Comparison

The real competitor is called Excel

Not mexXsoft, not NEVARIS. Most of the firms we talk to do their billing in Excel – and that is perfectly reasonable to begin with.

Request a demo Where it breaks ↓

First of all

Excel is not the problem

A spreadsheet calculates reliably, costs nothing extra, everyone in the firm knows it, and it can be adapted to a new tender in five minutes. No software vendor can seriously claim that is generally the wrong choice.

Excel stops holding somewhere else: at the connection between Zettel, item, call-off and invoice. As long as that connection fits in one head, the spreadsheet works. The moment it does not, it becomes expensive – not in licence fees, but in hours and in queries from the authority.

Levora – item list with quantities as a structured alternative to a spreadsheet

The tipping point

How you notice the spreadsheet no longer holds

Not meant as a ranking but as a self-test. The more rows on the right apply to you, the sooner a switch pays off.

Situation	Excel still holds	It gets tight
Call-offs per month	under 20	from about 20 – 30
Who knows the current state	one person, and they are here	several, or the one is on holiday
From Zettel to invoice	days	weeks, sometimes a Zettel goes missing
Evidence when queried	a folder you find things in	a folder you search through
Remaining quantities in a framework contract	in someone's head	nobody knows for certain
E-invoicing	receiving is still enough	sending becomes mandatory (2027 / 2028)

The e-invoicing deadlines are sourced on the XRechnung page. As of August 2026.

What the switch really costs

The licence is the smaller item

What makes a software roll-out expensive is rarely the price. It is the time in which two systems run in parallel, and the trouble when the first invoice from the new system comes back.

That is why our suggestion is not to change everything, but to take one running framework contract across and see on it whether this holds. If it does not, you have lost half an hour rather than a quarter.

Levora – invoice overview with status per client

Stay with Excel if

When the switch does not pay off

You bill fewer than twenty call-offs a month
Your Zettel are in the office and typed up the same day
You have no public clients and e-invoicing barely affects you
Your spreadsheet is maintained by several people and is still correct
You are thinking about a larger system within two years anyway

Frequently asked

Questions about switching

Can we bring our Excel files with us?

Bills of quantities yes, provided the item numbers are right – but the client’s GAEB file is better, because it carries the binding structure. Historical take-offs can be transferred but are rarely worth the effort.

Do we have to switch everything at once?

No, and we advise against it. One running contract in the new system, the rest as before – after a month you know whether it holds.

What if it does not fit?

Then you stay with Excel. Your data is yours; how the export works is put in writing before the start.

Does the e-invoicing obligation force us to switch?

No. You can produce an XRechnung with an inexpensive invoicing program or through a portal. The reason for construction software is the chain before it, not the invoice format.

Test it on a running contract

Bring the contract whose billing eats the most time. The comparison settles faster on that than on paper.

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