Personio vs. project b.: Which tool really fits your payroll?
Jan 8, 2026
Personio or project b.? Comparison for StartUps & Scaleups: DATEV integration, AI automation, costs. Why specialized payroll tools are gaining traction.
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They are growing quickly. New employees are joining every month. The payroll processing that the tax advisor initially did "on the side" is now becoming a bottleneck.
Now you are faced with a decision: An all-in-one HR platform like Personio? Or a specialized payroll tool like project b.?
This comparison shows you which solution actually works for growing companies – without marketing promises, with concrete facts.
Personio: The All-in-One HR Platform
Personio is the most well-known HR software for SMEs in the German-speaking region. The Munich-based company offers a wide range of features: recruiting, onboarding, absence management, time tracking – and since 2023 also its own payroll processing called "Personio Payroll".
What Personio does well
Everything under one roof: HR data, recruiting, and payroll in a single interface
Well-known brand: Over 14,000 customers, established processes
Real-time synchronization: Master data flows automatically into payroll processing
ITSG certified: Direct communication with social security carriers
Where Personio encounters limitations
Here it gets interesting. Because in payroll processing, weaknesses become apparent that are particularly relevant for fast-growing companies:
1. Limited payroll functionality
Personio Payroll cannot represent many complex payroll rules. Users report missing support for:
Flat-rate taxation
Bicycle leasing
Variable payments and bonuses
Complex hourly rates and overtime calculations
Long-term illnesses and employment bans
A client who switched from DATEV to Personio Payroll summarizes it this way: “As simple as it is sold, it's unfortunately not.”
2. The DATEV situation
This is the elephant in the room: DATEV ended its partnership with Personio in 2024. The reason? With "Personio Payroll Expert Plan," Personio now offers payroll services itself – in direct competition to the tax advisor model.
The existing interfaces still work, but users report issues:
Payroll types are not transferred correctly (everything ends up as payroll type 200 in DATEV)
Manual rework by the tax advisor is often necessary
Client takeovers lead to employee number conflicts
For startups and scale-ups working with their tax advisor, this is a real problem.
3. Price-performance under pressure
Personio Core starts at €7.60 per employee per month. That sounds fair. But:
Payroll is a separate module with additional costs
Companies report frequent price increases
Complaints about unbalanced price-performance ratio are increasing among existing customers on LinkedIn
One company reports: “We currently pay about €7,000/year for a small team.”
project b.: Specialized in what matters
project b. takes a different approach. Instead of offering everything, the Munich-based company focuses on one area: preliminary payroll processing.
The concept: predecessor system instead of substitute
project b. does not replace DATEV or your tax advisor. It sits in front of them. As an intelligent layer that collects, checks, and prepares data before it flows into the payroll system.
That sounds like a small difference. In practice, it is a big one.
What project b. delivers concretely
1. Rita reads what people send
Employees send sick notes via WhatsApp. The new intern emails his tax ID as a photo. A department head reports overtime via Excel sheet.
Rita, the AI assistant from project b., recognizes and extracts the payroll-relevant information. Automatically. Regardless of the format.
The difference in everyday life: Instead of taking 30 minutes for a sick note, you take less than 5 minutes. You check and approve. The system takes care of the rest.
2. DATEV integration that works
project b. is an official DATEV interface partner. The approved changes flow directly into the payroll system – without media disruptions, without the payroll type problems that occur with Personio.
Your tax advisor continues to work with his familiar system. You provide him with clean, verified data instead of email chaos.
3. Control remains with humans
This is important: Rita makes suggestions. But the final decision always lies with you or your payroll accountant. Every change is transparent, traceable, and revisions-secured documented.
No black box. No automatic bookings that you only notice after the payroll processing is completed.
4. Security at enterprise-level
project b. is ISO 27001:2022 certified and GDPR compliant. For startups that need to be prepared for investor due diligence, this is not a nice-to-have.
The direct comparison
Criterion | Personio | project b. |
|---|---|---|
Focus | Broad HR platform | Specialized in payroll |
DATEV partnership | Ended (2024) | Active interface partner |
AI automation | Limited | Rita: Document recognition, data extraction |
Complex payroll types | Restricted | Full support via DATEV |
Tax advisor integration | Tension field (competition) | Complement (predecessor system) |
Time savings | "6x faster" (marketing) | 60-83% measurably documented |
ISO 27001 | Yes | Yes |
Target group | SMEs with 10-2,000 employees | Startups, scale-ups, payroll offices |
Which tool is for whom?
Personio is right for you if:
You are looking for an all-in-one HR solution and payroll is just a small part
Your payroll processes are standardized and uncomplicated
You do not want to involve an external tax advisor
DATEV integration is not a priority
project b. is right for you if:
Payroll processing is your main issue (time pressure, errors, email chaos)
You work with a tax advisor or payroll office
DATEV, Agenda, or SPS are your payroll systems
You are growing quickly and need to scale processes
Your employees provide data in various formats
The startup perspective
As a growing company, you have a specific problem: What works with 20 employees collapses at 80.
The Excel list that the founder initially maintained himself? Becomes the bottleneck. The emails to the tax advisor? Become unmanageable. The error rate? Increases with every new hire.
Personio solves the HR problem broadly. project b. solves the payroll problem deeply.
If your biggest challenge is payroll processing – the data collection, coordination with the tax advisor, the recurring inquiries – then the specialized tool is the better choice.
Concrete means:
Less manual data entry (Rita takes over)
Fewer inquiries from the tax advisor (data is verified)
Less stress during payroll week (cockpit instead of email search)
More time for what drives your company forward
What investors see
project b. is supported by Lakestar (known for Spotify, Delivery Hero), QED Investors (Klarna, Credit Karma), and other well-known VCs.
This is not a quality feature in itself. But it shows: Experienced investors see payroll processing as a problem that is big enough – and in project b. a solution that is promising enough.
For your own investor communication, this can be relevant. ISO certification, GDPR compliance, and a scalable payroll solution are points that come up in every due diligence.
The switch: easier than expected
Many startups hesitate to switch tools. "We have other priorities right now." That's understandable.
But project b. does not require a big-bang switch. As a predecessor system, it complements your existing infrastructure. You keep DATEV, you keep your tax advisor. You add an intelligent layer.
The setup takes no months. And the ROI shows in the first payroll processing when the sick note is processed in 5 instead of 30 minutes.
Conclusion: Depth beats breadth
Personio is a solid HR platform. For companies looking for a broad solution and whose payroll processing is uncomplicated, it can work.
But if payroll processing is your pain point – the time pressure, data quality, coordination with the tax advisor – then you need a tool that specifically addresses this problem.
project b. is deeper specialized in payroll than Personio. The DATEV integration works. The AI assistant Rita takes care of routine work. And your tax advisor gets clean data instead of email chaos.
For startups and scale-ups that are growing quickly and need to scale their processes, this is the crucial difference.
Want to know how project b. would specifically work in your company? Book a non-binding conversation – 30 minutes, no sales event, real answers to your questions.
Sources
Can I switch from Personio to project b.?
Yes. Project b. is a preliminary system and can run parallel to existing HR systems. You do not need to cancel Personio - you complement it with specialized payroll functionality. The master data can be transferred.
Does project b. work with my tax advisor?
Yes, that is the core. project b. delivers verified, structured data directly into your tax advisor's DATEV system. Instead of email ping-pong, they receive a clean data package. Many tax advisors actively recommend project b.
What does project b. cost compared to Personio?
Project B offers various service levels. The platform solution is generally cheaper than Personio Payroll because it focuses on payroll rather than broad HR functions. For a specific offer, it is worthwhile to have a non-binding conversation.
Finn R.
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