Qonto review 2026

With the Starter plan, Qonto offers a permanently free entry-level account, although it is only open to freelancers and solo self-employed people. The next plan up, Basic, costs €9 a month with annual payment and €11 with monthly cancellable payment; Smart costs €19 and Premium €39 a month. As our methodology requires, we use the cheapest permanently available entry-level plan for the price rating and state the restriction openly: anyone starting as a GmbH or GbR pays at least the Basic price. Qonto falls well behind on included transactions. The Starter plan only includes five SEPA transfers a month, Basic includes 30, Smart 100 and Premium 200 free transactions. Every further transaction costs €0.20. The entry-level plan therefore stays below the threshold of ten free transactions that our methodology requires for the lowest points level. Qonto neither accepts cash nor offers counter withdrawals: the account is purely digital and deposits are not possible. Qualified business customers can receive an overdraft of up to €15,000 after an individual check, which can be used for up to 60 consecutive days and currently costs 10 percent a year. Our methodology does not rate overdrafts, so it is not reflected in the points. Scoring (14/30): The monthly base price reaches the full 14 points thanks to the free Starter plan. We award 0 points for included transactions because the free plan only contains five, which is below the ten-transaction level from which points are awarded. Cash deposits and withdrawals get 0 points, as Qonto does not offer cash deposits.

Every Qonto plan includes a card. On the Starter plan this is a virtual card; from Basic upwards it is a physical Mastercard debit card. Qonto does not offer a genuine credit card with a credit line and monthly billing – all cards are debit cards. Additional cards for employees can be created and given individual spending limits, but they are not free and are charged per card per month. SEPA direct debit collection is part of Qonto's standard features and is already available on the entry-level plan. In addition to standard SEPA transfers, the account supports instant transfers and bulk transfers. As Qonto issues a German IBAN, the problems that used to occur with foreign IBANs for direct debit mandates from German business partners no longer arise. Scoring (15/20): We award 5 points for the cards included in the base price, because exactly one card is included and a genuine credit card is missing. Additional cards for employees are only available for a fee, which gives 3 out of 5 points. SEPA direct debit collection is included in the base plan at no extra cost and receives the full 7 points.

Accounting integration is Qonto's strength. Even on the entry-level plan, account transactions can be synchronised with DATEV via PIN/TAN; from the Smart plan, RZ-Bankinfo, the DATEV receipt image service and Rechnungsdatenservice 1.0 are added. Lexware and other accounting tools can also be connected. Standard export formats are available as well, so tax advisers without a direct interface can also be supplied. Receipts can be uploaded via the app or the web interface and are automatically matched to the right transaction. The system flags missing receipts and reminds users about them. Qonto offers sub-accounts with their own IBAN from the Smart plan, so reserves for VAT or retained profits can be kept neatly separate. This feature is not available on the Starter and Basic plans. Scoring (20/20): The interfaces to accounting software reach the full 10 points because DATEV export and connections to several accounting tools are available. Receipt capture with automatic matching in the account gives 6 points. We award 4 points for sub-accounts with their own IBAN; the fact that they are only available from the Smart plan is a plan limitation, not a missing feature, and is stated openly here.

Qonto accepts an unusually wide range of legal forms for a digital business account. In addition to freelancers and sole traders, it serves GbR, OHG, KG, GmbH and UG including companies in formation, GmbH & Co. KG, KGaA, AG, partnerships of professionals, non-profit companies and registered associations. The provider therefore fully covers sole proprietorships, partnerships and corporations. Particularly relevant for founders: Qonto offers a genuine capital deposit account for paying in share capital when setting up a GmbH or UG. The account is opened after the articles of association have been notarised; once the share capital has arrived, Qonto usually issues the deposit confirmation for the commercial register application within 24 hours. Account opening is fully digital, the application takes a few minutes and identity is verified via VideoIdent, so the account is usually ready to use within one working day. Scoring (16/16): The accepted legal forms cover sole proprietorships, partnerships and corporations and receive the full 7 points. We award 5 points for the available formation or capital deposit account. The account opening process is fully digital and the account is usable within 24 hours, which gives 4 points.

Qonto is not a credit institution with its own full banking licence but a payment institution authorised by the French supervisor ACPR, which is under the joint supervision of ACPR and BaFin in Germany. Customer funds are held separately from company assets in safeguarding accounts at partner banks. Qonto has applied for a banking licence, but it had not been granted when this review went to press in September 2026. Customer service is available in German by phone, chat and email. There is no personal, named contact on the standard plans; dedicated support is reserved for the higher business plans. The banking app is available for iOS and Android and covers the full functionality of the web interface, including receipt upload, card management and approval workflows. Scoring (10/14): We award 4 points for deposit protection and supervision because the funds are held at partner banks with statutory deposit protection, but Qonto itself has no banking licence. Customer service reachability gets 3 points for the German-language hotline without a fixed contact person. The banking app for iOS and Android with full functionality receives 3 points.