sevDesk is one of the best-known accounting programs for freelancers and small businesses in Germany. I support clients who work with sevDesk, and here I write about what it does well and when I recommend BuchhaltungsButler instead.
What is sevDesk?
sevDesk is cloud-based accounting software for freelancers and small businesses. You record receipts, write invoices, reconcile your bank account and do your VAT return in the browser or in the app.
It’s aimed at people who want to do their bookkeeping themselves without dealing with complicated desktop software.
What can sevDesk do?
- Creating and sending invoices
- Quotes and estimates
- Payment reminders
- Customer management
- Supplier management
- Recording income and expenses
- VAT return
- Online banking with automatic matching
- DATEV export for your tax advisor
What does sevDesk cost?
sevDesk changes its prices and plans regularly. You’ll find the current prices directly on sevDesk’s website.
Can my tax advisor access sevDesk?
Yes. sevDesk gives your tax advisor access through a separate portal. They see all the data live and can export it in DATEV format with a few clicks. That saves your tax advisor work.
Which integrations does sevDesk have?
sevDesk connects to lots of tools, for example
- Various bank accounts through online banking
- GetMyInvoices
- Shopify
- Billbee (Amazon and other marketplaces)
- WooCommerce
- Salesforce
- PayPal
- Awork
- Clockodo
- Papershift
- Bilendo
With Zapier and Make you can build many more connections. Receipts can be exported as CSV, PDF or ZIP, and there’s an open API for your own connections.
Does sevDesk have time tracking?
Yes, sevDesk has built-in time tracking. You can record working hours right in sevDesk, assign them to projects and customers and invoice them automatically. The timer runs in sevDesk itself, without an extra app. Time tracking costs €4.90 extra a month.
What’s sevDesk’s support like?
sevDesk has an extensive help centre with a manual and FAQ, where new updates are documented too. If you’d rather talk to other users, there’s a forum. You can ask questions directly by email or phone.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Writing invoices is quick, even in foreign currencies
- The interface is easy to find your way around
- The tutorials make it easy to get started
Cons
- No bulk actions for receipts
- No split bookings
- Automatic matching of bank transfers could be better
- Occasional bugs in the scanning app
Alternatives to sevDesk
These programs are worth a look too.
- BuchhaltungsButler for more automation with AI
- Lexware Office for a particularly simple interface
- Billomat if you mainly need invoicing
Verdict: who sevDesk is worth it for
sevDesk fits if you’re self-employed, have few receipts and mostly write invoices. If you sell on Amazon, eBay, Shopify or Stripe or have lots of transactions, BuchhaltungsButler is the better choice. I’ve put the two side by side in sevDesk or BuchhaltungsButler.
