E-Commerce & Retail
Xentral or Billbee? Both systems from the E-Commerce & Retail segment – neutrally contrasted: suitability profile, prices, ratings, strengths/weaknesses and DACH compliance.
Last editorial review: July 2026How we rate
At a glance
Where Xentral and Billbee lead across the recorded metrics – derived purely from the data.
Xentral
3 advantages- Manufacturing & production
- Services & projects
- DACH compliance
Billbee
1 advantages- Cheaper entry pricefrom €99/month vs. from €9/month
Level: Better avg. user rating (4,5 vs. 4,5)
Suitability profile compared
How strongly both systems cover the typical areas of use – the curated editorial assessment (scale 0–3) as a radar and as exact bars.
- E-commerce & retail
- XentralspecialistBillbeespecialist
- Manufacturing & production
- XentralbasicBillbeeno focus
- Services & projects
- XentralbasicBillbeeno focus
- International reach
- XentralbasicBillbeebasic
- DACH compliance
- XentralspecialistBillbeebasic
Scale 0–3, a curated editorial assessment. The same yardstick as in the ERP finder.
Facts side by side
| Xentral | Billbee | |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | from €99/month | from €9/month |
| Pricing model | Volume-based subscription (by order volume), unlimited users | Transaction-based (by order volume/month), cancelable monthly |
| Company size | approx. 5-50 employees, scaling into the lower mid-market | Sole traders up to smaller teams (a few dozen to a few thousand orders/month) |
| Deployment | Cloud (SaaS) | Cloud (SaaS) |
| Hosting | DE (AWS Frankfurt) | DE/EU (GDPR) |
| Origin | Germany | Germany |
| Founded | 2008 (Xentral brand since 2017) | 2015 |
| Employees | approx. 150-200 | approx. 50 |
| Trial | 14 days free, no credit card - access ends automatically. | 30 days free, no payment details - the trial ends automatically. |
| Minimum term | Monthly, annual or 2-year contract depending on the offer; Scale plan with flexible contracts. | No minimum term (contract for an indefinite period). |
| Support / SLA | Tiered SLAs (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm): standard Prio-1 emergency response within 2 hrs, Business support first response within 8 hrs, Priority support (add-on) Prio 1 within 1 hr with resolution in 24 hrs. | – |
Prices are approximations (as of 2026) and should be checked with the vendor before deciding.
User ratings side by side
Average across the linked third-party portals – the linked source is authoritative in each case.
What sets each system apart
The distinctive features that set both systems apart within the segment.
Xentral positions itself as a fully integrated cloud ERP for growing DACH online retailers - a step above lean order-management tools like Billbee, yet leaner and more brand-focused than the marketplace specialist plentyONE or the on-premise-based JTL.
- A full-fledged cloud ERP delivered as pure SaaS: it covers orders, warehousing, shipping, purchasing and light manufacturing, without a Windows client like JTL and without being limited to pure order management like Billbee.
- Deep automation and customization through Xentral Flows, 200+ ready-made integrations and an open REST API with app store - end-to-end no-code automation from the order all the way to the DATEV handover.
- A pronounced D2C and brand orientation with prominent reference customers (including YFood and KoRo) plus VC backing and a large partner network - a scaling ERP for direct-to-consumer brands rather than primarily a marketplace or multi-store specialist.
- Deliberately designed for collaboration with the tax advisor: no in-house financial accounting, but deep DATEV integration as an official partner - unlike the built-in bookkeeping of reybex and plentyONE.
In the e-commerce segment, Billbee is the deliberately lightweight order-management tool: it centralizes and automates multichannel order processing cheaply and quickly, but it is not a full ERP like Xentral, reybex, plentyONE or JTL and forgoes warehouse management (WMS), manufacturing and true financial accounting.
- The lowest barrier to entry in the comparison group: transaction-based from €9/month, cancelable monthly without a contractual commitment - instead of edition subscriptions from €59-99/month at the full ERPs.
- The highest user satisfaction in the segment (OMR 4.7/5 from 314 reviews) with very fast setup without IT knowledge or an implementation partner.
- Deliberately lean as a pure OMS: very flexible, rule-based automation and 100+ interfaces, but without WMS, manufacturing, CRM and without its own accounting (only document generation plus DATEV export).
- Provider-independent of its own shop system - Billbee sits as neutral middleware above Amazon, eBay, Kaufland, Shopify, Shopware and co., while plentyONE and JTL bring their own shop ecosystems.
Head-to-head: the assessment
Both perspectives honestly side by side – where one system leads and where the other counters.
Xentral against Billbee
The two play in different leagues: Billbee is a lean order-management tool from €9/month, cancelable monthly and without full-ERP functionality (no financial accounting, no manufacturing), ideal for small sellers with a few thousand orders. Xentral is the far more comprehensive but also more expensive full ERP with warehousing, purchasing, DATEV connection and mandatory paid onboarding. Rule of thumb: Billbee as long as it is purely about order processing; Xentral as soon as inventory management, end-to-end automation and scaling come into play - though Billbee even rates higher at OMR 4.7, which reflects its narrower feature scope.
Billbee against Xentral
Xentral is a full-fledged multichannel ERP with integrated accounting, warehousing, purchasing and shipping, aimed at growing retailers that are outgrowing a specialized tool. Billbee covers only the order and shipping processing of that, but is in return considerably cheaper (from €9 instead of from €99/month) and ready to go in hours rather than weeks. Anyone who needs accounting, manufacturing or deep process depth reaches for Xentral; anyone who only wants to consolidate orders across channels runs leaner with Billbee.
When Xentral, when Billbee?
The concrete use scenarios in which each system is the better choice.
Choose Xentral when …
- Online retailers with shop + marketplaces looking to automate order/shipping processes
- Growing D2C/e-commerce SMEs escaping the chaos of siloed tools
- Retailers needing DE hosting, DATEV export and e-invoicing
Rather not when: Companies with very complex manufacturing/financial accounting or group requirements · Large organizations with >50 heavy users without an ERP team/partner
Choose Billbee when …
- Small to medium online retailers with several sales channels
- D2C brands and Amazon FBA/marketplace sellers
- Retailers who want to start quickly and connect the tax advisor via DATEV export
Rather not when: Companies looking for an integrated full ERP with accounting/CRM · Manufacturing businesses and large retailers with very high order volume
Plans & prices compared
The editions of both systems side by side. Additional costs for implementation, add-ons and support apply depending on the vendor.
- Launchfrom €99/month
Starter package: up to 1,200 orders/year, max. €500,000 revenue, 1 shop + 1 marketplace, warehousing/shipping, invoicing & DATEV export; 24-month term
- Starterfrom €349/month
Growing retailers: approx. 500 orders/month included, up to 5,000 products, service package, unlimited users
- Businessfrom €649/month
Most popular: higher volume, up to 10,000 products, dunning, cost centers, SEPA, unlimited users
- Profrom €849/month
High volumes: unlimited products, advanced Flows/automations, prioritized support
- Starterfrom €9/month
Transaction-based up to approx. 200 orders/month; all features & interfaces included, unlimited users, cancelable monthly (e.g. ~€18 at 20, ~€43 at 120 orders)
- Growthtransaction-based (from ~200 orders/month)
Additional free partner tools (Amainvoice, VentoryOne, Replyco); from ~3,300 orders €0.06 per order
DACH compliance compared
DATEV, GoBD, e-invoicing, hosting and language determine practical viability in the DACH region – here both systems directly side by side.
| Xentral | Billbee | |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting & data protection | Cloud on AWS, data center in Frankfurt; ISO 27001/27018, data held in Germany. | Cloud/SaaS from a German provider, GDPR-compliant; the specific server location is not clearly documented. |
| DATEV | Official DATEV partner; automatic export of invoices, credit notes and payments. | DATEV export available; tax-advisor access via account possible (no in-house accounting). |
| GoBD | Audit-proof invoicing with an immutable journal/document trail. | Only limited - not accounting software; coupling with an accounting tool needed for GoBD-compliant bookkeeping. |
| E-invoicing | ZUGFeRD and XRechnung inbound and outbound (outbound since January 2025). | ZUGFeRD invoice generation supported (from end of 2024/2025); XRechnung is not supported. |
| Language & support | German-language interface and support (vendor based in Augsburg). | German-language interface and support (praised in reviews); primarily DACH. |
Strengths & weaknesses
Strengths
- Native, broad shop and marketplace connectivity (e-commerce focus)
- Unlimited users and strong process automation in warehousing/shipping
- High flexibility/customizability and an open API
- German compliance: DE hosting, DATEV, GoBD, e-invoicing
- Quick to get started for SMEs
Weaknesses
- Setup/customizing often only feasible with external help
- Usability/UI and documentation rated below average in places
- Support response times and performance under criticism
- Limits with complex accounting and scaling beyond ~50 users
Strengths
- Very good multichannel centralization of all orders in one place
- Extensive, flexible automation rules
- Simple, fast setup without IT knowledge
- Very many interfaces (100+); transparent pricing model without contractual commitment
- German-language support and an active community (high user satisfaction)
Weaknesses
- Not a full ERP: no true accounting, no manufacturing, no CRM
- Reporting rather basic; limited customization
- No full-fledged mobile app
- Repeated, sometimes significant price increases
Verdict per system
Verdict on Xentral
Choose it when an e-commerce/retail SME in the DACH region wants a quickly deployable, integrated cloud ERP with strong shop/marketplace connectivity and DE compliance; less suitable for complex manufacturing or enterprise-scale operations.
Ideal for: Growing e-commerce and multichannel retailers in the DACH region looking for a quickly deployable, integrated inventory management system.
Full profile of XentralVerdict on Billbee
A mature, user-friendly order-management tool for small to medium online retailers with many interfaces and strong automation - but deliberately not a full ERP. Shines at the easy entry point; limits with accounting and at high order volume.
Ideal for: Multichannel retailers and Amazon/marketplace sellers who want to centralize orders and automate standard workflows - without a heavy ERP.
Full profile of BillbeeXentral or Billbee – which fits you?
In a free initial consultation we narrow down the right system for your requirements – vendor-independently.