Lexware Office vs Zervant (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Zervant grades higher than Lexware Office: 2.4 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Zervant grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Lexware Office
German online bookkeeping and invoicing for freelancers and firms
Zervant
Invoicing and estimates for sole traders, with a free plan
Which one is for you
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, EÃœR 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 Zervant if
- Fits if you are a sole trader who sends a few invoices a month
- Works for someone who wants estimates turned into invoices from a phone
Look elsewhere if
- Too light for bookkeeping: it is an invoicing tool with no ledger
- Tight if you stay free, with 5 customers and 5 invoices a month, and 30 customers on Starter
- Watch out: card payments cost 1.9% + €0.25 per invoice for European cards, and bank payments €0.99 plus VAT
- Watch out: recurring invoices and bank connection start at Pro, and prices are in euros excluding VAT
How we grade them
| 2.2GPALexware OfficeFair | 2.4GPAZervantFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CS is €7.90 a month, but bookkeeping, EÜR and VAT filing start at L at €21.90, roughly the middle of accounting's range. Payroll and the business account cost extra. | BStarter is €9.99 a month billed yearly, inside the cheapest quarter of accounting tools ($15). Pro is €17.99 and Growth €41.99. |
| Free plan and trial | C30 days free, and the 3-month introductory price is lost if you start the trial. The listing does not say a card is needed. | CFree plan with 5 customers and 5 invoices a month, which a busy sole trader will reach. Paid monthly plans have a 14-day trial. |
| Features | CQuotes, invoices, e-invoices, receipts, VAT and reports, with payroll as an add-on. Filing sits on the larger versions and it is German only. | CInvoices, estimates, e-invoices, post delivery, time tracking, reminders and recurring invoices. It does the invoicing job fully, but invoicing is a smaller job than bookkeeping. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. You set up the company, accounts and receipt flow first. | CNo store rating on record. You enter your business and customer details first. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iOS and Android, with 3 integrations on record. | BWeb plus iPhone and Android apps. No integrations list or API was found. |
| Best for | a German freelancer sending invoices and keeping receipts | invoices and estimates for sole traders |
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: Lexware Office and Zervant. How we grade
Price against what you get
Lexware Office starts at about $8.83 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Zervant starts at about $11.16 a month and scores 2.3.
They score the same, and Lexware Office starts $2.33 a month lower. Of the other accounting and invoicing tools on the chart, 4 score higher than Lexware Office for less, and 5 score higher than Zervant for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Lexware Office also covers bookkeeping and payroll.
- Zervant also covers time tracking, expense tracking and quotes and estimates.
At a glance
| Lexware Office | Zervant | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | €7.90 per month excl. VAT (€3.95 for the first 3 months) | €9.99 per month, billed annually (€11.99 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | 5 customers and 5 invoices a month, with estimates, mobile app and time tracking. |
| Free trial | 30 days free; starting the trial means giving up the introductory discount. | 14-day free trial on monthly-paid plans |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Lexware | Zervant |
| Price read from | lexware.de | zervant.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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, EÃœR and VAT filing start at the L version; the public API needs XL.
Zervant
- The Free plan stops at 5 customers and 5 invoices a month, and Starter at 30 customers.
- Card payments cost 1.9% + €0.25 per invoice for European cards, and bank payments €0.99 plus VAT per invoice.
- Prices are in euros, excluding VAT, with versions in pounds, kronor and francs; they may differ outside the main European markets.
- This is an invoicing tool; it is not a full bookkeeping ledger.
Key features
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.
Zervant
- Invoices and estimates
- Create and send invoices and estimates by email or PDF, and turn an accepted estimate into an invoice.
- E-invoices and postal delivery
- Premium deliveries send an invoice as an e-invoice or by post, with monthly allowances that rise by plan.
- Time tracking
- Track working hours and transfer tracked time onto an invoice on Pro and Growth.
- Online payments
- Customers can pay by card or bank from the invoice email, priced per use rather than in the plan.
- Recurring invoices
- Pro and Growth add recurring invoices, down payments, payment schedules and multiple trade names.
- Payment reminders
- Send reminders on overdue invoices from the Starter plan up.
Plans
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.
Zervant
Free€0
5 customers and 5 invoices a month, estimates and the mobile app.
Starter€9.99
per month, billed annually (€11.99 billed monthly)
30 customers, unlimited invoices, estimates converted to invoices, payment reminders.
Pro€17.99
per month, billed annually (€20.99 billed monthly)
Unlimited customers, recurring invoices, down payments, payment schedules and bank connection.
Growth€41.99
per month, billed annually (€47.99 billed monthly)
Pro features with more premium deliveries: 30 a month by e-invoice or post, against 10 on Pro.
Ways to pay less
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.
Zervant
- Annual discount
Save up to 15% with yearly plans
The pricing page says yearly plans save up to 15% against monthly ones, which come with a 14-day trial.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Lexware Office or Zervant?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Lexware Office is cheaper to start with: about $8.83 a month, against about $11.16 a month for Zervant. Lexware Office starts at €7.90 per month excl. VAT (€3.95 for the first 3 months), and Zervant starts at €9.99 per month, billed annually (€11.99 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, Lexware Office or Zervant?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Zervant has a free plan. Lexware Office does not, though it has a free trial.
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.