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Accounting · head to head

DATEV vs Dinero

DATEV logo

DATEV

Accounting

German accounting, payroll and tax software built around the tax adviser rather than the business

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Dinero logo

Dinero

Accounting

Danish accounting software for small businesses and self-employed

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Dinero has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: DATEV dATEV does not publish transparent per-customer pricing the way a SaaS vendor does; your real cost is buried in your tax adviser's fee note, so comparing it against Lexware or sevdesk on price is genuinely hard.; Dinero free tier only for turnover under 100,000 DKK annually
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which DATEV and Dinero actually diverge.

Attributes where DATEV and Dinero differ
AttributeDATEVDinero
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquotefreemium
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWindows, WebWeb

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 DATEV

  • Unternehmen online
  • Lohn und Gehalt
  • Rechnungswesen
  • Jahresabschluss
  • DATEV DMS
  • Meine Steuern
  • DATEV-Schnittstelle

Only in Dinero

Nothing recorded that DATEV does not also cover.

What people use each for

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

DATEV

  • A German GmbH that wants its Steuerberater to keep doing the books but wants receipts to stop travelling in a shoeboxnot Dinero
  • A payroll department that must file social insurance and wage tax returns to German statutory deadlines without an external bureaunot Dinero
  • An SME preparing an e-Bilanz and audit-ready GoBD document archivenot Dinero
  • A tax firm standardising dozens of client engagements on one chart of accounts and one document workflownot Dinero

Dinero

  • Small business accountingnot DATEV

Where each one falls short

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

DATEV

  • DATEV does not publish transparent per-customer pricing the way a SaaS vendor does; your real cost is buried in your tax adviser's fee note, so comparing it against Lexware or sevdesk on price is genuinely hard.
  • The board has decided to wind down the Austria-specific portfolio: existing products remain usable to 31 December 2028, are free of charge during 2029, and cannot be used after 31 December 2029, so any Austrian entity on DATEV has a forced migration dated in advance.
  • It is built for German statutory practice, so a group with subsidiaries outside the DACH region will run DATEV for Germany and something else everywhere else, with a consolidation step in between.
  • Large parts of the suite are still Windows desktop software installed on a workstation or terminal server, which means IT overhead most companies no longer budget for when they think they are buying cloud accounting.
  • The lock-in is social as well as technical: because your adviser holds the installation and the history, changing accounting software usually forces you to change or retrain your adviser, which is a far bigger decision than a software migration.

Dinero

  • Free tier only for turnover under 100,000 DKK annually
  • Monthly billing costs 52 DKK more than annual on Starter+

Pricing, plan by plan

DATEV

On request
  • DATEV Unternehmen online$undefined/month
    • Receipt and bank data exchange with your tax adviser
    • Cash book and master data modules
    • Ordered and usually rebilled through the adviser
  • DATEV Mittelstand$undefined/month
    • In-house financial accounting and invoicing
    • Payroll modules licensed separately
    • Per-workplace licensing
  • Lohn und Gehalt$undefined/month
    • German payroll runs and statutory electronic filings
    • Priced by number of payslips
    • Typically operated by the adviser on the client's behalf

Dinero

Free
  • StarterFree
    • For businesses with turnover under 100,000 DKK annually
    • Basic accounting functions
    • Limited advisor guidance
  • Starter+$245/month
    • Unlimited turnover
    • Ad-free invoices
    • 297 DKK if monthly billing
  • Pro$345/month
    • Automatic booking suggestions
    • Full bookkeeping support 8-22 daily
    • 24/7 AI support
  • Total$545/month
    • Annual financial statements included
    • Prioritized chat support
    • Unlimited risk and credit assessments

Which should you pick?

Choose DATEV if

  • You need unternehmen online.
  • You work on Windows, Web.
  • You also want lohn und gehalt.
DATEV review

Choose Dinero if

  • You want to start without paying.
Dinero review

Questions people ask

Is DATEV or Dinero better?
Neither clearly leads. DATEV starts at On request and Dinero at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, DATEV or Dinero?
Dinero has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for DATEV and Free for Dinero.
Does DATEV or Dinero run on more platforms?
DATEV runs on Windows, Web. Dinero runs on Web.
Can I use Dinero for free?
Yes. Dinero has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. DATEV starts at On request.
What is DATEV best used for?
DATEV is most often used for a german gmbh that wants its steuerberater to keep doing the books but wants receipts to stop travelling in a shoebox, a payroll department that must file social insurance and wage tax returns to german statutory deadlines without an external bureau, an sme preparing an e-bilanz and audit-ready gobd document archive, a tax firm standardising dozens of client engagements on one chart of accounts and one document workflow. Of those, a german gmbh that wants its steuerberater to keep doing the books but wants receipts to stop travelling in a shoebox and a payroll department that must file social insurance and wage tax returns to german statutory deadlines without an external bureau are not what Dinero is typically brought in for.
What can DATEV do that Dinero cannot?
DATEV covers Unternehmen online, Lohn und Gehalt, Rechnungswesen, Jahresabschluss.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

DATEV: Can I buy DATEV directly without a tax adviser?

In practice, no for most of the range. Membership of the cooperative is restricted to the tax and legal professions, and companies get access through their adviser or as a client of one.

Dinero: How much does Dinero cost?

Dinero offers a free Starter plan for businesses under 100,000 DKK annual turnover. Starter+ is 245 DKK/month (yearly) or 297 DKK/month (monthly billing). Pro is 345 DKK/month, and Total is 545 DKK/month.

Source
DATEV: Is DATEV usable outside Germany?

It operates in Austria, Italy, Spain, Poland, Czechia, Slovakia and Hungary, but the depth is German. The Austrian product line is being discontinued with a hard end date of 31 December 2029.

Dinero: Is Dinero free?

Yes, Dinero offers a free Starter plan for businesses with annual turnover under 100,000 DKK, including basic accounting and limited advisor guidance.

Source
DATEV: What is the DATEV-Schnittstelle everyone mentions?

It is the standard export format German invoicing and ERP tools produce so bookkeeping data can be handed to a DATEV-based adviser. Supporting it is effectively a requirement to sell accounting-adjacent software in Germany.

Dinero: What discount does Dinero offer for multiple businesses?

A 33% discount applies when managing multiple businesses with Pro or Total subscriptions.

Source
DATEV: Does DATEV handle e-invoicing under the German B2B mandate?

Yes, the accounting and invoicing modules were extended for the XRechnung and ZUGFeRD formats that the German B2B e-invoicing rules require.

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