VARIO 8 versus microtech
VARIO 8 and microtech compete in the same broad German SMB segment — mid-sized operations of roughly ten to one hundred employees in trade, distribution, e-commerce and light manufacturing — but they emphasise different operational patterns. VARIO 8, the eighth-generation product from VARIO Software AG in Bad Camberg (Hesse), has built its reputation on e-commerce and multichannel integration: shop systems, marketplaces, payment providers and modern logistics workflows. microtech, headquartered in Hargesheim near Mainz with its long-running BüroPLUS platform extended into a broader ERP, goes deeper on production routing (Werkstattmodul) and field-service workflows. Both carry GoBD certification, both ship native DATEV integration, both handle ZUGFeRD and XRechnung as required for German e-invoicing. The decision divides on operational pattern: e-commerce-first versus production-and-service-first. This comparison sets out where each product genuinely belongs and how a German SMB buyer should read a head-to-head proposal.
Overall positioning
VARIO 8: the eighth-generation ERP from VARIO Software AG, headquartered in Bad Camberg in Hesse, with a customer base concentrated in German e-commerce, multichannel-trade and modern-distribution operations. The product has built its reputation on e-commerce integration — native connectors to Shopware, Shopify, Magento, WooCommerce and the major German marketplaces (Amazon, eBay, OTTO, Kaufland) — alongside modern logistics workflows including shipping-carrier integration, returns handling and warehouse mobility. Targets German SMBs from roughly ten up to one hundred users; sells through a focused German implementation-partner network. microtech: a German SMB ERP from microtech GmbH in Hargesheim, with the long-running BüroPLUS platform as the core extended with modules for production (Werkstattmodul), warehouse, field service and e-commerce. Customer base concentrated in German lower-mid-market operations of ten to one hundred employees with a particular strength in production and field-service patterns. Sells through a German implementation-partner network. Where they overlap: both target the same broad German SMB segment, both carry GoBD certification, both have similar pricing in the 45-90 euro per user per month range. The buyer-mindset divide: e-commerce-first operations gravitate to VARIO 8; production-and-service-first operations gravitate to microtech.
Functional comparison
Both products cover the SMB ERP scope but with different emphasis. VARIO 8 strengths: native connectors to all major German e-commerce platforms (Shopware, Shopify, Magento, WooCommerce) and marketplaces (Amazon, eBay, OTTO, Kaufland); shipping-carrier integration (DHL, DPD, GLS, Hermes, UPS) with automated label generation and tracking; mature returns-handling workflow; multi-channel inventory synchronisation across shop and warehouse; modern warehouse mobility with mobile data collection and pick-and-pack. Built for the multichannel-retail patterns dominating modern German trade. microtech strengths: noticeably deeper production functionality through the Werkstattmodul, including job-shop patterns, multi-level BOMs, production routing and shop-floor data collection; strong field-service workflows with technician dispatching, on-site invoicing and service-contract management; broader operational scope than VARIO 8 outside e-commerce. Compliance parity: GoBD certification, ZUGFeRD/XRechnung handling and DATEV integration are present in both. The functional divider: operations whose pain is multichannel commerce find VARIO 8's out-of-the-box capability more useful; operations whose pain is production routing or field-service find microtech's broader operational scope more useful.
Architecture and deployment
VARIO 8 architecture: a Windows client-server ERP with Microsoft SQL Server back-end, with growing browser-based access for selected workflows. Customer-managed on-premises and partner-hosted cloud delivery are both standard. Pricing typically 45 to 80 euro per user per month. Extensibility via VARIO's scripting and API layer; the product's e-commerce connectors are first-party rather than third-party, which simplifies maintenance and support compared to bolt-on architectures. 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. Cloud posture: neither product is cloud-native multi-tenant SaaS. Both have evolved cloud delivery from a Windows client-server heritage. Organisations needing pure browser-only multi-tenant cloud should look at myfactory, weclapp or Haufe X360. Implementation effort: typical implementations of either product for a forty-user SMB run two to five months and 60,000 to 200,000 euro all-in — both are realistic German SMB projects, not heavyweight Mid-Market implementations.
Selection considerations
Choose VARIO 8 if: e-commerce or multichannel-retail is core to your operation; you sell across multiple shop systems and marketplaces and need inventory synchronisation that just works; you need shipping-carrier integration with automated label generation; your warehouse workflow includes high-volume pick-and-pack with returns handling; or you operate a modern German distribution business where the operational pattern is omnichannel rather than B2B-traditional. The product's first-party e-commerce connectors are a meaningful selection factor. Choose microtech if: production routing, job-shop patterns or field-service workflows are central; you have multi-level BOMs and need shop-floor data collection; your business involves technician dispatching, on-site invoicing or service-contract management; or your scope extends beyond pure trade into production and service patterns. Common pattern: e-commerce-first SMBs pick VARIO 8; production-and-service-first SMBs pick microtech. The choice is rarely close once the operational pattern is clear. Compliance parity: both handle GoBD, the GoBD-Verfahrensdokumentation (the procedural documentation required by German tax authorities describing how transactions are captured, stored and protected from tampering), DATEV and e-invoicing equivalently — compliance is not a differentiator.
Related Topics
Frequently Asked Questions
Are VARIO 8's e-commerce connectors first-party or third-party?
VARIO 8's major e-commerce connectors are developed and maintained by VARIO Software AG itself. This first-party model is an operational advantage for e-commerce-heavy customers because support, updates and bug-fixing flow through a single vendor relationship rather than across multiple support boundaries.
Does microtech have e-commerce capability at all?
Yes — microtech ships e-commerce connectors for the major German shop systems and marketplaces. They are functional but not the product's strategic centre of gravity. Operations dependent on multi-channel commerce find VARIO 8 the better fit; operations where e-commerce is one channel among several find microtech adequate.
Can either product run a pure e-commerce business?
VARIO 8 is well-suited to pure e-commerce-and-multichannel businesses up to roughly one hundred users. Above that, dedicated e-commerce ERPs like Pickware, Plentymarkets, JTL or weclapp may offer better fit. microtech is workable but not optimised for pure e-commerce.
How does the GoBD-Verfahrensdokumentation work for either?
Both products carry GoBD-relevant technical controls. The GoBD-Verfahrensdokumentation — the procedural documentation that German tax authorities expect for how transactions are captured, stored and protected from tampering — remains the customer's responsibility. Both vendors provide template documentation. The product choice does not materially affect the effort.