Accounting · head to head
DATEV vs Namely
DATEV
Accounting
German accounting, payroll and tax software built around the tax adviser rather than the business
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
The short version
- 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.; Namely limited customization for complex HR processes: workflows and customization options are limited compared to enterprise solutions
- They diverge on capability: DATEV covers Unternehmen online, Namely covers HR Management.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which DATEV and Namely actually diverge.
Identical on both: free tier (No), 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 Namely
- HR Management
- Payroll
- Benefits Administration
- Time Off Management
- Performance Management
- Onboarding
- Slack
- Google Workspace
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 Namely
- A payroll department that must file social insurance and wage tax returns to German statutory deadlines without an external bureaunot Namely
- An SME preparing an e-Bilanz and audit-ready GoBD document archivenot Namely
- A tax firm standardising dozens of client engagements on one chart of accounts and one document workflownot Namely
Namely
- Processing payroll for employees across multiple states with different tax rulesnot DATEV
- Collecting 360-degree feedback and managing performance reviewsnot DATEV
- Automating onboarding workflows and document e-signature collectionnot DATEV
- Managing benefits enrollment and annual open enrollment periodsnot 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.
Namely
- Limited customization for complex HR processes: workflows and customization options are limited compared to enterprise solutions
- Payroll limitations: better served for less complex organizations and struggles with complex time-and-attendance or multi-FEIN scenarios
- Missing ATS and surveys: lacks built-in applicant tracking system and pulse survey capabilities
- Slow support response times: pod-based support model has led to slow response times for customers
- Designed for specific market segment: best fit is mid-sized companies with 50-350 employees
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
Namely
$18/employee/monthNo published plan breakdown. See the Namely review.
Which should you pick?
Choose DATEV if
- You need unternehmen online.
- You work on Windows, Web.
- You also want lohn und gehalt.
Questions people ask
- Is DATEV or Namely better?
- Neither clearly leads. DATEV starts at On request and Namely at $18/employee/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, DATEV or Namely?
- DATEV starts at On request and Namely at $18/employee/month.
- Does DATEV or Namely run on more platforms?
- DATEV runs on Windows, Web. Namely runs on Web.
- 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 Namely is typically brought in for.
- What can DATEV do that Namely cannot?
- DATEV covers Unternehmen online, Lohn und Gehalt, Rechnungswesen, Jahresabschluss. Namely covers HR Management, Payroll, Benefits Administration, Time Off Management.
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.
Namely: Does Namely support global payroll?
Namely primarily focuses on mid-sized US-based companies with 50-350 employees. While it can handle complex payroll scenarios, it is better served for less complex organizations and does not have extensive global payroll capabilities compared to enterprise platforms.
SourceDATEV: 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.
Namely: What is included in Namely's Premium pricing?
Premium plans cost $18-24 per employee per month plus implementation fees of 10-25% of annual software costs. Plans include payroll, HR, benefits administration, time management, and talent management features.
SourceDATEV: 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.
Namely: Does Namely include performance management features?
Yes, Namely offers customizable performance review modules enabling dynamic, ongoing feedback rather than traditional annual-only reviews. This is one of Namely's standout features.
SourceDATEV: 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.
Namely: How long does Namely implementation typically take?
Namely is designed for mid-sized companies and implementation timelines vary based on complexity. The platform includes implementation fees of 10-25% of annual software costs in addition to monthly per-employee pricing.
SourceRelated pages
Other head to heads
- DATEV vs Sage 50
- DATEV vs Lexware
- DATEV vs sevdesk
- DATEV vs Paychex
- DATEV vs QuickBooks
- DATEV vs ADP
- DATEV vs Bill.com
- DATEV vs FloQast
- DATEV vs Xero
- DATEV vs Zoho Books
- DATEV vs Money Forward Cloud
- DATEV vs RazorpayX
- DATEV vs Conta Azul
- DATEV vs Creem
- DATEV vs Dinero
- DATEV vs Divvy
- DATEV vs Dodo Payments
- DATEV vs Empower
- DATEV vs Gusto
- DATEV vs Zenefits
- DATEV vs ADP Workforce Now
- DATEV vs Paychex Flex
- DATEV vs Oyster
- DATEV vs Paycom
- DATEV vs Paylocity
- DATEV vs Justworks
- DATEV vs OnPay
- DATEV vs PayFit
- DATEV vs Volopay
- DATEV vs Velocity Global
- DATEV vs Papaya Global
- DATEV vs RemoFirst
- Namely vs Sage 50
- Namely vs Lexware
- Namely vs sevdesk
- Namely vs Paychex
- Namely vs QuickBooks
- Namely vs ADP
- Namely vs Bill.com
- Namely vs FloQast
- Namely vs Xero
- Namely vs Zoho Books
- Namely vs Money Forward Cloud
- Namely vs RazorpayX
- Namely vs Conta Azul
- Namely vs Creem
- Namely vs Dinero
- Namely vs Divvy
- Namely vs Dodo Payments
- Namely vs Empower
- Namely vs Gusto
- Namely vs Zenefits
- Namely vs ADP Workforce Now
- Namely vs Paychex Flex
- Namely vs Oyster
- Namely vs Paycom
- Namely vs Paylocity
- Namely vs Justworks
- Namely vs OnPay
- Namely vs PayFit
- Namely vs Volopay
- Namely vs Velocity Global
- Namely vs Papaya Global
- Namely vs RemoFirst