DATAC AG

What DATAC AG does

DATAC AG is a Passau, Germany-based software company founded in 1981 that develops Windows-based financial accounting, payroll, and invoicing software for small and medium-sized businesses in the DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland). Its flagship suite comprises DATAC Fibu (financial accounting), DATAC Lohn (payroll), DATAC Faktura (invoicing), DATAC Archiv, DATAC Mandant, DATAC Start & Safe, and the cloud-delivered DATAC Cloud. Distribution is anchored by what the company describes as the largest franchise network of independent bookkeepers in the DACH region, with 500+ franchise offices collectively serving 30,000+ monthly client bookkeepings. The franchise model allows DATAC to scale end-customer reach via localized partner bookkeepers rather than direct enterprise sales.

The product line is built around a Windows-native client-server accounting architecture, augmented by DATAC24, a full-text recognition (OCR) and document management module that automates ingestion of paper-based documents. DATAC Cloud, delivered in partnership with united hoster GmbH, extends the traditionally on-premises stack to a hosted delivery model, signaling a shift toward subscription-based access. Product launches have been timed to regulatory and workflow shifts, most notably DATAC Faktura to address mandatory e-invoicing requirements in Germany.

DATAC monetizes through three primary channels: (1) direct software licensing and subscriptions to end SMBs (license purchase, leasing, or monthly rental of Fibu, Lohn, Faktura and adjacent modules such as DATAC24); (2) franchise fees and ongoing royalties from independent bookkeepers (a 250 EUR entry fee plus recurring monthly fees starting at 125 EUR per franchise office); and (3) add-on subscriptions such as DATAC Faktura at approximately 7.50–15 EUR/month. The corporate entity is structured as an Aktiengesellschaft (AG) but is not publicly listed, and the company operates with a lean central organization of approximately 5 headquarters employees while leveraging its franchise base for sales, onboarding, and support.

Name

DATAC AG

Legal name

DATAC Aktiengesellschaft

Website

https://datac.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

DATAC AG develops Windows-based accounting, payroll, and invoicing software (Fibu, Lohn, Faktura) and operates the DACH region's largest franchise network of 500+ independent bookkeepers serving 30,000+ monthly SMB client bookkeepings.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Accounting and Payroll Software

NAICS

Software Publishers (513210), Offices of Certified Public Accountants (541211), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (51821)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro primary industry

Data Platform (Unified Data & Analytics) Suites (HDAEABAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Data Entry & Form Processing (Manual Keying, Validation) (BPAAAKAC), Data Governance Platforms (Policies, Stewardship, Workflows) (HDAEADAB), Data Platforms & Modern Data Stack Services (Lakehouse, DW, MDM) (BPAEAHAC)

Keywords

• Financial accounting software
• Payroll software
• Digital document archiving
• Bookkeeping franchise
• E-invoicing software

Headquarters

HQ city

Passau, Bayern

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Software Licensing - Purchase: Customers purchase program licenses outright. The license transfers to ownership with no ongoing usage costs. Programs installed on customer's machine or network.
2. Software Rental - Monthly: Monthly rental of software programs. Monthly fee is paid during contract term. Upon termination, rental fee and usage rights cease. Programs installed locally or on network.
3. Software Leasing: Programs leased for 24, 36, or 48 months. After the term, program license transfers to customer ownership with no additional costs.
4. Franchise Fees: DATAC charges franchise partners an entry fee of 250 EUR and monthly licensing fees starting from 125 EUR. Over 500 franchise offices generate recurring revenue through the network.
5. Bookkeeping Services via Franchise Network: Franchise bookkeepers provide outsourced accounting, payroll, and consulting services to clients, generating their own revenue while paying franchise fees to DATAC.
6. DATAC Faktura Rental: Monthly rental of e-invoicing software. 7.50 EUR/month with SEPA direct debit, 15.00 EUR/month with bank transfer.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

DATAC AG develops and sells a proprietary Windows-based commercial software suite for financial accounting (DATAC Fibu), payroll (DATAC Lohn), digital document archiving (DATAC Archiv), client administration (DATAC Mandant), digital document transfer (DATAC24), e-invoicing (DATAC Faktura), and cloud-based remote access (DATAC Cloud). The company also operates the largest franchise chain of independent bookkeepers in the DACH region, licensing its software to over 500 independent bookkeeping offices that deliver outsourced accounting services to SMBs.

Product overview

DATAC AG offers a modular commercial software suite for businesses and self-employed accountants, centered on DATAC Fibu (financial accounting) and DATAC Lohn (payroll). The portfolio is extended by DATAC24 (digital document transfer between clients and accountants), DATAC Mandant (client administration), DATAC Archiv (document management), DATAC Start & Safe (launcher and backup), DATAC Faktura (e-invoicing), and DATAC Cloud (remote desktop cloud workplace). The products are available via purchase, lease, or rental/license models. DATAC operates the largest franchise network of self-employed accountants in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland with over 500 partner offices serving over 30,000 monthly client accounts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• DATAC Fibu: Financial accounting software (Finanzbuchhaltung) - GoBD-compliant with integrated digital document archiving, open item management, and comprehensive reporting capabilities.
• DATAC Lohn
• DATAC Archiv
• DATAC24
• DATAC Mandant
• DATAC Start & Safe
• DATAC Cloud
• DATAC Faktura

Products and services

• DATAC Fibu Professional GoBD-compliant financial accounting software (Finanzbuchhaltung) for SMBs and self-employed accountants, supporting accounts payable/receivable, cash book, dunning, payment processing, asset accounting, and consolidated reporting with integrated digital document archiving and OCR search.
• DATAC Lohn Certified payroll and salary accounting software (Lohn- und Gehaltsabrechnung) with GKV certificate and enhanced procedural security certification, handling all wage types, social security contributions, tax calculations and electronic reporting; integrates with DATAC Fibu for accounting entries.
• DATAC24 Digital data transfer module enabling real-time paperless exchange of accounting data and scanned documents between clients and accounting service providers, with OCR text recognition and automatic posting into DATAC Fibu; reportedly delivers 50-80% time savings.
• DATAC Mandant Client administration program for accountants and tax advisors managing the full workflow from quote to invoice, with task management, appointment scheduling, time tracking, controlling, and automatic digital archiving of all created documents; available as purchase, lease, or rental.
• DATAC Archiv Standalone digital document management program (virtual file cabinet) for scanned or imported files meeting tax retention requirements, with folder structure, unlimited uploads, OCR full-text search, network capability, and synchronization with DATAC Fibu archive.
• DATAC Start & Safe Password-protected entry portal for DATAC software providing news ticker for tax/legal updates, service access to updates, online help/support, training booking, and online shop; DATAC Safe handles incremental backup of DATAC programs with local or cloud backup options.
• DATAC Faktura Invoice creation program supporting mandatory B2B e-invoicing since January 1, 2025, with ZUGFeRD format and compliant e-invoice creation and sending via email.
• DATAC Cloud Cloud-based remote desktop solution offered in partnership with United Hoster GmbH, providing secure access to DATAC software and data from anywhere, with data stored in GDPR-compliant German data centers and encrypted connections.
• DATAC Bookkeeping Franchise System Franchise system licensing DATAC software and brand to independent bookkeeping offices across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland; franchisees receive software, marketing support, training, call center client acquisition services, and access to a matchmaking service that connects them with SMBs seeking outsourced accounting.

Quantifiable outcome

• 50-80% reduction in accounting processing time through DATAC24 digital workflows
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 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

AI capability3 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• United Hoster GmbHcoreTechnology or IntegrationDATAC partners with United Hoster GmbH to deliver the DATAC Cloud remote desktop solution. This partnership provides cloud-based access to DATAC software through encrypted connections, with DSGVO-compliant German data centers. The cloud solution enables access from any location on Windows, Apple, or Linux systems.
• University of PassauminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity of Passau developed the first pure Windows-based financial accounting software for DATAC in 1993 as a paid research project. DATAC has been a member of the Wirtschaftsforum Passau for 10 years. DATAC congresses were held at the university's facilities.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves14 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Agenda Software: Agenda is a long-established German SMB accounting and ERP software provider competing for the same small and mid-sized business and tax-advisor workflows that DATAC's franchise network serves.
• Lexware (Haufe-Lexware): Lexware is a leading German accounting and payroll software suite from Haufe Group, directly targeting SMBs and self-employed bookkeepers in the DACH market — overlapping most closely with DATAC's Fibu, Lohn, and franchise bookkeeper customer base.
• Buhl Data (WISO Mein Büro): Buhl Data's WISO Mein Büro suite is a direct German SMB accounting and payroll competitor with comparable feature scope (financial accounting, payroll, e-invoicing) and similar target customer profile.

Broad incumbents

• DATEV: DATEV is the dominant German cooperative providing tax software, accounting platforms, and integrated data exchange for tax advisors and SMBs — a broad incumbent whose interfaces DATAC integrates with and whose ecosystem DATAC's franchisees operate within.
• Sage Group: Sage is a global incumbent in SMB accounting and ERP software with a meaningful DACH presence, offering overlapping financial accounting and payroll capabilities to the same SMB and advisor customer segments DATAC serves.

Emerging players

• FastBill: FastBill is a German cloud-based accounting and invoicing platform targeting SMBs and freelancers, competing for the same customers DATAC's Faktura and Fibu products address but with a fully web-native delivery model.
• sevDesk: sevDesk is a venture-backed German cloud-native accounting platform targeting SMBs and bookkeepers with modern UX, OCR, and bank integration — directly competing for DATAC's franchise client base with a web-first architecture.
• lexoffice: lexoffice is Haufe Group's cloud-native accounting product competing with modern UX and subscription pricing against DATAC's traditional desktop suite for the same German SMB and self-employed bookkeeper segment.

Regional players

• BMD Systemhaus: BMD is a leading Austrian accounting, payroll, and ERP software provider primarily serving the Austrian market — comparable to DATAC in product scope and DACH focus but operating as a regional rather than DACH-wide player.
• RZL Software: RZL is an Austrian accounting and payroll software provider focused on tax advisors and SMBs in Austria — overlapping with DATAC's product positioning but primarily competing within the Austrian regional market rather than across the full DACH footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/datac-ag

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 DATAC AG