plan.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.