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

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

Pick Moneybird if

• Fits if you're a Dutch or European freelancer who wants VAT returns filed electronically
• Works for online shops that connect Shopify or bol.com

Look elsewhere if

• Tight if you're on Compact: 1 invoice a month, 5 processed bank transactions and no VAT return
• Watch out: each sales invoice over your limit costs €0.15
• Watch out: iDEAL costs €0.29 a payment and cards 1% to 5%, and bank connections add small charges
• Watch out: the pricing page doesn't say which countries it serves

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.

Moneybird

• Monthly invoice limits apply; beyond them each extra sales invoice costs €0.15.
• Online payments carry fees, for example €0.29 for iDEAL and 1% to 5% for cards, with a 16 cent minimum on variable fees.
• Bank connections add small charges, such as €0.03 per payment record and €1.00 to initiate a payment.
• The site is offered in English, Dutch, German and French; the pricing page does not list which countries it serves.

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.

Moneybird

Invoices and quotes

Send sales invoices and quotes, set recurring invoices and automatic reminders, and send through Peppol or collect by SEPA direct debit.

Purchase invoices and receipts

Scan receipts with the app, process UBL invoices and receive invoices through Peppol. Smart document processing is capped at 3 on Compact.

Bank connections

Link bank accounts from 1,700+ European banks and match the transactions. How many accounts and transactions depends on the plan.

Bookkeeping and VAT returns

Reports, ledger accounts and asset depreciation are included. Electronic VAT returns and ICP returns can be filed from Moneybird on Start and above.

Timesheets and online sales

Record billable hours and turn them into invoices, and take payments through a payment link or recurring subscriptions.

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.

Moneybird

• Compact€3

  per month, billed yearly (€4 billed monthly)

  1 user and 1 sales invoice a month, 5 processed bank transactions, no linked bank account or VAT return.

• Start€15

  per month, billed yearly (€18 billed monthly)

  1 user, 200 sales invoices a month, 20 processed bank transactions and electronic VAT returns.

• Growth€29

  per month, billed yearly (€35 billed monthly)

  5 users, 500 sales invoices a month, 5 linked bank accounts and 50 processed transactions.

• Complete€41

  per month, billed yearly (€49 billed monthly)

  Unlimited users, linked bank accounts and transactions, and 1,000 sales invoices a month.

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.

Moneybird

• Annual discount

  At least 16% off with yearly billing

  The pricing page shows the yearly-billed price per month and the saving per year, from €12 on Compact to €96 on Complete.