Comparison
Marchant vs sevDesk
sevDesk is a popular choice for German startups and freelancers — clean UX, solid ELSTER integration. Here’s the full comparison with Marchant.
Our honest take
sevDesk is a solid choice for German-only freelancers and small businesses. Its UI is modern, ELSTER integration works well, and at €11.90/mo for invoicing it’s among the most affordable options in the market.
Where sevDesk falls short: payroll is not native (you need a separate tool), there’s no UK or French tax filing, and the UI is German-only. For businesses with international ambitions or international teams, these gaps matter.
Marchant also gives you a longer free trial than sevDesk’s 14-day window — 30 days on every plan, all without a card — and includes a full branded client portal for invoice viewing and online payment, which sevDesk’s basic sharing link doesn’t replicate.
sevDesk won German startups with friendly UX, solid ELSTER basics, and approachable pricing. Teams explore a sevDesk alternative when they hire in the UK, invoice French clients under TVA rules, or need payroll without bolting on yet another HR system.
This Marchant vs sevDesk guide gives sevDesk credit for e-invoicing and bank sync, and is just as direct in the other direction: sevDesk files to ELSTER today and Marchant does not — Germany is planned for 2028. What Marchant ships today is UK MTD VAT filing.
Scroll for balanced pros/cons, the feature matrix, pricing notes, migration guidance, and FAQs aligned with sevDesk alternative and Marchant vs sevDesk intent.
sevDesk
Where sevDesk genuinely wins
- ✓Low entry price for invoicing and light accounting — great for pre-revenue startups testing the market.
- ✓Modern UI that feels closer to consumer software than legacy German ERP.
- ✓ELSTER VAT filing and ZUGFeRD/XRechnung support fit domestic German B2B expectations.
- ✓GoBD-oriented record keeping with practical export options for advisors.
- ✓14-day trial without card lowers friction for quick experiments.
Where sevDesk is weaker for cross-border operators
- ✗Payroll is not native — expect integrations or manual processes for payslips and social filings.
- ✗No UK MTD or French DGFiP filing — international expansion means new vendors immediately.
- ✗German-only interface — international teams struggle unless everyone reads German fluently.
- ✗Client portal capabilities are lighter than Marchant’s branded payment experience.
Marchant
Why Marchant fits post-PMF German companies going abroad
- ✓30 days on every plan, without a card, gives finance teams more room than sevDesk’s 14-day window.
- ✓Trilingual UI supports mixed-language finance squads common in Berlin and Munich tech.
- ✓Branded client portal with online payment improves AR for SaaS selling across Europe.
- ✓Direct HMRC MTD VAT filing on every plan — no bridging software, useful if you also run a UK entity.
- ✓UK payroll via BrightPay sync from the Professional tier, with no per-employee add-on.
Where Marchant is still catching up
- ~Marchant does not file German tax today — Germany is planned for 2028. If you need ELSTER filing this year, sevDesk does something Marchant cannot.
- ~List pricing starts higher than sevDesk teaser tiers — compare after you add payroll connectors and hypothetical UK/FR tools to sevDesk.
- ~Some German-only marketplace niches may still point to sevDesk — validate connectors during trial.
- ~If you are a solo freelancer billing only German clients, sevDesk may stay the value pick.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Marchant | sevDesk |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | From £15/mo | €11.90/mo (invoicing) · €25.90/mo (accounting) |
| German VAT (ELSTER / UStVA) | Planned — German launch 2028 | Yes — ELSTER direct submission |
| Annual tax return (EÜR) | Planned — German launch 2028 | Yes — EÜR via ELSTER |
| UK VAT (HMRC MTD) | Included — direct MTD submission | Not supported |
| French TVA (DGFiP) | Planned — French launch 2028 | Not supported |
| German Payroll | Planned — German launch 2028 | Not native — integration with payroll tools required |
| UK Payroll (PAYE) | BrightPay sync (coming soon) | Not supported |
| French Payroll (DSN/URSSAF) | Planned — French launch 2028 | Not supported |
| Open banking | 2,400+ UK & EU banks — daily sync (coming soon) | German banks via FinTS/HBCI — daily sync |
| SEPA payments | Coming soon — not available yet | Yes — SEPA export |
| Multi-currency invoicing | 50+ currencies with daily FX rates | Yes — limited currency support |
| Receipt capture (OCR) | AI OCR — mobile + web upload | Yes — Belegerfassung via app |
| GoBD compliance | UK audit trail and immutable records; GoBD-conformant bookkeeping with the 2028 launch | Yes — GoBD compliant |
| DATEV export | Planned — German launch 2028 | Yes — DATEV export available |
| E-invoicing (ZUGFeRD / XRechnung) | Planned — German launch 2028 | Yes — ZUGFeRD and XRechnung |
| Client portal | Yes — branded portal; online payment coming soon | Limited — invoice sharing link |
| English / French UI | English at launch — French and German coming soon | German only |
| Free trial | 30 days — no card required | 14 days — no card required |
Pricing comparison (verify before you buy)
sevDesk advertises split invoicing vs accounting tiers. Marchant bundles compliance depth differently — compare loaded cost, not teaser headlines.
| What you are comparing | Marchant | sevDesk |
|---|---|---|
| German entry (public list) | From £15/mo with UK compliance | From €11.90/mo invoicing · ~€25.90/mo accounting — confirm live site |
| Native payroll (UK/FR/DE) | UK payroll via BrightPay sync (coming soon); FR/DE payroll accounting is part of the 2028 launch, integrations on roadmap | Not native — integrations / external payroll |
| UK MTD + French DGFiP | UK MTD today; DGFiP planned for 2028 | Not available |
| E-invoicing (ZUGFeRD / XRechnung) | Planned for 2028 with the German launch | Strong ZUGFeRD/XRechnung story domestically |
| Trial length | 30 days, no card | 14 days, no card (verify latest) |
Bundled partner offers and VAT on software can change totals. Add the cost of payroll and non-German tax tools before deciding sevDesk is cheaper overall. Figures are sevDesk's monthly-billing list prices (verified 2026-08-15); annual and 24-month commitments cost less.
Switching from sevDesk to Marchant
Migration ships in 2027. The steps below are how the move will work when it does — the rest of Marchant is live today.
German filing stays with sevDesk until Marchant's 2028 launch, so plan this as a books-and-reporting move rather than a compliance one. sevDesk CSV exports feed Marchant templates well, and a fiscal year-end is still the cleanest boundary if your advisor prefers one.
Export contacts, invoices, and ledger CSVs
Download everything sevDesk allows — especially attachments for expenses that auditors may ask about later.
Capture ELSTER credentials and VAT history
Document which German tax numbers and previous submissions live in sevDesk. They stay there — Marchant holds no German registration until 2028 — but the record makes the eventual move straightforward.
Bring over banking and payments
Import a full statement cycle as CSV and reconcile it before you switch off sevDesk. Stripe, GoCardless and open banking connections are coming soon; tokens will not transfer.
Add UK or French entities if expansion triggered the move
Create the UK entity in Marchant before inviting cross-border staff — payroll onboarding depends on correct registrations. French entities, like German ones, wait for the 2028 launches.
Communicate cutover to customers
If invoice numbers or IBANs change, email active clients to avoid misplaced SEPA payments.
Marchant onboarding can review your sevDesk export bundle before go-live — use that for peace of mind.
Common questions: Marchant vs sevDesk
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