HS Hamburger Software
HS Hamburger Software (HS) is one of the long-established German SMB business-software vendors, founded in Hamburg in 1979 and continuously developing financial accounting, cost accounting, payroll, ERP and HR products for the German SMB segment. The product line marketed as HS BWL covers the cost-accounting (Betriebswirtschaftliche Auswertungen, BWL) and broader controlling workflow that German SMBs need alongside their financial-accounting and payroll obligations. HS is a long-tenured player in a market segment dominated by Sage, DATEV, Lexware and SelectLine, with a customer base concentrated in German Mid-Market companies and tax-advisor practices that value deep HGB-compliant accounting depth and conservative product evolution over feature ambition.
Functional scope
HS Hamburger Software covers financial accounting (FiBu) with full HGB-compliant general ledger and German chart-of-accounts support, cost accounting (KoRe) with cost-centre and cost-unit analysis, accounts receivable and payable, asset accounting, payroll (Lohn und Gehalt) with full German social-security and tax integration, ERP modules for trade and services, and CRM. The cost-accounting and payroll modules are recognised strengths and are part of the reason long-tenured SMB customers stay with HS over multi-decade horizons. The product line is functionally similar to Sage 100 and SelectLine in its scope coverage, with arguably deeper accounting and payroll depth and a more conservative ERP-operational scope.
DACH localisation, DATEV and HGB
HS Hamburger Software is one of the deepest DACH-localised products on the market, with HGB-compliant general ledger and German chart-of-accounts (SKR03, SKR04) support from the ground up. GoBD compliance is built in with formal certification and is one of the product's structural strengths. DATEV integration is native and arguably one of the better implementations in the German SMB segment, with both the legacy DATEV format and the modern API-based exchange supported. ZUGFeRD and XRechnung e-invoicing are covered natively. Elster electronic tax filing is integrated. The payroll module covers the full German social-security, tax and reporting workflow without partner intermediation, which is a meaningful differentiator versus international ERPs that depend on partner payroll connectors.
Architecture and deployment
HS Hamburger Software is delivered both on-premises (the historical anchor) and as a managed cloud service hosted in German data centres. The product line continues a Windows-anchored client architecture with thick desktop client for the financial-accounting and payroll modules, alongside browser-based access for selected workflows. Native integration with DATEV, the German tax-authority systems (Elster, ZUGFeRD reception), the major banks for payment processing, and Microsoft Office is part of the standard product. Integration with broader DACH ERPs and e-commerce platforms is available through partner connectors.
Pricing model and TCO
HS Hamburger Software uses a modular licensing model with per-user pricing for the ERP and CRM modules, and a combination of module-based and per-employee pricing for the payroll module. The pricing model is transparent and the per-user cost is competitive with Sage 100 and SelectLine. For a 25-to-100-employee SMB deployment all-in TCO over five years lands in the low-to-mid six-figure euro range depending on module scope and the payroll-employee count. The product's commercial argument is the combination of deep German accounting and payroll capability with stable conservative product evolution — the buyers who select HS typically value not having to re-platform every five years.
Selection considerations
HS Hamburger Software is a credible choice for German SMBs and tax-advisor practices that value deep HGB-compliant accounting, native DATEV integration, integrated German payroll and conservative product evolution over feature ambition. It is less compelling for organisations needing international multi-entity consolidation (NetSuite, Business Central), for e-commerce-first businesses (Xentral, JTL-Wawi, weclapp), for discrete manufacturers with complex production needs (proAlpha, abas ERP), and for buyers who specifically want a cloud-native interface (myfactory, weclapp, Business Central Cloud fit better). Tax-advisor practices that need DATEV-anchored workflows but also want their own commercial-accounting product often find HS a natural fit.
Related Topics
Vendor homepage of HS Betriebswirtschaftliche Solutions
Current view of the website https://www.hamburger-software.de/
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is HS Hamburger Software available as cloud SaaS?
A managed cloud service hosted in German data centres is available, but the on-premises model continues to anchor a large share of the long-tenured installed base. Cloud delivery is the typical entry path for new SMB customers.
Does HS cover German payroll natively?
Yes. Integrated German payroll (Lohn und Gehalt) with full social-security, tax and reporting workflow is one of the product line's recognised strengths, and is a meaningful differentiator versus international ERPs that depend on partner payroll connectors.
How does HS compare with Sage 100?
Both are established DACH SMB business-software products with deep German localisation. HS Hamburger Software has arguably deeper accounting and payroll depth and a more conservative ERP-operational scope; Sage 100 has broader partner-ecosystem and module-catalogue depth and a stronger international-buyer positioning. The choice often comes down to whether the buyer's primary workflow is finance-and-payroll (HS leans here) or finance-and-operations (Sage 100 leans there).
Does HS integrate with DATEV?
Yes. Native DATEV integration is one of the product line's structural strengths, with both the legacy format and the modern API-based exchange supported. The DATEV depth is one of the reasons tax-advisor practices and accounting-heavy SMBs select HS.