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Accounting · head to head

Circula vs sevdesk

Circula logo

Circula

Accounting

Expense, travel and employee benefit management for German speaking finance teams

From
€15/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
sevdesk logo

sevdesk

Accounting

German accounting and invoicing software for small businesses and freelancers

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only sevdesk has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Circula the module pricing stacks: expenses at fifteen euro per licence plus ninety nine euro for cards plus a hundred and forty nine euro for accounts payable means a fifty person company pays well over a thousand euro a month before add ons.; sevdesk the free Kostenlos plan caps invoices and e-invoices at just 3 per month, forcing an upgrade to the Rechnung plan for unlimited invoicing
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Circula and sevdesk actually diverge.

Attributes where Circula and sevdesk differ
AttributeCirculasevdesk
Starting price€15/monthFree
Pricing modelPer user per monthfreemium
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Accounting).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Circula

  • German per diem engine
  • Receipt capture and OCR
  • Corporate credit cards
  • Employee benefits
  • Accounts payable
  • Mileage and travel
  • DATEV and ERP export
  • Approval workflows

Only in sevdesk

Nothing recorded that Circula does not also cover.

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Circula

  • A German company that must apply statutory per diem rates and meal deductions correctly to avoid payroll tax exposurenot sevdesk
  • A finance team wanting card spend, expense claims and benefits in one DATEV exportnot sevdesk
  • An employer offering the tax free monthly benefit allowance and needing auditable records of itnot sevdesk
  • A mid sized business replacing spreadsheet mileage claims with rule enforced distance calculationsnot sevdesk

sevdesk

  • Scanning receipts via mobile app and matching to transactionsnot Circula
  • Creating VAT advance returns and filing with tax authoritiesnot Circula
  • Generating XRechnung format invoices mandatory for B2B by 2025not Circula
  • Recording bank transactions automatically across 4000+ supported banksnot Circula
  • Managing unlimited invoices with automatic sales tax calculationsnot Circula

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Circula

  • The module pricing stacks: expenses at fifteen euro per licence plus ninety nine euro for cards plus a hundred and forty nine euro for accounts payable means a fifty person company pays well over a thousand euro a month before add ons.
  • A minimum of ten licences excludes small teams, and the flexible licensing model for occasional claimants makes monthly cost harder to forecast than a flat per seat price.
  • Strength is in German tax rules, so companies with significant operations outside the DACH region gain little from the feature that justifies the price.
  • The accounts payable module includes only a hundred invoices per month, so invoice heavy businesses face metered overage on top of the platform fee.
  • Card issuing carries a per card transaction ceiling and depends on partner issuing, so high value procurement spend can hit limits that a bank issued corporate card would not.

sevdesk

  • The free Kostenlos plan caps invoices and e-invoices at just 3 per month, forcing an upgrade to the Rechnung plan for unlimited invoicing
  • API access and cost center tracking are reserved for the top Buchhaltung Pro tier at EUR 13.95 to EUR 34.90/month depending on commitment length, not included in the mid-tier Buchhaltung plan

Pricing, plan by plan

Circula

€15/month
  • Employee and Travel Expenses$15/month
    • Per licence, billed annually
    • Minimum 10 licences
    • OCR receipt capture
  • Credit Cards$99/month
    • Platform fee, unlimited cards
    • Per card spend limits
    • Transaction limit of EUR 750,000 per card
  • Accounts Payable$149/month
    • Platform fee
    • Includes 100 invoices per month
    • Supplier invoice capture and approval
  • Benefits$1/month
    • Per licence
    • Tax free benefit allowances
    • Mobility and meal benefits

sevdesk

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Permanently free with no credit card required
    • Up to 3 invoices/e-invoices monthly
    • Unlimited contact creation
  • Rechnung (Invoice Plan)$11.9/month
    • Regular: €11.90/month, discounted to €4.45/month on 24-month term
    • Unlimited invoices, offers, e-invoices, and payment reminders
  • Buchhaltung (Accounting Plan)$25.9/month
    • Recommended plan
    • Regular: €25.90/month, discounted to €9.95/month on 24-month term
    • Bookkeeping features, AI-powered receipt capture, tax filing
  • Buchhaltung Pro (Accounting Pro)$34.9/month
    • Regular: €34.90/month, discounted to €13.95/month on 24-month term
    • Cost center analysis, REST-API access, business financial analysis (BWA)

Which should you pick?

Choose Circula if

  • You need german per diem engine.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want receipt capture and ocr.
Circula review

Choose sevdesk if

  • You want to start without paying.
sevdesk review

Questions people ask

Is Circula or sevdesk better?
Neither clearly leads. Circula starts at €15/month and sevdesk at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Circula or sevdesk?
sevdesk has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at €15/month for Circula and Free for sevdesk.
Does Circula or sevdesk run on more platforms?
Circula runs on Web, iOS, Android. sevdesk runs on Web.
Can I use sevdesk for free?
Yes. sevdesk has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Circula starts at €15/month.
What is Circula best used for?
Circula is most often used for a german company that must apply statutory per diem rates and meal deductions correctly to avoid payroll tax exposure, a finance team wanting card spend, expense claims and benefits in one datev export, an employer offering the tax free monthly benefit allowance and needing auditable records of it, a mid sized business replacing spreadsheet mileage claims with rule enforced distance calculations. Of those, a german company that must apply statutory per diem rates and meal deductions correctly to avoid payroll tax exposure and a finance team wanting card spend, expense claims and benefits in one datev export are not what sevdesk is typically brought in for.
What can Circula do that sevdesk cannot?
Circula covers German per diem engine, Receipt capture and OCR, Corporate credit cards, Employee benefits.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Circula: Does Circula calculate German per diems automatically?

Yes, by destination country and trip duration, including meal and accommodation deductions, which is the main reason DACH finance teams buy it.

sevdesk: How much does sevdesk cost?

sevdesk offers a free plan and three paid tiers. Invoice Plan starts at €11.90/month (€4.45/month on 24-month), Accounting Plan at €25.90/month (€9.95/month on 24-month), and Accounting Pro at €34.90/month (€13.95/month on 24-month).

Source
Circula: What does it actually cost for fifty employees?

Roughly seven hundred and fifty euro a month for expense licences alone at the fifteen euro rate, before the ninety nine euro card platform fee and any accounts payable module.

sevdesk: What is included in sevdesk's free plan?

The free plan allows creation of up to 3 invoices/e-invoices monthly, unlimited contact creation, and access to support materials. No credit card is required.

Source
Circula: Is there a minimum commitment?

Yes. A minimum of ten licences and annual billing on the published rates.

sevdesk: What add-ons are available for sevdesk?

sevdesk offers optional add-ons priced €3.90-€19.90/month including premium layouts, additional users, inventory management, and time tracking. Premium services such as setup consultations start at €24.90.

Source
sevdesk: Does sevdesk offer a promotional discount?

Yes, sevdesk advertises up to 50% discount through a time-limited Black Cyber Deal offering 60% off all plans. Additionally, all paid plans include 24-month term options with significant savings (up to 62% discount).

Source
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