Holded vs Lexware Office (2026): which should you pick?

Pick Holded if

• Fits if you're a Spanish freelancer who needs invoicing with Verifactu
• Makes sense if you want inventory and a CRM next to your books

Look elsewhere if

• Tight if you stay on the free plan: 20 invoices and 50 scanned expenses a year
• Watch out: Basic allows 2 users and Standard 4, and extra users cost €12 a month each
• Watch out: Inventory starts at €25 a month and HR is €3 per employee, both as add-ons
• Not for you if you're outside Spain, unless you've checked the tax forms for your country
• Pricey if you need full accounting: that starts at Standard, €69 a month

Pick Lexware Office if

• Fits if you are a freelancer or small firm in Germany who needs invoices and receipts handled
• Works for owners who want to cancel monthly and keep an accountant in the loop

Look elsewhere if

• Not for you if you operate outside Germany, as no other country is advertised
• Skip it if you do not read German, because the site and tax setup are German
• Tight if you want the books on S, since bookkeeping, EÜR and VAT filing start at L
• Watch out: payroll starts from €12.90 a month for up to 2 employees and the business account is extra
• Watch out: prices exclude VAT, and the public API needs the XL version

Holded

• Prices are in euros, exclude VAT, and the page does not say whether the figures assume monthly or annual billing.
• Each plan caps users (2 on Basic, 4 on Standard); extra users cost €12 a month each.
• Inventory starts at €25 a month and the HR module is €3 per employee a month, both as add-on Gems.
• Tax forms and e-invoicing features listed on the page are Spanish; check coverage for other countries.

Lexware Office

• Built around German tax rules and the German-language site; no other country is advertised.
• Prices are shown excluding VAT, and the 3-month introductory price is not available if you start the 30-day trial.
• Payroll is a separate add-on shown from €12.90 per month for up to 2 employees (€6.45 for the first 3 months); the business account is also extra.
• Bookkeeping, EÜR and VAT filing start at the L version; the public API needs XL.

Holded

Invoicing and quotes

Unlimited invoices on paid plans, with quotes, proformas, recurring invoices, a client portal, multi-currency and Verifactu.

Accounting

Standard and above add automatic journal entries, analytical accounting and annual accounts that an accountant can work from.

Bank connections and Wallet

Connect bank accounts to match transactions with invoices and expenses; Holded Wallet adds supplier payments and team cards.

Expense scanner

Scans receipts and extracts their data, with a fair-use limit tied to the plan's AI usage.

Spanish tax forms

Lists VAT models 303, 347, 349, 369 and 390 and IRPF models, with corporate tax forms 200 and 202 from Standard.

Inventory, CRM and projects

Inventory and HR are paid Gems; the CRM and project profitability tracking are part of the plans.

Lexware Office

Quotes, invoices and e-invoices

Creates quotes, delivery notes, invoices and reminders, and handles German e-invoice formats (ZUGFeRD and XRechnung) required since 1 January 2025.

Receipt scanning

The free iOS and Android app scans receipts, reads amount and supplier, and suggests a booking to confirm with one tap.

Bookkeeping and VAT

Bank transactions are matched to receipts. VAT pre-filings can be sent to the tax office from the app, with a running VAT forecast.

Reports

Profit-and-loss and income-surplus reports plus a business evaluation (BWA) that can be exported as PDF.

Payroll add-on

An optional module for payslips and the statutory social-insurance and tax notifications, priced by number of employees.

Business account and partners

An optional business account (Solo or Plus) with a German IBAN, plus more than 140 partner extensions for shops, time tracking and travel expenses.

Holded

• Light€0

  Free invoicing with Verifactu for 1 user, limited to 20 invoices and 50 scanned expenses a year.

• Starter€19

  per month, excluding VAT

  1 user with unlimited invoices and expense scanning, 1 connected bank, VAT and income tax returns and a sales funnel.

• Basic€34

  per month, excluding VAT

  2 users, 5 connected banks, cash flow, 10 recurring invoices, recurring purchases and 1 free point-of-sale store.

• Standard€69

  per month, excluding VAT

  4 users, full accounting, unlimited banks, SEPA remittances, corporate tax forms and user roles.

• Advanced€115

  per month, excluding VAT

  7 users, custom roles and fields, payment reminders, cash flow scenarios and priority support.

• Premium€229

  per month, excluding VAT

  15 users, unlimited recurring invoices, multi-country VAT and 100,000 API calls a month.

Lexware Office

• S€7.90

  per month excl. VAT, cancel monthly

  Receipt capture and archive. The page advertises €3.95 per month for the first 3 months.

• M€12.90

  per month excl. VAT, cancel monthly

  Adds quotes, e-invoices and payment reminders. Advertised at €6.45 per month for the first 3 months. Marked as the most popular version.

• L€21.90

  per month excl. VAT, cancel monthly

  Adds bookkeeping, income-surplus (EÜR) reports and VAT. Advertised at €10.95 per month for the first 3 months.

• XL€32.90

  per month excl. VAT, cancel monthly

  Adds EU and partial-payment invoices and the public API. Advertised at €16.45 per month for the first 3 months.

Holded

• Other savings

  50% off the first 3 months

  New customers get 50% off paid plans for their first 3 months, then the regular price applies, per the pricing page.

• Other savings

  Black Friday: 70% off for 3 months

  For new customers until 30 November 2026, every paid plan is 70% off for the first 3 months, in place of the usual 50%.

Lexware Office

• Other savings

  50% off the first 3 months

  The pricing page shows each version at half price for a 3-month introductory term, then the regular monthly price. The sign-up page says the 30-day free trial forgoes this discount.