Free plan for accounting in Germany

Start accounting for free
with e-invoicing

Invoices, receipts, e-invoicing, VAT preview, bank connectivity, Stripe and PayPal in one German system. Free for 1 company and 1 user; Pro for DATEV, ELSTER, tax advisor package and automation.

No credit card · Servers in Germany · Privacy processes prepared

1,700+ supported banks in Germany
Sparkasse
Volksbank Raiffeisenbank
Deutsche Bank
Commerzbank
ING
DKB
Postbank
Comdirect
HypoVereinsbank
Targobank
Consorsbank
Consorsbank
Targobank
HypoVereinsbank
Comdirect
Postbank
DKB
ING
Commerzbank
Deutsche Bank
Volksbank Raiffeisenbank
Sparkasse
Free plan Connect bank, Stripe & PayPal Designed for GoBD requirements Privacy processes VAT preview DATEV export in EXTF format ELSTER optional Servers in Germany Receipt mandate since 2025, phased sending mandate ZUGFeRD 2.x XRechnung Peppol SKR03 / SKR04 No US Cloud Own Servers Free plan Connect bank, Stripe & PayPal Designed for GoBD requirements Privacy processes VAT preview DATEV export in EXTF format ELSTER optional Servers in Germany Receipt mandate since 2025, phased sending mandate ZUGFeRD 2.x XRechnung Peppol SKR03 / SKR04 No US Cloud Own Servers

Workflow

From receipt to tax-ready.

Daily accounting stays usable in the Free plan. Closing, submission and automation are added only when they save time.

01

Create invoice

Prepare quotes, invoices and e-invoices with required fields and formats based on EN 16931.

02

Capture receipt

Upload receipts, use basic OCR and keep documents traceable in the archive.

03

Assign bank payment

Connect your existing account, import transactions and assign payments.

04

Prepare taxes

Review the VAT preview. Use DATEV export in EXTF format, ELSTER and the tax advisor package in Pro.

Features

A lot for free. Pro where it saves time.

Daily accounting stays strong in the Free plan: invoices, receipts, e-invoicing, bank connectivity, Stripe, PayPal, payment matching and VAT preview. Pro adds tax submission, DATEV export, tax advisor package, recurring invoices and automation.

Core Feature

Real Double-Entry.
Zero Effort.

You create an invoice – the system automatically books receivables, revenue, and sales tax to the correct accounts. Full-featured double-entry bookkeeping that feels like a simple app.

Debit 1400 Receivables   1,190.00

Credit 8400 Revenue        1,000.00

Credit 1776 VAT 19%         190.00

// automatically booked

E-Invoice

ZUGFeRD, XRechnung, Factur-X and Peppol – with required invoice fields and e-invoice formats based on EN 16931 in the Free plan.

Learn more

Connect bank, Stripe and PayPal

Connect your existing business account for free, view transactions in Pavavo and assign payments to invoices or receipts. Stripe and PayPal are part of the entry point too.

Receipts & OCR

Upload receipts, use basic recognition and archive them for GoBD requirements. Higher AI/OCR priority is part of the upgrade.

DATEV EXTF, ELSTER & tax advisor

VAT preview is free. Direct ELSTER submission, DATEV export in EXTF format and the tax advisor package are part of Pro.

For Tax Advisors

0%

designed for GoBD requirements

0+

E-Invoice formats

0 EUR

Free plan

0 Years

Receipt archiving

How it works

Ready in 3 steps.

1

Start accounting for free

Create your account, enter company details and choose your chart of accounts. Pavavo guides you through the setup.

2

Handle invoices and receipts

Create customers, write invoices, upload receipts and manage e-invoices cleanly in one system.

3

Connect your bank optionally

Connect your existing business account, Stripe or PayPal for free when you want to. Unlock DATEV export in EXTF format, ELSTER and automation only when you need them.

Comparison

Why Pavavo instead of patchwork?

Not a bank product, not an Excel replacement: Pavavo bundles everyday accounting for free and adds paid features where closing, taxes and automation save time.

Pavavo Typical cloud accounting Excel / Paper
Free plan for everyday accounting Depends on provider
Connect existing bank optionally Depends on plan
Own servers in Germany Not always transparent
E-invoicing and receipts for daily work Manual
DATEV export in EXTF format and ELSTER when needed Pro Depends on plan
Tax advisor package Pro Depends on plan

General orientation, not a comparison with one specific provider. Other providers may change their scope at any time.

Migration

Easy to switch.

Already using another solution? Migration is straightforward.

From sevdesk

Export contacts and items as CSV and import them into Pavavo. Transfer booking data via DATEV export from your tax advisor.

  • CSV import for contacts & items
  • DATEV transfer via tax advisor
  • Upload receipts manually or as ZIP

From lexoffice

Lexoffice offers CSV export for contacts. Enter open invoices as opening balances. Upload receipts individually or as a collection.

  • CSV import for contacts
  • Enter opening balances manually
  • Upload receipts via drag & drop

From Excel / Paper

Still bookkeeping in Excel or on paper? Perfect – no legacy data mess. Just get started and do your accounting cleanly from now on.

  • Get started without legacy data
  • Onboarding wizard guides setup
  • Enter opening balances optionally

Target Groups

Who is Pavavo for?

From Free

Freelancers

Web designers, developers, consultants – you need invoices, receipts, and clean tax returns. Pavavo does it in minutes.

From Free

Self-Employed

Craftspeople, coaches, creatives – book professionally without accounting knowledge. The onboarding wizard helps you get started.

From Pro

Small Businesses

Teams up to 10 employees. Multiple bank accounts, accounting, reports – all on one platform.

From Pro

Tax Advisors

Dedicated portal, DATEV export in EXTF format at the click of a button, receipt archive as ZIP. Fewer follow-ups, more efficiency.

Early Access

Early Access opens in Q3 2026.

Q3 2026

Pavavo starts with a free plan for invoices, receipts, e-invoicing, optional bank connection and VAT preview.

F

Free plan

1 company · 1 user · 0 EUR

Q3 2026

Early Access opens gradually in Q3 2026. Users can test the free accounting flow and share feedback.

E

Early Access

Start for free · Give feedback

Q3 2026

Pro stays clearly separated: DATEV export in EXTF format, ELSTER, tax advisor package, recurring invoices, dunning and AI booking suggestions are added only with the upgrade.

P

Pro when needed

Upgrade only when it saves time

FAQ

Frequently asked questions.

Yes. The Free plan is free and includes daily accounting: invoices, e-invoicing based on EN 16931, receipts, bank account, Stripe, PayPal, payment matching and VAT preview. Pro features like recurring invoices, dunning, DATEV export, ELSTER, tax advisor package and AI booking suggestions are paid.
Double-entry bookkeeping means every transaction touches at least two accounts (debit and credit). Unlike simple tax return tools, Pavavo books fully according to commercial code – but automatically. You don't notice it, except your tax advisor will be delighted.
Yes. You can import your contacts and items as CSV. For booking data, we recommend the DATEV export from your old tool and import via your tax advisor.
Pavavo runs on own servers in Germany at Intercolo GmbH in Düsseldorf. No US cloud, no AWS, no Google; regular processing takes place in Germany.
Yes. In the Pro plan, you can invite your tax advisor directly from Pavavo. DATEV export in EXTF format, receipt handoff and review status are included for clean collaboration.
No. Pavavo covers daily accounting, including EÜR-style reporting and VAT preview. If you want direct ELSTER submission or advisor portal collaboration, use the Pro plan.
No. Pavavo is built so you just create invoices and upload receipts. Bookings, accounts, and tax keys are automatically generated correctly.

Ready for free
accounting?

Start with invoices, receipts, e-invoicing, bank connectivity, Stripe, PayPal, payment matching and VAT preview in the Free plan. Upgrade only for recurring invoices, dunning, tax submission, DATEV export, AI and automation.