Vivid vs. Qonto: business account comparison 2026

Digital business accounts have become an essential tool for freelancers, founders, and small to medium-sized enterprises. In addition to traditional payment services like those offered by brick-and-mortar banks, modern providers offer features for accounting, cost control and access for team members – ideally at a fair price.

Two neobanks that are increasingly attracting business customers in Germany and across Europe are Vivid Business and Qonto. Their exact offering differs slightly per country but both focus on fully digital banking, offer easy-to-use tools, and target small to mid-sized businesses.

In this article, we’ll compare Vivid and Qonto in detail – to help you find out which business account is truly right for you.

Vivid is a Berlin-based fintech that launched fully digital personal accounts in 2020 and expanded to business accounts in 2023 – tailored to the needs of freelancers, start-ups, and small companies. What makes it stand out: Vivid isn’t just a bank account. It’s a user-centric platform that combines banking with interest, cashback, investments, and handy bonus features.

Founded in 2016 in France, Qonto focuses on the needs of businesses with multiple team members. Qonto’s business account is known for its clear structure and powerful accounting capabilities.

Pricing is a key factor when choosing a business account – not just for larger companies where the choice may need to be justified to a CFO, but especially for small and medium-sized businesses where financial administration should burden the budget as little as possible. So here’s an overview of how Vivid compares to Qonto in terms of costs:

Vivid offers a permanently free business accounts for both companies and freelancers, albeit with a limited set of features. Qonto does not offer a free plan, but does have an affordable entry-level option for individual users starting at €9 per month. 

Overall, Vivid’s paid plans tend to be more affordable than those of Qonto with a comparable range of features. Both provide discounts on annual billing and new customers can test the paid plans before committing. 

Tip: Additional fees should be considered when comparing pricing to get a realistic picture of the expected total costs. When using Vivid Business, extra fees may apply, for example for cash services (up to 2% on withdrawals) or special requests (e.g. express delivery of physical cards). Qonto relies more on tiered limits on regular banking, meaning additional costs are incurred more quickly as the team or payment volume grows. SEPA transfers above the monthly limit, for example, cost 10 to 25 cents. Details can be found in the providers' pricing tables.

What are the strengths and weaknesses of each provider? Let’s take a closer look at the key features of the different business accounts offered in Germany.

Transfers & Banking

Vivid provides Visa cards; Qonto uses Mastercard. Both of these are largely accepted in Germany and Europe. Both providers have integrations with Apple Pay and Google Pay.

Vivid is relatively generous with unlimited SEPA transfers across all plans. International transfers in over 100 currencies can also be made directly within the app, at competitive exchange rates.

Qonto also offers solid payment features, but they come with limits that depend on the selected plan. For example, the entry-level plan includes only a certain number of SEPA transfers per month. Instant SEPA transfers are supported too, though only in certain plans or for an added fee. For foreign currency payments, Qonto integrates with third-party providers like Wise.

Cards & Sub-accounts

Both providers offer accounts with German IBANs (starting with ‘DE’). With Vivid, you can issue an unlimited number of virtual cards and create unlimited sub-accounts, each with customizable spending limits – ideal for managing project budgets or setting expense controls for individual team members. In contrast, Qonto limits the number of physical and virtual cards based on the selected plan. Businesses that require multiple cards for different employees or budgets may need to pay extra. Access permissions can be managed with just a few clicks on either platform.

Accounting

Vivid Business offers standard expense tracking and the ability to link transactions to receipts. Invoices can be created directly from the account. Vivid focuses on multi-language exports and supports connections to popular accounting tools such as DATEV, Lexware Office, and sevdesk.

Qonto, on the other hand, features a sophisticated system for automatic expense categorisation and cash flow analysis, making it particularly attractive for companies with high reporting demands. A wide range of integrations with external software is also available.

Both platforms allow accountants or external advisors to be added via limited-access team profiles, and Vivid actively offers affordable consulting support.

Cashback & interest

With Vivid, customers can earn up to 10% cashback in selected spending categories across all team members’ card payments. Enterprise plan users receive up to 1% cashback on any transaction, regardless of category. Qonto currently seldomly offers limited-time cashback promotions. 

Vivid provides a transparent interest system with up to ~4% p.a. on uninvested cash during the first four months after account opening. Afterwards, interest rates of up to 2.7% p.a. apply, depending on the plan and balance amount. Customers seeking even higher returns can access interest strategies offering up to 5% variable rates p.a..

In 2025, Vivid also introduced crypto services for businesses, with potential effective annual returns of up to 8% p.a..

Qonto, by contrast, does not currently support investments or crypto services, and interest on balances is only available in select European countries – not for German business accounts. Instead, Qonto offers a performance-based bonus programme that rewards account activity with conditional interest payments.

Both platforms offer digital business formation services, which are particularly helpful for founders navigating administrative processes for the first time. Vivid provides this service free of charge, while Qonto charges between €99 and €299, depending on the plan and whether it’s for a solo founder or a team.

In addition to standard banking and accounting features, Vivid also simplifies organising business travel. This includes hotels and coworking spaces – booked directly within the app. 

Routine admin tasks of Vivid Business account holders can be delegated to virtual team members. Qonto does not currently offer any AI-supported features of this kind.

A good business account isn’t just measured in how quickly payments are processed. Reliable support in day-to-day operations is equally essential. Both Vivid and Qonto offer extensive online self-help resources and are reachable 24/7 via chat and email.

Dedicated Account Managers are available for certain paid plans: at Vivid, you get personalised attention from the Pro plan (€18.90/month) and above, and at Qonto from the Premium plan (€39/month) and above.

Qonto also provides a customer hotline available Monday to Friday from 9am to 7pm – a plus for those who prefer calling.

Both Vivid and Qonto focus on fast, modern apps. Vivid stands out with an intuitive interface, which earned it the title of “Best Mobile Banking 2025” from the renowned Handelsblatt magazine. Qonto excels in structured workflows, making it ideal for companies with established approval processes.

While Qonto’s web app covers key banking functions only, Vivid offers full feature access across both desktop and mobile – an advantage for those who prefer managing finances on a larger screen or collaboratively.

Both providers offer fully digital onboarding in 10 to 15 minutes. Vivid makes it even easier by enabling photo-based identity verification, instead of the more common video method. If you already have a Vivid personal account, you will not need to download a separate app – unlike Qonto, where business and personal apps are strictly separate.

Details on the specific security mechanisms used can be found on each provider’s website. In general, it’s worth noting that both providers keep customer funds securely segregated. Vivid and Qonto are both regulated by European financial supervisory authorities, which enforce high security standards. 

Both providers comply with European data protection laws. They use 3D Secure, two-factor authentication, and encrypted data transmission to protect transactions and account access. Vivid does not print the card number on the physical cards, which reduces the risk in the event of loss or theft. Qonto offers insurance in the event of unauthorised transactions, with the coverage depending on the selected plan. Both platforms allow users to set individual card limits and access rights or block cards instantly via the app.

Although neobanks were once viewed as less trustworthy than traditional banks, today thousands of positive reviews on platforms like Trustpilot and Finanzfluss paint a different picture. Both providers enjoy a high level of trust  – Vivid was even named Germany’s “most trusted neobank” by the magazine WirtschaftsWoche.

Both providers deliver modern, digital banking solutions. Qonto excels with structured workflows, deep accounting integration, and a wide range of external interfaces – ideal for teams with clearly defined financial operations.

Vivid, by contrast, stands out for its flexibility, cost control, and extensive features, even in free entry-level plans. For entrepreneurs, freelancers, and teams looking for a platform that blends ease of use with smart financial tools, this is a particularly attractive mix.

Still undecided? Then it is time to start testing your favourite with the free trial period and experiencing the platform firsthand!

Please note: Prices, offers  and conditions apply for the German market and are current as of 08 January 2026 but may change. Please check providers’ websites for the latest details.