Lexware Inventory Management and SelectLine are two long-established German entry-level ERP products with overlapping target segments but quite different centres of gravity. Lexware Inventory Management, the inventory module of the wider Lexware family from Haufe Group, is built around tight integration with Lexware accounting (lexoffice, Lexware Accountant, Lexware Faktura). SelectLine, developed by SelectLine Software GmbH in Magdeburg since 1990, is an independent German SMB ERP that has traditionally offered more depth in production, assembly and customer-specific pricing than its entry-level peers. Both products serve the German KMU segment (kleine und mittlere Unternehmen, the official tax-and-statistics category for businesses under 250 employees), both are GoBD-certified, both ship a native DATEV interface. The differentiation is between Lexware's ecosystem-coupling for accounting-driven small businesses and SelectLine's functional depth for SMBs with light-production or assembly needs.
Overall positioning
Lexware Inventory Management: the inventory layer of the broader Lexware product family from Haufe-Lexware GmbH & Co. KG (Freiburg). Targets very small German trade and service operations, typically one to fifteen employees, who already use Lexware accounting and want a consistent ecosystem. The product's reason for existing is largely the upsell to an existing Lexware-accounting installed base; standalone wins against full ERP competitors are rare. SelectLine: a German SMB ERP from SelectLine Software GmbH (Magdeburg), in market since 1990 with a long and stable customer base in the German Mid-Market (broadly twenty to two hundred employees). Sells through a dense German partner network of system houses and resellers. Customer base concentrated in trade, distribution and light manufacturing — including a meaningful share of organisations with simple BOMs and assembly workflows. Where they overlap: both target German-only buyers, both compete in the lower-end of the SMB segment, both offer a similar core feature set for trade and inventory. The customer-fit divide opens up around production complexity: organisations with any meaningful BOM or assembly workflow gravitate to SelectLine; pure-trade organisations already on Lexware accounting tend to stay with Lexware Inventory Management.
Functional comparison
Lexware Inventory Management strengths: very tight integration with the wider Lexware suite, polished invoicing, simple multi-warehouse, clean DATEV export, and a low barrier to entry for organisations already paying for Lexware Accountant or lexoffice. The product covers articles, purchasing, sales and basic warehouse comprehensively for very small operations. SelectLine strengths: noticeably deeper trade-and-distribution functionality including multi-level price lists, customer-specific conditions, rebate structures and quantity-discount logic. The production module covers multi-level bills of materials, production orders with consumption posting and simple capacity planning — capabilities that Lexware Inventory Management does not include even with add-ons. Native financial accounting is built into SelectLine (the Rechnungswesen module), and the DATEV interface is direct. Compliance parity: GoBD certification, ZUGFeRD and XRechnung support, electronic invoice handling and standard German tax behaviour are present in both products. Where parity collapses: any organisation with assembly, simple production routing, or customer-specific pricing complexity will find Lexware Inventory Management frustratingly thin and SelectLine substantially more capable. Conversely, a pure invoicing-and-stock operation on the very small end finds SelectLine over-equipped and Lexware exactly right-sized.
Architecture and deployment
Lexware Inventory Management architecture: a Windows desktop application with local SQL Server back-end, extended with Lexware Cloud delivery for selected workflows. Most installations still run on a fat client per desk. Subscription pricing starts around twenty-seven euro per user per month. Customisation is intentionally shallow. SelectLine architecture: similarly a Windows client-server product with Microsoft SQL Server back-end — the standard German SMB stack. Customer-managed on-premises is the historical default; partner-hosted cloud delivery has become more common. Pricing typically runs forty-five to ninety euro per user per month. Customisation via SelectLine's integrated Toolbox is deeper than Lexware's. Partner network: SelectLine has a substantially deeper German implementation-partner network than Lexware — reflecting its positioning as a proper SMB ERP rather than an inventory module. Cloud posture: neither is cloud-native. Organisations needing a browser-only ERP move beyond either to myfactory, weclapp or Business Central.
Selection considerations
Choose Lexware Inventory Management if: your operation is accounting-driven (Steuerberater works in Lexware, monthly accounting dominates the IT pattern), you already pay for Lexware Accountant or lexoffice, your scope is genuinely small (one to fifteen employees), and your product range does not involve assembly, BOMs or customer-specific pricing complexity. Choose SelectLine if: you need a more capable standalone ERP at a comparable price point; you have any meaningful production, assembly or BOM scope; your trade workflow involves customer-specific pricing, rebates or quantity discounts; or you anticipate scaling into the thirty-to-one-hundred employee range where Lexware will become structurally limiting. Implementation effort: Lexware is typically a self-service or one-to-two-day setup; SelectLine is a three-to-eight-week implementation with a German system house. Migration paths: SelectLine has a longer practical runway — many customers stay with it from twenty to one hundred-plus employees — whereas Lexware Inventory Management is a stepping-stone to Sage 100, myfactory or Business Central as the organisation grows.
What are the main differences between the two systems?
The key differences in architecture, industry fit, customization depth and licensing model are compared in the main section of this page. The exact configuration depends on the industry, company size class and customization depth of the specific ERP setup. A well-founded answer always requires a look at the individual business processes and the strategic IT roadmap.
Which system is better suited for the mid-market?
Mid-market suitability differs by company size (SMEs with 50 employees, classic mid-market with 250 employees, upper mid-market with 1,000+). Suitability per size class is presented in the main section — see also ERP for the mid-market. The exact configuration depends on the industry, company size class and customization depth of the specific ERP setup.
How long does a migration between the two systems take?
ERP migrations typically take 6–18 months. With significantly different data models, it can take longer. Read more under ERP implementation.
What do existing customers say about the two systems?
The Trovarit ERP study and vendor references provide qualitative data. You will find our own reviews on the vendor pages above. The exact configuration depends on the industry, company size class and customization depth of the specific ERP setup.
What customization options do the two systems offer?
Customization depth varies greatly — cloud solutions are usually more restricted, while on-premise systems can often be fully adapted at source-code level. See the main comparison section for details. The exact configuration depends on the industry, company size class and customization depth of the specific ERP setup.
