The common pricing models
Per partner and message type. This is usual with clearing centres. A “relationship” is one partner with one message type, for example invoices to customer A. Three message types with ten partners therefore make thirty relationships. Each one costs a one-off set-up fee and a monthly fee.
Packages by number of partners. The monthly price rises in tiers, for example up to 5 partners, 6 to 19 partners, 20 partners or more.
By message volume. The monthly price depends on the number of messages or the volume of data.
Flat rate. A fixed monthly price, regardless of partners and messages. This is rare.
Documented prices from individual providers
Prices are taken from German price lists; whether they are net or gross is not stated by every provider.
| Provider | Model | Setup | Ongoing (per month) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| cctop (stratEDI) | per relationship | €850 per converter table, €450 per additional partner | €70 incl. 3 relationships, €9.80 for each additional one | Price list (PDF) |
| EDI+EXPERTS | per relationship | €800 per message type, €400 per additional partner | €60 incl. 3 relationships, €10 for each additional one | Price page |
| COMPLAVIS | per partner and document type | €249.95 per partner, €649.90 per document type | €34.95 per partner, €9.95 per document type | Price page |
| TrueCommerce | packages by number of partners | not stated | from €430 (up to 5 partners), from €850 (6 to 19 partners) | Price page |
| Babelway | by messages | not stated | €99 (200 messages) to €35,000 per month | Price page |
| Transus | flat rate, focus on retail | from €0 | €79 to €249, with monthly cancellation €99 to €299 | Price page |
| cctop WebEDI | web portal | none | €60 to €110 | Price list (PDF) |
Large platforms such as SEEBURGER, Lobster, Axway or OpenText do not publish prices.
Project costs the traditional way
For your own connection, trade articles give these orders of magnitude. They are the authors' estimates, not price lists:
- First project of a mid-sized supplier: €10,000 to €40,000 (HDX Solutions, July 2026)
- Connection to a major customer: “at least 20,000+ EUR” and 3 to 4 months, further customers 4 to 6 weeks (dasistweb, April 2026, quoted in translation)
Worked example: 10 and 20 partners
Assumption: you exchange three message types with each partner (purchase order, despatch advice, invoice), all in the standard format. The set-up costs are spread over 36 months. ERP integration, mapping changes and additional tests are not included, so the figures are lower limits. Our own calculation from the price lists above.
| Partners | cctop | EDI+EXPERTS |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | €335 per month + €14,700 one-off, spread out around €743 per month | €330 + €13,200, spread out around €697 |
| 20 | €629 + €28,200, spread out around €1,412 | €630 + €25,200, spread out around €1,330 |
For comparison: edi-service.eu costs €890 per month, excl. VAT, including setup, ERP integration and any number of partners. On top of that come your server and your AI usage with your own AI provider; the dashboard shows the usage per setup and per partner connection.
When each option is cheaper
- One retailer, few documents: web EDI for €60 to €110 per month or a retail flat rate such as Transus is cheaper than us.
- 3 to 5 partners: small clearing centres work out at around €250 to €410 per month (cctop and EDI+EXPERTS, our own calculation with the same assumptions) and are therefore usually cheaper.
- From around 10 partners with several message types: costs in the per-relationship model reach the order of our fixed price, without ERP integration.
- 20 partners or more, or major customers with project pricing: the fixed price is considerably cheaper, and each additional partner costs nothing extra.
Frequently asked questions
How much does EDI cost if only one customer requires it?
With a web portal, you pay around €60 to €110 per month, and nothing at all with some retail portals. A flat rate focused on retail, as offered by Transus, costs €79 to €249 per month, or €99 to €299 with monthly cancellation. With few documents, that is cheaper than any connection of your own.
Why do clearing centre costs rise with every partner?
Because they charge per relationship, meaning per partner and message type. Each relationship costs €400 to €850 one-off for setup, plus a monthly fee. With 10 partners and three message types, our worked example comes to around €697 to €743 per month, without ERP integration.
What is often not included in clearing centre prices?
ERP integration, mapping changes and additional tests are frequently missing. At cctop, for example, a mapping change costs €100 to €150, and after three included test checks, each further one costs €100 (price list). EDI+EXPERTS offers ERP integration as an individual quote.
When does a fixed price pay off?
From around 10 partners with several message types. At that point, costs in the per-relationship model reach the order of the €890 per month, excl. VAT, that edi-service.eu charges, including setup, ERP integration and any number of partners. On top of that come your own server and the costs of your AI provider.
Sources
- cctop Preisliste: https://www.cctop.de/dokumente/Preise_DE.pdf
- EDI+EXPERTS Preise: https://www.ediexperts.de/preise/
- COMPLAVIS Preise: https://www.complavis.de/preise-edi-e-rechnungs-plattform/
- TrueCommerce Web-EDI und Managed Service: https://www.truecommerce.com/de/solutions/edi-managed-service/web-edi/
- Babelway Pricing: https://www.babelway.com/pricing
- Transus Abonnements: https://www.transus.com/de/abonnements
- HDX Solutions, “EDI Kosten und Nutzen”: https://www.hdx-solutions.de/edi-kosten-und-nutzen-wann-sich-die-edi-einfuehrung-rechnet/
- dasistweb, “B2B EDI Integration”: https://dasistweb.de/wissen/b2b-edi-integration
All information retrieved on 16 October 2026. Not every provider states whether a price is net or gross. Prices may change; the provider's own quote is what counts.