Frienton vs. DATEV Unternehmen Online (DUO)
Frienton vs. DUO
Question:
How does Frienton differ from DATEV Unternehmen Online (DUO)?
Answer:
Frienton is not a traditional accounting or document management tool like DATEV Unternehmen Online (DUO) but a comprehensive Financial Operating System.
While DUO mainly serves as an upload and data exchange platform for documents between companies and tax advisors, Frienton automates the entire financial process – from document capture to reconciliation with the tax advisor – and additionally offers integrated live reporting.
The following comparison highlights the key differences.
Who is DUO for and who is Frienton for?
DUO is primarily aimed at tax consultancies and their clients who want to upload and exchange documents digitally.
It is not an accounting software in the strict sense but rather an interface for digital document exchange.
The focus is on secure document transfer and basic preparation for accounting – not on automation, reporting, or operational management.
Frienton, on the other hand, is designed specifically for growing corporations, SMEs, later-stage startups, and scale-ups.
Typical customers include service companies (e.g. agencies, consultants, IT services), SaaS businesses, and e-commerce companies.
Frienton offers:
- Scalable automation of financial processes
- Live reporting with cash flow, real-time P&L, and plan/actual comparisons (liquidity management)
- Multi-user support with unlimited seats and collaboration between tax advisors and accountants in the same system
- Flexible PAYG pricing model that scales with company size
For startups, Frienton also offers a dedicated Startup Program with special pricing and support for financial setup.
Learn more about the Startup Program.
Frienton vs. DUO | Overview
Feature / Function | Frienton | DUO |
|---|---|---|
Live reporting (P&L, cash flow, plan/actual, balance sheet) | Yes | No |
Transactions from credit cards and payment services (e.g. AMEX or PayPal) | Yes | No |
Live reconciliation of P&L (management view) with SKR (tax view) | Yes | No |
Direct clarification of queries within the system | Yes | No |
Integration of external tools without extra costs | Yes | Partially |
E-commerce & PAYG model | Yes | No |
Special features for tax advisors
Feature / Function (Tax firms) | Frienton | DUO |
|---|---|---|
Fully pre-booked journal for monthly and annual financial statements | Yes | No |
Direct clarification within the system (no emails or phone calls) | Yes | No |
Live reconciliation between management P&L and SKR of the tax accountant | Yes | No |
In practice, this means:
Frienton reduces administrative workload and creates more time for advisory work, since questions, document checks, and reconciliations are handled directly within the system – without email back-and-forth or duplicate efforts.
Frienton vs. DUO | Details
Feature / Function | Frienton | DUO |
|---|---|---|
Automatic cash flow statement | Yes | No |
Credit card transactions incl. AMEX | Yes | No |
Virtual credit cards | Yes (PSD2) | No |
PayPal | Yes | No |
Live P&L | Yes | No |
Current balance sheet | Yes | Yes, after provisioning |
Real-time plan/actual comparison, deviations | Yes | No |
KPI cockpit incl. (cash) burn rate / runway | Yes | No |
Assignment of any categories to SKR | Yes | No |
1-click payment (payment execution) | Yes | Only indirectly (via XML) |
1-click instant transfer | Yes* | No |
Batch payments (multiple documents) | Yes | Only indirectly (via XML) |
P&L according to standard chart of accounts (SKR) | Yes | Yes, after provisioning |
Accruals | Automatic | Manual |
Discount (Skonto) | Yes | Yes |
Trial balance (SuSa) | Yes | Yes |
Stripe integration | Yes | No |
Shopify integration | Yes | No |
Amazon integration | Yes | No |
Invoicing integrations (Easybill, Billbee, Chargebee) | Yes | No |
MOCO integration | Yes | No |
Dunning | Yes | Yes, add-on module |
Factoring (service) | Yes | No |
Receivables management / collection (service) | Yes | No |
Multi-user / roles and permissions | Yes | Limited |
Direct clarification of queries (no email or phone) | Yes – integrated comment function | No |
OSS reports | Yes – (in preparation) | No |
Client access without system disruption (multi-user) | Yes | No |
Immediate access for tax firm to documents, transactions, postings | Yes | No |
PAYG model | Yes – usage-based pricing | No |
Conclusion:
Frienton is specifically designed for growing businesses and tax consultancies.
Automation, integrated live reporting, and seamless collaboration clearly distinguish Frienton from DUO.
Updated on: 06/12/2025
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