Business account comparison 2026

A business account is a bank account used only for business payments. It keeps your company's income and spending clearly apart from your private finances. Typical features are SEPA transfers and direct debits, debit or credit cards, online banking and connections to bookkeeping software. Many providers also offer spending categories, foreign currency accounts or credit lines.

In Germany, there are two kinds: business accounts at banks with a full banking licence, and accounts at e-money or payment institutions, often called ‘fintech accounts’. Both work for running a business. They differ, however, in how your deposits are protected. More on this in the section Bank vs. e-money institution.

For corporations such as the GmbH and the UG (haftungsbeschränkt), a separate business account is a legal necessity. The share capital must be paid into an account of the company before it is entered in the Handelsregister (the German commercial register). The company's assets must also stay permanently separate from the shareholders' private assets. Breaching this duty to keep assets separate can mean that the limited liability no longer protects you.

Sole traders and freelancers have no legal obligation to keep a separate business account. A separate account does make bookkeeping much easier, though, and lowers the risk of mistakes in your tax return. Some banks also ask for proof of your business activity when you open the account.

Many founders ask this question. The legal position differs from that of corporations: sole traders, freelancers and small businesses under the small business rule (§ 19 UStG) have no legal obligation to keep a separate business account. The tax office generally has no objection if business payments go through your personal account.

In practice, three strong reasons still speak for a separate account:

• Banks' terms and conditions: Many banks rule out business use of personal current accounts in their terms. If you keep running business payments through your personal account, you risk first being asked to switch and, in the worst case, having the account closed.
• Bookkeeping and tax audits: Keeping things separate makes your cash-basis accounts (Einnahmen-Überschuss-Rechnung) much easier. In a tax audit, you also only have to disclose the business transactions. If you mix the two, your personal account gives the auditor a view of your private spending.
• A professional image: Separate business bank details on your invoices look more trustworthy to customers and suppliers.

The old cost argument against a second account hardly applies any more: nine of the twelve providers in the comparison start with a €0 plan, and all twelve are open to sole traders and freelancers. Kontist and N26 are even aimed specifically at the solo self-employed. Check the row ‘Legal forms’ in the comparison table and use the cost calculator to work out what your transactions would cost each month.

If you set up a GmbH or UG, you need a business account of the company in formation (i. Gr.) after the notary appointment, so that you can pay in the share capital before the notary registers the company with the Handelsregister. The bank statement showing the payment goes to the notary, who submits it to the Handelsregister. Not every provider accepts companies in formation: some require an existing Handelsregister number.

So check the rows ‘Account for formation’ and ‘Share capital account’ in the comparison before you apply for an account. Allow enough time, too: with online providers in particular, the KYC process (identity check) can take a few working days.

With most providers, you open a business account entirely online, and you can prepare well for it. These five steps have proved themselves in practice:

1. 1

   Work out what you need: First think about how many transactions you will have each month, whether you need to deposit cash and which cards you want. The cost calculator at the top of this page estimates what monthly costs that means with the providers compared.

2. 2

   Choose a provider: Check the criteria in the comparison table that matter most to you, such as DATEV export, cash deposits, Girocard or a branch network. The information on all 24 criteria comes from the providers' official price and service lists and websites, and from the app stores (as of October 2026).

3. 3

   Get your documents ready: You need a valid ID and, for corporations, also an extract from the Handelsregister or the articles of association, and usually your VAT ID or tax number. Complete documents speed up the checks considerably.

4. 4

   Apply online and verify your identity: Your identity is checked by VideoIdent or PostIdent. With fintechs, the account is often ready to use within a few minutes. Depending on the legal form and the provider, the KYC check can also take a few working days. Allow for this buffer.

5. 5

   When setting up a company: pay in the share capital. If you are setting up a GmbH or UG (haftungsbeschränkt), you pay the share capital into the new account and get a deposit confirmation for the notary. Important: only 7 of the 12 providers compared (Qonto, Finom, Holvi, Vivid, FYRST, Commerzbank and Deutsche Bank) offer this kind of share capital account with confirmation.

You will find more on paying in share capital further up, in the section A business account for your formation and paying in share capital.

When you choose a business account, the type of deposit protection is an important criterion that is often overlooked.

Banks with a full banking licence: statutory deposit protection

Banks with a full banking licence from BaFin belong to a statutory deposit guarantee scheme (Deposit Guarantee Act, EinSiG). Balances of up to €100,000 per customer and bank are protected by the statutory compensation scheme if the bank becomes insolvent. Many German banks also belong to voluntary protection schemes that go beyond this amount.

E-money and payment institutions: safeguarding of customer funds

Providers with an e-money or payment services licence may not hold customer balances as regular bank deposits. Instead, the law requires them to keep these funds separate from their own assets: in trust accounts at credit institutions or in secure assets. This is known as safeguarding of customer funds under the statutory requirements of the German Payment Services Supervision Act (ZAG). It protects your balance if the provider becomes insolvent. However, it is not the same as statutory deposit protection and differs from it in its legal details.

The row ‘Deposit protection’ in the comparison table shows which type of protection each provider offers.

Of the 12 providers in the comparison, only Commerzbank and Deutsche Bank are traditional branch banks. All the others are online-only providers. In practice, the type of licence matters less than the question: how do you work day to day?

As a rule of thumb: businesses with regular cash takings, such as restaurants, shops or trades, are better served by a branch bank, or at least by an online provider that accepts cash deposits. Digital service providers, freelancers and founders of a GmbH or UG (haftungsbeschränkt) who do not handle cash, on the other hand, benefit from the low-cost fintech accounts that open quickly. The cost calculator at the top of this page shows what your transactions actually cost.

The cost of a business account is usually made up of several parts:

• Monthly base fee: depends on the provider and the plan. Some providers have free entry plans.
• Transaction fees: per SEPA transfer or direct debit, often after a free allowance.
• Cash withdrawals: depending on the provider, per withdrawal or as a percentage of the amount, often higher abroad.
• Card payments in foreign currencies: many providers charge currency mark-ups, some (especially e-money institutions) offer better terms.
• Extra cards and users: important for teams. Prices vary widely between providers.
• Cash deposits: often not possible, or only to a limited extent, with online-only providers.

Also check whether prices are quoted net (plus 19% VAT) or as gross final prices. The cost calculator at the top of this page finds the cheapest option for how you use your account.

A €0 entry plan does not automatically mean the account is free. The real costs often only arise in day-to-day use, depending on how you use the account. Check these five points before you decide:

• Transactions after the free allowance: Many basic plans include only a few free transactions. At Qonto, for example, 5 transactions are free, then each costs €0.20. At Kontist, 5 are free, then €0.25. Holvi charges €0.25 per transaction with no free allowance. Commerzbank offers 10 free transactions, then €0.20. Finom charges by volume: €2,500 turnover a month is free, above that 0.3% applies.
• Cash deposits: At Kontist, a cash deposit costs a 2.9% fee, at N26 1.5% via CASH26. FYRST and Deutsche Bank charge per deposit. At Commerzbank, you can deposit cash at the branch for a fee, at ING only via Reisebank. Six of the twelve providers compared do not accept cash at all.
• Foreign currency mark-ups: Card payments outside the eurozone cost a mark-up of around 0 to 2.5%, depending on the provider. This affects you if you buy from abroad or travel.
• Cards and extra users: Extra cards or logins for employees often cost extra on basic plans.
• Being pushed into a higher plan as you grow: Important features often come only with higher plans, such as DATEV export at Vivid only on paid plans, or the charge card at Qonto only from the Plus plan.

What your business account really costs each month therefore depends on your transactions, cash deposits and foreign spending. The cost calculator at the top of this page estimates your monthly costs for how you use your account, provider by provider.

The 24 criteria in the comparison table fall into a few groups. This is what to look out for, depending on your business model:

Base price vs. transactions

Nine of the twelve providers start with a €0 base price. For active businesses, though, the transactions often decide: at Qonto, 5 transactions are free on the basic plan, then each costs €0.20. At Holvi, each transaction costs €0.25. FYRST offers 50 free transactions, then €0.19. Vivid and N26 have unlimited free transactions. Finom uses a volume model (€2,500 turnover free, then 0.3%). With many transactions a month, these fees can clearly exceed the base price. The row ‘Estimated cost per month’ and the cost calculator work this out for how you use your account.

Cards

Almost all providers issue Visa or Mastercard debit cards. A Girocard is available at Commerzbank (included) and FYRST (optional). Real credit or charge cards are offered by Qonto (from the Plus plan), FYRST and Deutsche Bank (each for an annual fee), Commerzbank (for a fee) and Holvi (credit limit of up to €50,000 for a GmbH/UG, up to €5,000 for the self-employed). For payments abroad, check the row ‘Foreign currency (card)’: mark-ups are around 0 to 2.5%, depending on the provider.

Cash

Cash deposits are possible with six of the twelve providers, always for a fee: at Kontist, N26, FYRST, ING, Commerzbank and Deutsche Bank. If you take cash regularly, look at the row ‘Cash deposits’ first.

Bookkeeping & DATEV

All providers except Revolut and N26 offer a DATEV export. At Vivid, it is only available on paid plans, at Commerzbank and FYRST as an add-on, at Deutsche Bank on the Basic plan for a €35 set-up fee. This matters if your tax advisor works with DATEV.

Team features & sub-accounts

For a GmbH or UG (haftungsbeschränkt) with employees, the rows ‘Sub-accounts’ and ‘Team & employee cards’ matter, for example for tax reserves and expense cards with their own limits.

Apps

Ten of the twelve providers have no branch network. There, the app is your most important tool. The rows ‘App (iOS)’ and ‘App (Android)’ show the ratings in the app stores.

A business account almost always comes with a card. But not all cards are the same. There are three types to tell apart:

• Girocard: the traditional German debit system. It is accepted almost everywhere in German shops, but can only be used to a limited extent online and abroad. Of the twelve providers compared, only Commerzbank (included, Mastercard optional) and FYRST (optional, for an annual fee) offer a Girocard.
• Debit card (Visa/Mastercard): payments are taken from your account straight away. All the other providers in the comparison (Qonto, Finom, Holvi, Kontist, Vivid, N26, Revolut, ING, Tide and Deutsche Bank) issue Visa or Mastercard debit cards. These work worldwide and for online shopping. Some hotels and car hire companies do not accept them as a security deposit, though.
• Real credit or charge card: spending is collected and settled later. The payment period eases your cash flow, for example for larger expenses between two incoming payments. In the comparison, Qonto (charge card from the Plus plan), FYRST and Deutsche Bank (each for an annual fee), Commerzbank (for a fee) and Holvi (credit limit of up to €50,000 for a GmbH/UG, up to €5,000 for the self-employed) offer such a card.

Which card suits your business model?

For mostly digital spending such as software subscriptions, online advertising and online purchases, a debit card is usually enough. If you travel for business regularly, hire cars or need a payment period, look specifically for a real credit or charge card. If you pay a lot in German shops, a Girocard helps. If you often work abroad, also check the foreign currency mark-ups: they are around 0 to 2.5%, depending on the provider. You will find the details for each provider in the comparison table (as of October 2026).

A seamless bookkeeping integration saves time and reduces errors. For many businesses that work with a tax advisor, the DATEV connection is the most important criterion: bank statements are imported automatically into DATEV Unternehmen online, with no manual CSV export.

Not every provider has this direct connection. Alternatives are:

• CAMT.053 / MT940 exports (standard formats supported by most bookkeeping software)
• CSV exports (manual or automated via API)
• Native integrations with Lexoffice, sevDesk, FastBill or similar systems

The row ‘DATEV export’ in our comparison shows which providers support a direct DATEV connection.

If fees, transaction costs or features no longer suit your business, you can switch your business account. Important: the statutory account switching service only applies to personal accounts. With business accounts, you organise the move yourself. With a clear plan, that is quite manageable:

1. 1

   Open the new account alongside the old one: First choose a suitable provider. The comparison table and the cost calculator at the top of this page help you find an account that suits your transactions. Keep the old account for now.

2. 2

   Move standing orders and direct debits: Transfer all standing orders to the new account. Give everyone who collects direct debits from you (e.g. insurers, landlords, the tax office) your new bank details.

3. 3

   Tell business partners and customers: Update the bank details on your invoices, in your invoice templates and in your bookkeeping software. That way, your customers' payments will arrive in the new account from now on.

4. 4

   Back up your bookkeeping data: Before closing the old account, export all bank statements and, if you have them, its DATEV exports. Once the account is closed, you often can no longer access the transaction history.

5. 5

   Close the old account only after 2 to 3 months: Run both accounts side by side for a while. That way, you catch late incoming payments and forgotten debits before you close the old account for good.

If you are the managing director of a GmbH or UG (haftungsbeschränkt), also give your new bank details to the tax office and update them in ongoing contracts. That way, refunds and payments arrive without delay.

In the comparison table, we compare 12 business account providers across 24 criteria: from account fees and transactions to cards, cash deposits and DATEV export, and whether the account is suitable for paying in the share capital of a GmbH or UG (haftungsbeschränkt).

Where does the data come from?

All information comes from official sources: the providers' price and service lists, their websites and the app stores. The tariff data is as of October 2026. The cost calculator at the top of this page uses exactly this tariff data too: you enter your expected transactions and card payments and get an estimate based on the stored terms. App ratings are snapshots from the stores on the date checked and can change at any time.

How do we award the top pick?

The ‘top pick’ award at the top of the page is an editorial overall rating based on the 24 criteria of this comparison, above all account costs and transactions, cards, bookkeeping features and suitability for setting up a company. The score sums up our editorial team's assessment. It is not the result of a standardised lab test. Partner links have no influence on the award. Overall rating as of October 2026.

How is the comparison funded?

Some links on this page are partner links. If you open an account through one, we may receive a commission. These partner links fund the page. However, they affect neither the order of the providers nor the content of the comparison.

What to keep in mind

Terms can change at any time. The provider's current price and service list is always binding. So check the details on the provider's website before you open an account. General questions, such as the typical costs of a business account or how your deposits are protected, are answered in the sections further up this page.