FYRST review 2026

FYRST BASE costs €0 a month for the first business account of self-employed people and freelancers. For other legal forms and for second accounts, €6 a month applies, with the first six months free of charge. Anyone who needs more can choose FYRST COMPLETE for €10 or FYRST PREMIUM for €24 a month. We rate the base price on the basis of the cheapest permanently available entry-level plan and state the restriction explicitly: a GmbH pays €6 a month at FYRST even on the basic plan. On transaction items, FYRST performs well for a free account. FYRST BASE includes 50 free transactions a month, and each additional one costs €0.19. FYRST COMPLETE raises the allowance to 75 free transactions and cuts the price per additional transaction to €0.08. Cash can be deposited and withdrawn at Postbank branches. It is not free, though: for deposits and withdrawals at the counter, FYRST charges fees in accordance with its price and service list. Scoring (24/30): The monthly base price receives the full 14 points because FYRST BASE is run free of charge for the target group of self-employed people and freelancers. For 50 free transactions a month we award 7 points under the level from 50 free transactions. Cash deposits and withdrawals are possible but chargeable, which gives 3 out of 6 points.

The account comes with the FYRST Card, a girocard-based card (girocard is the German debit card scheme) with no separate card fee. Optionally there is the FYRST Card Plus as a Debit Mastercard, which is free in the first year and then costs €30 a year. A genuine credit card with a credit line and monthly consolidated billing is not included in the base price. Additional debit cards for employees cost €12 per card per year on the BASE plan and €6 on the COMPLETE plan. In payments, FYRST plays to the strengths of its parent company. Both SEPA Core direct debits and SEPA Business direct debits can be collected, provided the relevant creditor identification number is available. Bulk transfers, standing orders and real-time transfers are part of online banking. The IBAN is German, which avoids friction with direct debit mandates and payments to public authorities. Scoring (15/20): For the cards included in the base price we award 5 points, as exactly one card is included without extra charge and a genuine credit card is missing. Additional cards for employees are available but chargeable, which gives 3 out of 5 points. SEPA direct debit collection is included in the base plan and receives the full 7 points.

FYRST provides a DATEV interface and also works with sevDesk, so that transactions can be transferred automatically into accounting. Via PSD2 interfaces, common accounting programs such as Lexware Office can also be connected. Classic export formats are also available. We could not verify native receipt capture with automatic matching in the account for FYRST. The provider relies on the connected accounting programs, in which receipt matching takes place. We therefore rate conservatively and state openly that, according to the publicly available documents, uploading receipts directly in the banking environment is not provided for in the form that neobanks offer. Sub-accounts, on the other hand, can be set up and receive their own IBAN, so that reserves for VAT and profit can be kept cleanly separate. Scoring (17/20): The interfaces to accounting software reach 10 points because DATEV connection and several accounting tools are supported. For receipt capture we award 3 points for a receipt upload without consistent automation, as automatic matching in the account cannot be demonstrated. For several sub-accounts with their own IBAN there are the full 4 points.

FYRST runs accounts for freelancers, sole proprietors and traders as well as for GbR, OHG, KG, GmbH, UG and other corporations. Sole proprietorships, partnerships and corporations are therefore fully covered. For legal forms other than sole proprietorships, however, the price of €6 a month applies instead of free account management. For founders, FYRST offers a founder's account that is run free of charge in the first year and allows share capital to be paid in before entry in the commercial register. Account opening is online, with identification via video ident or Postident. We could not find a reliable statement in the publicly available documents that the account is usable within 24 hours; for corporations, register extracts and shareholder documents must also be submitted, which lengthens the process. Scoring (14/16): The permitted legal forms cover sole proprietorships, partnerships and corporations and receive 7 points. For the deposit account for setting up a GmbH we award 5 points. For the process and duration of account opening we award 2 points, because the process is digital but activation within 24 hours could not be demonstrated.

FYRST is not an independent bank but a brand of Deutsche Bank AG. The accounts therefore run under Deutsche Bank's full banking licence and are subject to statutory deposit protection of €100,000 per customer as well as the deposit protection fund of the Association of German Banks (Bundesverband deutscher Banken). On depositor protection, FYRST is therefore clearly superior to pure payment institutions. Customer service can be reached through a German-language phone hotline, supplemented by email and a contact form. There is no fixed personal contact as in Deutsche Bank's traditional corporate banking; the hotline's opening hours are limited and are regularly criticised by users. The banking app is available for iOS and Android and covers transfers, card management, approvals and a transaction view. Scoring (12/14): For its own banking licence with statutory deposit protection via Deutsche Bank AG we award the full 6 points. Customer service reachability receives 3 points for the German-language hotline without a fixed contact person. The banking app for iOS and Android with full functionality gives 3 points.