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Accounting · head to head

DATEV vs GnuCash

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
GnuCash logo

GnuCash

Personal Finance

Personal finance and accounting software

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only GnuCash 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.; GnuCash desktop only, with no mobile application
  • They diverge on capability: DATEV covers Unternehmen online, GnuCash covers Double-entry bookkeeping.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which DATEV and GnuCash actually diverge.

Attributes where DATEV and GnuCash differ
AttributeDATEVGnuCash
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquoteopen-source
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWindows, WebWindows, Mac, Linux
CategoryAccountingPersonal Finance
FoundedUnknown1997

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

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 GnuCash

  • Double-entry bookkeeping
  • Multi-currency support
  • Reports and graphs
  • Budget tracking
  • Import/Export
  • OFX format
  • Windows support
  • Mac support

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 GnuCash
  • A payroll department that must file social insurance and wage tax returns to German statutory deadlines without an external bureaunot GnuCash
  • An SME preparing an e-Bilanz and audit-ready GoBD document archivenot GnuCash
  • A tax firm standardising dozens of client engagements on one chart of accounts and one document workflownot GnuCash

GnuCash

  • Personal finance tracking with a checkbook register interfacenot DATEV
  • Double-entry bookkeeping for a small businessnot DATEV
  • Tracking stocks, bonds and mutual fund accountsnot DATEV
  • Importing transactions via QIF, OFX or HBCInot DATEV
  • Scheduled recurring transactions and financial reportsnot 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.

GnuCash

  • Desktop only, with no mobile application
  • Version 3.11 is the last release supporting Windows 7 and macOS 10.12 and earlier
  • Uses strict double-entry accounting, so every transaction needs two sides

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

GnuCash

Free
  • Open SourceFree
    • Double-entry bookkeeping
    • Multi-currency support
    • Reports and graphs

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 GnuCash if

  • You need double-entry bookkeeping.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Windows, Mac, Linux.
  • You also want multi-currency support.
GnuCash review

Questions people ask

Is DATEV or GnuCash better?
Neither clearly leads. DATEV starts at On request and GnuCash at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, DATEV or GnuCash?
GnuCash has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for DATEV and Free for GnuCash.
Does DATEV or GnuCash run on more platforms?
DATEV runs on Windows, Web. GnuCash runs on Windows, Mac, Linux.
Can I use GnuCash for free?
Yes. GnuCash 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 GnuCash is typically brought in for.
What can DATEV do that GnuCash cannot?
DATEV covers Unternehmen online, Lohn und Gehalt, Rechnungswesen, Jahresabschluss. GnuCash covers Double-entry bookkeeping, Multi-currency support, Reports and graphs, Budget tracking.

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.

GnuCash: How much does GnuCash cost?

GnuCash is completely free. The software is licensed under the GNU GPL with no subscription fees, pricing tiers, or paid versions.

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.

GnuCash: What platforms does GnuCash support?

GnuCash is available free across GNU/Linux, BSD, Solaris, macOS, and Microsoft Windows platforms.

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.

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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