Three categories: documents, export, all-in-one
Before comparing apps, clarify which problem you are solving. Shopify accounting apps roughly fall into three groups, and a lot of frustration comes from picking a tool from the wrong one.
Pure document apps create invoices, delivery notes and credit notes straight from the order. Export apps push your orders into external accounting software like sevdesk or Lexware Office. All-in-one solutions combine both. Which group fits depends on whether your documents should be created in Shopify or in your tax software.
- Document apps: generate compliant invoices/delivery notes/credit notes from Shopify orders.
- Export apps: sync orders automatically into sevdesk, Lexware Office or DATEV.
- All-in-one: document creation plus bookkeeping export in one tool.
Selection criteria that actually matter
A nice PDF template is quick to build, but correct tax logic is not. The biggest differences between apps sit below the surface: how does the tool handle EU distance sales, B2B deliveries and the small-business rule? This is where toys part ways with tools.
Before buying, check whether the app covers the mandatory invoice fields under § 14 UStG, assigns sequential numbers and works in an audit-proof (GoBD-compliant, unchangeable) way. For tax automation, look at how OSS in Shopify and reverse charge for EU B2B are handled.
- Tax logic: OSS threshold €10,000, destination-country rate, reverse charge with a valid VAT ID.
- Small business: correct 0% treatment under the 2025 reform.
- Compliance: § 14 UStG, sequential numbering, audit-proof archiving.
- Automation level: manual click vs. webhook automation.
| Criterion | What to look for |
|---|---|
| Tax automation | OSS, reverse-charge and §19 handled automatically? |
| E-invoicing | ZUGFeRD/XRechnung (EN 16931) supported? |
| GoBD | Documents sequentially numbered and archived immutably? |
| Hosting & GDPR | Hosting in the EU/DE, data processing agreement available? |
| Integration | Real-time webhook sync, write-back to Shopify? |
| Support | German-speaking and easy to reach? |
E-invoicing is no longer a nice-to-have in 2026
Since 1 Jan 2025, B2B merchants in Germany must be able to receive e-invoices, and the obligation to issue them is being phased in through 2028. An e-invoice is not a PDF but a structured format under EN 16931: specifically ZUGFeRD (a PDF with embedded XML) or XRechnung.
If you sell B2B, your accounting app should master these formats. For the deadlines see the 2025–2028 phase-in plan, and the ZUGFeRD vs XRechnung comparison clarifies which format you need.
DACH specifics: hosting, GDPR and support
Many popular apps come from the US and know neither the small-business rule nor OSS nor German e-invoicing. For merchants in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, criteria that rarely show up in international rankings matter: GDPR-compliant hosting (ideally in the EU), local-language support and correct handling of country-specific thresholds.
Austria raised its small-business threshold to €55,000 gross in 2025; Switzerland works with VAT rates of 8.1% / 2.6% / 3.8% and a registration threshold above CHF 100,000 in turnover. An app that only knows German law will not help you much here.
Our take: belegio and zrapp
We build two apps for exactly these jobs, so we know the field first-hand. belegio automatically creates invoices, delivery notes and credit notes from Shopify orders, supports ZUGFeRD and XRechnung, and hosts in Frankfurt. zrapp pushes your orders via webhook into sevdesk or Lexware Office, including tax automation (OSS, small-business rule, reverse charge) and metafield write-back.
If your documents should originate in Shopify, a document app like belegio is the way, see create Shopify invoices automatically. If you already use tax software, export is the better lever: connect Shopify to sevdesk or connect Shopify to Lexware Office. Unsure? We are happy to advise via our services.
How to make the decision
Don't start with the tool. Start with your workflow. Answer three questions and the right app category almost picks itself: where are my documents created? Which tax cases do I have? Do I need e-invoicing?
If you only sell B2C in Germany, a lean document app is often enough. If you ship EU-wide or B2B, you need solid tax logic and e-invoicing. If you hand data to an accountant with fixed software, prioritise the export app that supports exactly that software.
