SelectLine versus microtech
SelectLine and microtech are two German-built ERPs that compete for the same lower-mid-market segment — small and mid-sized German operations of roughly ten to one hundred employees in trade, distribution and light manufacturing. Both are decades-old, owner-led companies with substantial DACH customer bases and dense German implementation-partner networks. SelectLine Software GmbH, founded in 1990 and headquartered in Magdeburg, has built a reputation for solid trade-and-distribution functionality and strong out-of-the-box reporting. microtech GmbH, headquartered in Hargesheim near Mainz with the long-running BüroPLUS product line at its core, has historically gone deeper on production and field-service workflows. Both carry GoBD certification, both ship native DATEV interfaces, both handle ZUGFeRD and XRechnung. This comparison covers where each genuinely belongs and how a German Mid-Market buyer at the smaller end should read a competitive proposal.
Overall positioning
SelectLine: a German SMB ERP from SelectLine Software GmbH in Magdeburg, founded in 1990. The product line covers Auftrag (sales order management), Rechnungswesen (financial accounting), Lohn (payroll) and Produktion (light manufacturing). Customer base concentrated in lower-mid-market German trade and distribution, typically ten to seventy employees. Sells through a dense German implementation-partner network. Positioned as a no-nonsense German SMB ERP with strong reporting and customisation depth at a moderate price point. microtech: a German SMB ERP from microtech GmbH in Hargesheim, with the long-running BüroPLUS product as the core platform extended with modules for warehouse, production, field service and e-commerce. Customer base similarly in German lower-mid-market operations of ten to one hundred employees. Positioned as a broader-scope SMB ERP than SelectLine, with particular strength in production (Werkstattmodul), field service and warehouse workflows. Where they overlap: both target the same German lower-mid-market segment, both GoBD-certified, both with similar pricing of 45 to 90 euro per user per month. The differentiation is functional emphasis: SelectLine is the stronger reporting-and-financials product; microtech is the stronger production-and-field-service product.
Functional comparison
The two products cover similar SMB ERP scope but with different emphasis. SelectLine strengths: very strong out-of-the-box reporting through the integrated Berichts-Designer (report designer) — customers regularly cite this as a deciding factor; deep customisation via the Toolbox layer; mature financial accounting (Rechnungswesen) with a direct DATEV interface used in continuous Steuerberater workflows; clean multi-level price lists with customer-specific conditions and rebate logic; a solid light-production module covering multi-level BOMs and production orders. microtech strengths: noticeably deeper production functionality through the Werkstattmodul, including job-shop and field-service patterns that SelectLine does not match; stronger warehouse management with mobile data collection (MDE) integration; broader e-commerce connector ecosystem covering Shopware, Shopify, Magento and major marketplaces; integrated field-service workflows with technician dispatching and on-site invoicing. Compliance parity: GoBD certification, ZUGFeRD/XRechnung handling, DATEV exports and core German tax behaviour are present in both products. The functional divider: organisations whose pain is reporting depth, financial accounting and customer-specific pricing find SelectLine's out-of-the-box capability more directly useful; organisations whose pain is production routing, field-service scheduling or e-commerce integration find microtech's broader operational scope more directly useful.
Architecture and deployment
SelectLine architecture: 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 is increasingly available. Extensibility via the integrated Toolbox (a scripting layer with substantial depth), ODBC and a documented data model. Pricing typically 45 to 90 euro per user per month. microtech architecture: similarly a Windows client-server product on Microsoft SQL Server, with partner-hosted cloud and remote-app delivery options. Extensibility via microtech's scripting layer and external development. Pricing in a comparable band. Both vendors are working on more modern web-based clients, but neither is cloud-native like myfactory or Haufe X360. Partner network: both have dense German implementation-partner networks — partner-fit and geographic proximity often matter more than product-level differentiation. Customisation discipline: both tolerate substantial customisation; the long-term cost of clean-core thinking applies to both. Organisations needing a browser-only ERP move beyond either to myfactory, weclapp or Business Central.
Selection considerations
Choose SelectLine if: your operational pain is reporting depth, financial accounting integration and customer-specific pricing; you want a continuous DATEV-driven workflow with your Steuerberater; your scope is dominated by trade and distribution with relatively simple production; or your IT prefers a product with a well-documented data model and mature customisation layer. The Berichts-Designer alone is often a deciding factor for finance-led organisations. Choose microtech if: your operational pain is production routing, field-service scheduling or e-commerce integration; you operate a job-shop or field-service business where the Werkstattmodul covers patterns SelectLine does not match; you have multi-channel selling; or your warehouse workflow needs mobile data collection. Partner-fit reality: at this segment, the implementation partner often matters more than the product. Evaluate proposed teams, project references and geographic proximity carefully. Migration paths: organisations outgrowing either typically move to Sage 100, myfactory, weclapp or Business Central. Editorial framing: pick on operational pain, not on brand or sticker price.
Related Topics
Frequently Asked Questions
Which product has the better out-of-the-box reporting?
SelectLine's Berichts-Designer is widely considered the stronger out-of-the-box reporting tool of the two — customers regularly cite it as a deciding factor in head-to-head selections. microtech's reporting is functional but typically requires more customisation or external Business-Intelligence tools to reach equivalent depth.
Does microtech support genuine production?
microtech's Werkstattmodul covers light-to-mid production scope including multi-level BOMs, production orders, capacity planning at a basic level and shop-floor data collection. It is more capable than SelectLine's production module but is not a full APS or MES system. Organisations with sophisticated discrete-manufacturing needs typically move beyond either to abas, proALPHA or Business Central with manufacturing extensions.
How do both handle DATEV integration?
Both products ship a native DATEV interface and both are commonly used in continuous Steuerberater workflows. SelectLine's Rechnungswesen module is slightly more deeply embedded with DATEV in the day-to-day pattern, but the practical difference is small enough that DATEV-fit alone rarely decides between the two.
Can either run as a cloud-only SaaS?
Neither product is cloud-native in the strict multi-tenant sense. Both have partner-hosted cloud delivery options that are effectively managed hosting on the same Windows client-server architecture. Organisations that genuinely need browser-only multi-tenant SaaS should look at myfactory, weclapp or Haufe X360 instead.