DATEV review (2026): is it worth it?
German payroll and accounting software used with tax advisors
Black Friday: is there a DATEV sale?
DATEV report card
Weak · out of 4.0 · graded Nov 13, 2026
Best for German payroll through your tax advisor
DATEV is a German cooperative whose payroll runs in the cloud or on-premises and is shared with your tax firm. No price was found, it is built for German rules and the site is in German.
Who DATEV is for
- Fits if your tax advisor already works in DATEV
- Works for German employers paying staff under German rules
Who DATEV is not for
- 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
Why DATEV gets a 1.8
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- CValue for moneyNo price was found; it is sold through a shop and tax advisors, so it sits in the middle of payroll tools.
- FFree plan and trialNo free plan or trial on the pages read.
- BFeaturesPayroll, cloud or on-premises, shared work with the tax firm, HR modules and an employee portal. The listing names no gap in the job.
- CEase of useNo store rating on record. Sign-in needs a SmartCard, mIDentity or SmartLogin, which is extra setup.
- CPlatforms and integrationsWeb on the listing, with no mobile app or integrations list.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from DATEV's own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
Make DATEV? Put this grade on your site
Paste this where you want the badge. It links here and follows the grade if it changes. About badges
<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/datev#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/datev.svg" alt="DATEV: 1.8 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where DATEV stands among payroll services
DATEV's GPA of 1.8 is higher than 10 of the 61 other payroll services we grade, and level with 15.
It stands best on features (B, above 30 of 61) and worst on free plan and trial (F, above 0).
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 62 payroll services we grade, cut by the letter each got. DATEV’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 3 of 61, level with 43
- FFree plan and trialAbove 0 of 61, level with 43
- BFeaturesAbove 30 of 61, level with 31
- CEase of useAbove 1 of 61, level with 46
- CPlatforms and integrationsAbove 0 of 61, level with 27
Keep DATEV, or make your own?
Keep it
To replace DATEV you would be making payroll taxes worked out and filed with the government for you. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 36 of the 61 other payroll services grade higher.
What you could make
- Employee records, expense tracking and reports: an app builder makes these well.
What you could not
- Payroll taxes worked out and filed with the government for you.
- Clocking in from a phone, checked against where and when.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. DATEV’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is DATEV?
DATEV is a German cooperative that makes accounting and payroll software, used by tax advisors and by companies working with them. Its payroll offering lets companies run Lohn und Gehalt themselves or hand it to their tax firm, in the cloud or on-premises. HR modules for recruiting, time and travel costs sit beside it.
Worth knowing
- 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.
Key features
- 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.
DATEV pricing
We could not confirm DATEV’s current pricing from its own site, so we are not listing plans here. See datev.de for current prices.
DATEV alternatives
- DATEV vs SD Worx
Paid
- DATEV vs Silae
Paid
- DATEV vs Payfit
Paid
- DATEV vs Zellis
Paid
- DATEV vs Azets
Paid
Common questions
Does DATEV have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. DATEV is listed for Web.
Does DATEV have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. DATEV is listed for Web.
Is DATEV open source?
DATEV is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Nov 13, 2026.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 13, 2026.