adata Software GmbH

What adata Software GmbH does

adata Software GmbH is a German software vendor headquartered in Verden (Aller) that develops and sells an all-in-one personalwesen (HR) software platform for small and medium-sized enterprises, the public sector, and — following its October 2025 acquisition by zvoove Group — the cleaning services sector. Its flagship product is NeLe – Next Level HR, an intelligent payroll (Entgeltabrechnung) engine built on Microsoft .NET 8.0 with a MariaDB/MySQL database backend, supporting both on-premise and cloud deployment, up to 16 payroll runs per month, multi-country address hierarchies, automated back-calculations and 99% automated social security fund (ZMV) validation. NeLe is complemented by a modular suite covering digital time and attendance tracking (with iOS/Android mobile apps), HR management, an employee self-service portal (Mitarbeiter-Portal) with white-label design configuration, travel expense management (TravEx Reisekosten) with SEPA and payroll integration, and a three-module financial, fixed-asset (HGB/IFRS/IAS/US-GAAP) and cost-accounting suite with hsp Opti.Tax and GoBD-compliant interfaces.

The company monetizes through four primary commercial models: a perpetual license (LIC) with annual software maintenance, a monthly rental/subscription (REN), a usage-based SaaS model (PPU), and Service-Level Agreements (SLA), supplemented by project-based software rollout services and a managed payroll outsourcing bureau. Pricing is universally quote-based and not publicly disclosed; distribution runs through direct sales, inside sales with product-specific hotlines, and a VAR/integration partner network (abas ERP, dormakaba, Dynamics 4U, Geocon and others). The firm holds ITSG/GKV and GoBS compliance certifications, employs approximately 75 staff in Verden, and operates exclusively in Germany under the DACH-focused zvoove Group umbrella, having appointed Tanja Ziegler as Managing Director effective January 1, 2026.

Name

adata Software GmbH

Legal name

adata Software GmbH

Website

https://adata.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

adata Software GmbH is a German vendor of all-in-one HR and payroll software (NeLe) for SMEs, the public sector and the cleaning industry, offering on-premise and cloud deployment under the zvoove Group following its October 2025 acquisition.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Payroll & HR Software

NAICS

Software Publishers (5132), Software Publishers (513210)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

Payroll Software & Payroll-as-a-Service (SaaS) (BPACAIAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Core HR & HRIS (BPACAPAA)

Keywords

• Payroll software
• HR software
• Time tracking software
• Travel expense management
• Financial accounting software

Headquarters

HQ city

Verden

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Software Licensing: License purchase model (LIC) where software is installed on customer-provided IT infrastructure with one-time licensing cost plus annual software maintenance.
2. Software Subscription / Rental: Rental model (REN) with monthly billing of the software solution including software maintenance.
3. Pay-per-Use / SaaS: PPU model where software is used as SaaS, billed monthly based on required software licenses with a base fee.
4. Professional Services / SLA: Service-Level Agreements with annual base fee including service unit contingent; software rollout services; project implementation services.
5. Software Maintenance / Pflege: Annual software maintenance (WSP) as percentage of current license value; NeLe data service providing electronic updates of legal parameters, regulations, and tariff data.
6. Payroll Outsourcing Service: Full-service payroll outsourcing where adata handles data entry, payroll processing, government and health insurance notifications, and document delivery via employee portal.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

adata develops and sells an all-in-one Human Resources software platform centered on its flagship payroll engine NeLe (Next Level HR), with modular additions for time tracking, HR management, employee self-service, travel expense management, and financial/fixed asset/cost accounting. The offering is available via perpetual license, rental subscription, pay-per-use SaaS, or service-level agreement, deployable on-premise or in the cloud, and is complemented by a managed payroll outsourcing service.

Product overview

adata Software GmbH offers an All-in-One Human Resources software platform comprising NeLe (Next Level HR) as the core payroll engine, supplemented by modular components for time tracking (Zeiterfassung), HR management (HR-Software), employee self-service (Mitarbeiter Portal), travel expense management (TravEx Reisekosten), and financial/accounting operations (Rechnungswesen with Finanzbuchhaltung, Anlagenbuchhaltung, and Kostenrechnung). The company also provides Payroll Outsourcing as a managed service. The portfolio is available as on-premise, rental (REN), or SaaS (PPU/pay-per-use) deployment models. adata operates as part of the zvoove Group following its acquisition in October 2025.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• NeLe (Next Level HR): Flagship payroll software product marketed as 'das modernste Lohnprogramm am Markt' (the most modern payroll program on the market).
• TravEx Reisekosten

Products and services

• adata NeLe (Next Level HR) Flagship German payroll (Entgeltabrechnung) software with automated legal compliance updates, intelligent workflows supporting up to 16 payroll runs per month, and automatic back-calculation for retroactive changes. Available as on-premise or cloud deployment; ITSG/GKV-certified for statutory health insurance reporting. Targeted at German SMBs and public sector payroll teams.
• adata Zeiterfassung (Time Tracking)

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 50% reduction in time and administrative costs in HR through use of employee portal
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• zvoove GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 October 2025zvoove acquired adata Software GmbH in October 2025 to strengthen its market position in Germany and expand its product portfolio in the cleaning sector. The integration aims to create a fully cloud-based platform managing processes from workforce planning to payroll for cleaning service providers.
• EUG ERP-User-GroupminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInterest association for abas ERP users; provides community and user group networking.
• ITSG (Informations- und Kommunikationstechnische Servicestelle der gesetzlichen Krankenkassen)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey regulatory partner for contribution and reporting of social insurance. adata's NeLe software is ITSG/GKV certified, enabling legally compliant social security reporting.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Personio: German HR and payroll SaaS platform targeting SMEs. Directly competes with adata's NeLe and HR modules on the same German Mittelstand customer base, with a fully cloud-native architecture.
• P&I Personal & Informatik: German HR and payroll software vendor with deep regulatory expertise, serving mid-market and enterprise. Direct competitor to NeLe in payroll; notably, adata's incoming MD Tanja Ziegler is a former P&I senior executive.
• Infoniqa HR Suite: Austrian/German HR and payroll software provider targeting mid-market. Direct competitor to NeLe with comparable compliance positioning; also a former employer of adata's new Managing Director.
• HRworks: German cloud-native HR SaaS for SMEs covering payroll, time tracking, and HR management. Directly comparable product offering to adata's suite, targeting the same Mittelstand segment with a more modern cloud architecture.

Broad incumbents

• DATEV: German cooperative providing payroll, accounting, and tax software to tax advisors and their SME clients. Sets the de facto standard in German payroll compliance and competes broadly with adata's accounting and payroll modules.
• Lexware: Haufe Group's SMB accounting, payroll, and ERP brand for German freelancers and small businesses. Competes with adata's payroll and financial accounting modules at the lower end of the SME market.
• SAP SuccessFactors: Global enterprise HCM suite from SAP. Overlaps with adata's HR module in the upper-mid-market segment, though SAP does not typically serve the German Mittelstand that adata targets.
• Haufe HR Services: German provider of HR content, software, and outsourcing services. Competes with adata across HR software, payroll outsourcing, and regulatory content — particularly relevant given adata's own outsourcing service line.

Regional players

• SD Worx: European HR and payroll services provider headquartered in Belgium with strong DACH presence after recent acquisitions. Comparable payroll/HCM offering but anchored outside Germany.

Others

• zvoove Group: European vertical-SaaS platform for staffing, cleaning, and service providers, and adata's parent company. Not a peer in the competitive sense but the most directly relevant strategic counterpart for distribution and vertical cross-sell.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/adatasoftware

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about adata Software GmbH