Kontist alternative
Kontist bundles a business account for the self-employed with a tax service in which tax advisors handle bookkeeping and tax returns. Buchführungsheld takes a different approach: a focused full-service bookkeeping offering at a fixed price from 49 euros per month, in which certified bookkeepers keep your ongoing books, prepare the advance VAT return and deliver DATEV-compatible reports, including for GmbHs and partnerships. Here you'll see which model suits you better.
Updated: July 2026. Prices of other providers are non-binding and subject to change.
Bundled account and tax service versus focused full-service bookkeeping. The Buchführungsheld column is highlighted, and the figures are deliberately kept honest.
| Criterion | Kontist | Buchführungsheld |
|---|---|---|
| Core principle | Business account plus tax service bundled | focused full-service bookkeeping at a fixed price |
| Target audience | primarily freelancers and sole proprietors | Businesses including GmbHs and partnerships |
| Business account | own business account integrated | no account needed, you keep your current bank |
| Ongoing posting | via a tax service provided by tax advisors | by certified bookkeepers |
| Receipt capture | Receipts in the app, connection to the account | you upload, the team posts |
| Invoice creation (invoicing) | Invoicing feature in the app | in preparation, available soon |
| Preliminary VAT return | via the tax service | prepared and filed for you |
| Tax return | via the tax service with tax advisors | via your tax advisor, we deliver the data |
| DATEV compatibility | depending on the plan, please check with the provider | DATEV-compatible collaboration and export |
| Price per month | Account and tax-service packages, roughly mid-double-digit range (please check) | from €49 (full service including booking) |
| Support | App support, tax advisor in the tax service | personal bookkeepers, support based in Germany |
| Contract commitment | depending on the plan, please check with the provider | cancelable monthly |
As of July 2026. Kontist prices: the business account and tax service are offered in monthly packages, roughly starting from a mid double-digit euro amount per month depending on scope. Please check exact package prices and scope of services directly with Kontist (as of July 2026). Buchführungsheld prices are plus 19 percent VAT and are intended exclusively for businesses.
Example: a solo self-employed person with around 25 receipts per month who hands off ongoing bookkeeping. We compare monthly costs and scope of service, since both providers handle the bookkeeping for you.
Buchführungsheld offers ongoing bookkeeping at a predictable fixed price starting at 49 euros. Kontist additionally bundles a bank account and tax return, which raises the package price but covers more from a single source.
Kontist package prices are approximate figures and vary depending on the account and tax-service package; please check directly with the provider (as of July 2026). Buchführungsheld prices plus 19 percent VAT. What makes sense for you depends on whether you want to bundle in an account and tax return or just hand off the bookkeeping.
Honestly, there are cases where Kontist's bundled model is a better fit for you.
If you want to bundle your business account, bookkeeping and tax return with one provider, Kontist covers exactly that. Buchführungsheld is deliberately focused on bookkeeping and doesn't provide its own account.
Kontist offers tax returns through real tax advisors directly within its tax service. With Buchführungsheld, your tax return runs through your own tax advisor, to whom we deliver the coded data in DATEV-compatible form.
For freelancers and sole proprietors looking for a simple solution with account and taxes from a single source, Kontist can be the better fit and the more convenient choice.
The switch is straightforward, your data won't be lost.
In a short, free call, we take a look at your current bookkeeping and clarify which plan fits you.
You export your entries and receipts from your previous setup, for example as a DATEV or CSV file. You can keep using your Kontist account independently or cancel it separately.
From now on, you upload receipts via app or browser. Your accountants book everything, prepare the VAT return, and deliver monthly reports.
See how Buchführungsheld stacks up against other providers and approaches.
Answers on switching, data migration, costs, and cancellation.
Partly. Kontist bundles a business account with a tax service covering bookkeeping and tax returns. Buchführungsheld is a focused full-service bookkeeping provider without its own account. For pure bookkeeping, Buchführungsheld is an alternative; for an account and tax return, Kontist covers more.
Yes. You export your entries and receipts, for example as a DATEV or CSV file, and Buchführungsheld takes over the ongoing bookkeeping in a DATEV-compatible way. We'll clarify the export details in the initial call.
Buchführungsheld starts at 49 euros per month plus VAT for ongoing bookkeeping. Kontist offers bank account and tax service packages, roughly starting in the mid double-digit range per month depending on scope (approx., as of July 2026, please verify with the provider). Since Kontist also includes a bank account and tax return, the packages can't be compared one to one.
No, not necessarily. Buchführungsheld handles only your bookkeeping and doesn't provide its own account, so you can keep your business account independently. If you no longer want to use the Kontist tax service, you cancel it directly with the provider under their applicable terms. Buchführungsheld itself can be canceled monthly.
Invoicing is in preparation at Buchführungsheld and coming soon. Today the focus is on complete bookkeeping: you upload receipts and outgoing invoices, and the team posts everything. Kontist already offers an invoicing feature in its app.
At Kontist, the tax return is included via the tax service with tax advisors. At Buchführungsheld, you continue working with your own tax advisor for the annual financial statement and tax return, and we deliver the continuously coded data to them in a DATEV-compatible format.
Yes. Buchführungsheld processes all data in a GDPR- and GoBD-compliant way in data centers in Germany.
Hand off your bookkeeping
Upload your receipts, and certified bookkeepers take care of the rest. At a flat rate from 49 euros per month, cancelable monthly. Try it free for 7 days.
