Lexware warenwirtschaft or LightInventory for stock control
Windows merchandise management for German businesses or a ready inventory system on your own Google Sheet? Setup, stock, roles, history and price, with sources.
Last updated October 30, 2026
Lexware warenwirtschaft is Windows desktop software from Haufe-Lexware for purchasing, stock and invoicing, sold as pro and premium. LightInventory is a ready-made inventory system that keeps your stock data in a Google Sheet you own, with approvals and a verifiable history built in. This page compares the two as of 30 October 2026, with a link to the source for every claim about Lexware warenwirtschaft. Lexware also sells Lexware Office, a cloud product (Lexware); this page is about the desktop warenwirtschaft.
The short answer
- Choose Lexware warenwirtschaft if you run a business in Germany, want purchasing, stock and invoicing in one Windows program that posts to Lexware buchhaltung, or need German e-invoices, serial and batch numbers or a cash register module.
- Choose LightInventory if you need inventory control only, with approvals, location-scoped roles and a tamper-evident history, and want to start yourself on a Sheet you already use.
Side by side
| Lexware warenwirtschaft | LightInventory | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Merchandise management from purchasing through stock to invoicing; premium adds a cash register module, commissions and serial and batch numbers for small and midsize trading businesses (Lexware handbook) | A finished inventory system for stock control that uses your Sheet as its data layer |
| Setup | Installed on Windows 11, Windows 10 (64-bit) or Windows Server; internet access and product activation are required, and pro and premium need at least 100 GB of free disk space (Lexware). Install on one PC, or as client/server so several people can work in it (Lexware technical handbook) | Connect a Sheet; items, locations, movements and history tabs are created for you |
| Approvals | The handbook does not describe an approval step for stock changes. While a stock count is in progress, orders that affect stock can only be viewed (Lexware handbook) | Built in: receipts, transfers and count adjustments can wait for an approver |
| Roles | Rights per user or user group on functions and data, granted per company; a supervisor creates users and grants rights (Lexware technical handbook) | Owner, Admin, Approver, Editor and Viewer, each limited to the locations you choose, on every paid plan |
| History | A stock journal records every stock posting of an item, and manual stock changes can carry a comment shown there; finalised documents cannot be changed, in line with GoBD (Lexware handbook) | Every change with who, what, when and why, kept in your Sheet, tamper-evident, and any change can be reverted |
| Locations | Several warehouses in premium only, with any number of warehouses and stock moves between them; in pro the storage location field is for information (Lexware handbook) | Locations you define, with transfers between them and roles scoped to them |
| Your data | In a database on your PC or your server (Lexware technical handbook). An optional online backup stores an encrypted copy in a Microsoft data centre in the EU, up to 10 GB, with a 12-month minimum term (Lexware) | In a Google Sheet in your own account, open to you at any time |
| Price | Price list valid from 1 September 2026, excluding VAT: pro €61.90 monthly price or €742.80 yearly price; premium €77.90 monthly price or €934.80 yearly price (Lexware) | Free for 1 person and 1 Sheet; Team $2.49 per user per month billed annually ($2.99 monthly) |
Lexware's price list shows one monthly and one yearly price per program, in euros and excluding VAT, and does not state a number of users on that page (Lexware). LightInventory's prices on this page are in US dollars and are per user.
Where Lexware warenwirtschaft is better
- Purchasing, stock and invoicing in one program. It covers the path from ordering goods through stock to invoicing (Lexware handbook). LightInventory covers inventory control.
- Works with Lexware accounting. Orders can be posted to Lexware buchhaltung pro or premium on the same PC or network, master data such as tax rates, customers and suppliers is shared across Lexware programs (Lexware handbook), and the final document image can be passed along with the booking (Lexware support).
- Built for the German market. XRechnung e-invoices to EN 16931 (Lexware support), the EU One-Stop-Shop procedure, § 13b UStG reverse charge, DATEV-format export and a GDPdU export for tax audits (Lexware handbook).
- Stock counts with German rules in mind. Interim, annual and partial counts by product group, printed count lists, and a count protocol that lists differences, with a reminder to follow the HGB (Lexware handbook).
- Trade features in premium. Serial and batch numbers, item reservations on order confirmations, a cash register module and commission billing (Lexware handbook).
- Your database on your own hardware. The data sits on your PC or server (Lexware technical handbook).
- It is available now. LightInventory is still in development.
Where LightInventory is better
- Approvals before stock changes. Receipts, transfers and count adjustments can wait for an approver. Lexware's handbook does not describe an approval step for stock changes (Lexware handbook).
- Roles scoped to locations. Each role can be limited to the locations you choose. Lexware's technical handbook describes rights per company and per function, and does not describe limiting a user to a warehouse (Lexware technical handbook).
- Revert from the history. Every change is recorded with a reason, kept in your Sheet, and can be reverted. If someone types into the Sheet instead of using the app, the change is detected and recorded.
- Your data is your Sheet. The Sheet in your Google account is the data, open to you at any time.
- Security on every plan. Passkeys and multi-factor sign-in are included, not an add-on.
Questions
How much does Lexware warenwirtschaft cost?
On the price list valid from 1 September 2026, pro is €61.90 as a monthly price or €742.80 as a yearly price, and premium is €77.90 or €934.80, all excluding VAT (Lexware). Ask Lexware how many users your licence includes.
Can Lexware warenwirtschaft manage more than one warehouse?
Yes, in premium. Premium can manage any number of warehouses and move stock between them; in pro the storage location field is for information only (Lexware handbook).
Does Lexware warenwirtschaft run on a Mac?
Lexware lists Apple macOS, Linux and Windows PCs with ARM processors among the environments its programs are not intended for. It supports Windows 11, Windows 10 (64-bit), Windows 365 Cloud PC and Windows Server (Lexware).
Facts about Lexware warenwirtschaft were checked on 30 October 2026 on the pages linked above and are reviewed every quarter. The user handbook linked above is dated October 2025, and the current release may differ. Lexware's programs are built for the German-speaking area (Lexware). Lexware and Lexware warenwirtschaft are trademarks of Haufe-Lexware GmbH & Co. KG. LightInventory is not affiliated with or endorsed by Haufe-Lexware. If anything here is out of date, write to support@lightinventory.com and we will correct it.
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