BooksTime vs Lexware Office Comparison
Compare BooksTime vs Lexware Office features, pricing, and more.
Last updated: November 2026
BooksTime
5.9/10
Outsourced bookkeeping service that gives small businesses and nonprofits a dedicated bookkeeper who works in QuickBooks, Xero, or other accounting software.
Lexware Office
6.7/10
A German cloud tool for bookkeeping, invoicing, receipt capture, VAT filing and optional payroll, made for freelancers and small businesses.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| Overall Rating | 5.9/10 | 6.7/10 |
| Scalability | 6/10 | 4/10 |
| Analytics | 6/10 | 4/10 |
| Compliance | 5/10 | 8/10 |
| Integration | 7/10 | 7/10 |
| Security | 4/10 | 7/10 |
| Support | 7/10 | 6/10 |
| Cost | 5/10 | 8/10 |
| Customization | 7/10 | 4/10 |
| Ease of Use | 7/10 | 8/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | No | No |
| Cheapest paid plan | $320/mo Essentials | €8/mo S |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | $320/mo Essentials | €8/mo S |
| Features | ||
| Inventory Accounting | ||
| Multi-currency | ||
| Multi-entity Consolidation | ||
| Accountant Access | ||
| Bank Reconciliation | ||
| Financial Reporting | ||
| General Ledger | ||
| Invoicing | ||
| Payroll | ||
| Tax Compliance | ||
| Accounts Payable | Not listed | |
| Budgeting and Forecasting | Not listed | |
| Expense Management | Not listed | |
| Online Payments | Not listed | |
BooksTime vs Lexware Office cost by team size
| Team size | BooksTime | Lexware Office |
|---|---|---|
| 1 user | $320/moEssentials | €8/moS |
| 5 users | $320/moEssentials | €8/moS |
| 10 users | $320/moEssentials | €8/moS |
| 25 users | $320/moEssentials | €8/moS |
| 50 users | $320/moEssentials | €8/moS |
The plan that fits each team size, billed monthly, before add-ons and usage charges. Each cost opens that tool's pricing calculator for the team size.
Which One Should You Choose?
Why choose BooksTime
- Higher Customization score (7/10 vs 4/10)
- Higher Scalability score (6/10 vs 4/10)
- Includes Inventory Accounting, which Lexware Office lacks
- Includes Multi-currency, which Lexware Office lacks
- Includes Multi-entity Consolidation, which Lexware Office lacks
Why choose Lexware Office
- Higher Compliance score (8/10 vs 5/10)
- Higher Security score (7/10 vs 4/10)
Pros & Cons
BooksTime
Pros
- Bookkeepers work in the client's existing software, and BooksTime says it supports more than 25 options including QuickBooks and Xero, so clients are not locked in.
- Essentials pricing is public, and it does not cap transactions or connected accounts.
- Monthly contracts can be cancelled at any time with no cancellation fees.
- It offers nonprofit-specific services such as Form 990 preparation and restricted fund tracking.
- All nine Trustpilot reviews give 5 stars and praise its accuracy and on-time work, including for books with several entities.
Cons
- It is not a CPA firm, so tax returns are handed to referred CPAs and quoted separately.
- There is no public security or compliance documentation.
- Essentials pricing rises with monthly expenses, and the Complete plan has no public price.
- It has few independent reviews; Trustpilot shows only 9.
- The pricing page does not say which services come with Essentials and which need Complete.
Lexware Office
Pros
- Users on OMR Reviews and testers on Experte.de describe receipt scanning and bank matching as fast and easy to set up.
- Creates ZUGFeRD and XRechnung e-invoices and files VAT returns directly to ELSTER.
- Every plan can be cancelled monthly, and users are unlimited according to Für-Gründer.
- Tax advisor access and DATEV export make it easy to hand the books to an accountant.
- An optional payroll add-on handles social security and tax filings for up to 50 employees.
Cons
- Invoices can only be issued in euros.
- Cannot manage several companies, and has no approval workflow and no cost-centre reporting.
- Bookkeeping and VAT returns need the L plan, and recurring features need higher tiers.
- Users report bank connections that drop and support that is hard to reach by phone.
- There is no postal invoice sending and no built-in time tracking.
Not sold on either?
Frequently Asked Questions
Lexware Office scores higher on our Finance Software criteria: 6.7/10 against 5.9/10 for BooksTime. The largest gap is in Compliance: 5/10 for BooksTime and 8/10 for Lexware Office.
No, neither BooksTime nor Lexware Office lists a free plan.
BooksTime has Inventory Accounting, Multi-currency and Multi-entity Consolidation, which Lexware Office lacks.
