In short:
- Pleo is not a business account. It is a spend-management tool with cards for your team that sits on top of your existing bank account. You do not get your own German IBAN that customers pay into and salaries run from, so you still need a separate account.
- Why a Pleo alternative? Costs rise with users, cards and plan; cashback only unlocks from the annual Advanced contract; and there is no way to invest reserves so they earn something. That is exactly where an alternative is worth a look.
- The best alternatives in 2026: Vivid, Moss, Circula, Finom, N26 and Qonto, from a pure spend tool to a full business account.
- Our recommendation is Vivid: a real business account with a German IBAN that combines company cards with limits, cashback with no monthly cap on all purchases, and investing in one app, from 0 €/month on the Free Start plan.
Your company spending runs through Pleo, and day to day it works well: everyone on the team has a card, receipts land in the right place automatically, and you see in real time where money goes. Still, at some point you trip over the same question. Where is my account, actually? Because Pleo manages spending but does not run a business account. Invoices, salaries and direct debits still go through your bank, and the next user or a higher plan gets noticeably more expensive. That is when a Pleo alternative is worth a look.
So it is clear from the start what this is about: spend management and business accounts for freelancers, teams and companies. We compare six serious Pleo competitors and draw the line many lists leave out: Pleo, Moss and Circula are tools without an account of their own, while Vivid, Finom, N26 and Qonto are real business accounts with a German IBAN. At the end you get a clear recommendation on which solution fits which need as a replacement for Pleo. No marketing speak, just numbers you can compare.
What is Pleo – and why look for an alternative?
Pleo pricing and features
Pleo is a spend-management tool with cards for your team. Every employee gets a physical or virtual Mastercard with fixed spending limits, receipts are captured by photo and matched to the booking automatically through AI-assisted receipt review, and the finance team keeps an eye on all spending in real time. The card issuer Pleo Financial Services is regulated as an e-money institution (EMI) supervised by the Danish financial authority. No account of its own is created here; you fund the wallet top-up from your existing bank account. Pricing starts at Starter for around 4 € a month, with Essential at 18 €, Advanced at 99 € and Beyond from 249 € a month above it, each plus fees for additional users. A DATEV export and receipt management are included, though the number of invoice payments is capped on Starter. Pleo is therefore built for company spending and receipt flows in teams, not for the account itself.
When a Pleo alternative pays off
As handy as the spend control is, a few things are left open. The most important point first: Pleo is a tool on top of your existing account, not an account itself. For your own German IBAN, where revenue comes in and salaries go out, you still need a bank. On top of that comes the price. It grows with the number of users, the cards and the plan, and Pleo only unlocks cashback from the annual Advanced contract, at 0.5 to 0.75 %, paid into the wallet and capped at the plan fee. Reserves also just sit in the wallet, because there is no investing. So anyone looking for their own account, cashback without a plan hurdle and investing in one place is usually better served by an alternative.
In brief: Pleo brings company spending and cards into one place, but it is not an account. For a German IBAN, cashback without a plan hurdle and investing, you need something else. This is exactly where the alternatives come in.
Pleo alternatives compared directly
The table puts each Pleo alternative side by side, with starting prices, cards, spend control and cashback. The last column is the decisive one: is there a real business account with a German IBAN behind it, one that customers pay into and that SEPA transfers and international payments run through, or just a tool on top of your existing account? All figures as of 2026, please check with the provider.
| Provider | from €/month | Cards | Spend control | Cashback | Account with German IBAN | DATEV | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vivid | 0 € (Free Start) | Visa, virtual & physical | Card limits + sub-accounts | 0.1–0.5 % uncapped + up to 6 % categories | yes, unlimited German IBANs | yes | freelancers–GmbH |
| Moss | free start, modular | Mastercard, virtual & physical | Limits + approvals | – | – (no account) | yes | SMEs/mid-market |
| Circula | from 15 €/licence + platform fee | Visa credit cards | Limits + GoBD travel expenses | – | – (no account) | yes (Premium Partner) | mid-market |
| Finom | 0 € (Solo) | Visa, virtual & physical | limited | 1–4 % by plan (capped) | yes, German IBAN | yes | freelancers/SMEs |
| N26 Business | 0 € (Standard) | Mastercard debit | Spaces | 0.1 % (0.5 % Metal) | yes, German IBAN | limited | sole traders/freelancers |
| Pleo | from 4 € (Starter) | Mastercard, virtual & physical | Limits + approvals | 0.5–0.75 % (from Advanced) | – (no account) | yes | teams |
| Qonto | from 9 € (Basic) | One Card + virtual | Tags/budgets (add-on) | 0.4–0.8 % (upgrade card) | yes, German IBAN | yes | SMEs |
What matters in a Pleo alternative
Before you switch, it is worth looking at the points that really affect you day to day: from the question of whether you need an account of your own, to spend control, cashback and accounting.
Tool or a real business account with an IBAN?
This is the question that sorts everything else. Pleo, Moss and Circula are spend tools without an account of their own; the IBAN comes from your bank. Vivid, Finom, N26 and Qonto, on the other hand, are real business accounts with a German IBAN that customers pay into and that you transfer from. Anyone who wants both, an account and spend control, otherwise pays twice: once for the tool, once for the account. That is exactly what an account like Vivid saves you, because it brings the spend control with it. So ask yourself first whether you only want to manage cards and receipts or an account that does both. You will find the details on the Vivid business account page.
Cards and spend control
Here the providers are closer than you might think. Virtual and physical cards, a limit per card, approvals, Apple Pay and Google Pay and automatic receipt capture are part of almost every offer, often with dedicated cards for individual projects or teams. The difference is in the detail: Circula uses real credit cards instead of debit, Pleo and Moss use Mastercard with fixed spending limits. With Vivid you get virtual and physical Visa Business cards for which you set limits as well as roles and access rights individually, plus sub-accounts with their own IBAN to keep projects and reserves neatly apart. The spend control sits directly in the account this way, not in a second program alongside it.
Cost and number of users
With tools the price scales with the team. Pleo charges per additional user, Circula requires a platform fee plus at least ten licences, and Moss only names its prices on request. With an account, the base price and extras count instead. A rule of thumb helps with the maths: take not just the base price, but add cards, users and international payments on top. Only that total shows what a solution really costs you over a year. Vivid starts with the Free Start plan at 0 € a month, with no account fee, and grows with you through Basic and Pro when you need more cards or features.
Cashback compared
In everyday business, cashback is nothing more than money back on ongoing spending. Pleo only pays it from the annual Advanced contract, at 0.5 to 0.75 % into the wallet and capped at the plan fee. Moss and Circula offer none, Finom between 1 and 4 % depending on the plan, N26 0.1 % on Standard. With Vivid you get guaranteed uncapped cashback of 0.1 to 0.5 % depending on the plan on all purchases, with up to 6 % in selected categories. No annual contract, no extra card. Over a year that adds up to an amount you see on the account balance.
Accounting and DATEV
If your tax adviser works with DATEV, a direct connection saves you both hours at month-end. Accounting is where the spend tools focus: Pleo, Moss and Circula, which acts as a DATEV Premium Partner, connect DATEV and capture receipts automatically. Qonto is connected via DATEV too. With Vivid the DATEV interface, invoice management and invoicing tools are a fixed part of the account, so you write invoices from the same app. N26 is more reserved here and relies less on a native DATEV connection. A second look is worth it: do receipts land in the right place directly, and do you have to open a third program for it?
Security and regulation
Where does your money actually go once it is in the system? Reassuringly, everyone here is regulated. Pleo, Moss and Vivid are e-money institutions, Finom too, Qonto is a payment institution, and N26 is a bank with statutory deposit protection up to 100,000 €. With Vivid your money is held separately from the company assets, which is called safeguarding. The 100,000 € deposit guarantee of a classic bank does not apply to e-money, but safeguarding shields your balance instead. In everyday life a simpler question matters in the end: is support reachable, and does your money arrive on time?
Vivid as a Pleo alternative
A pure spend tool like Pleo steers cards and receipts, but without an account of its own. What is missing is the combination of a German IBAN, cashback without a plan hurdle and investing in one place. This is exactly where Vivid comes in.
Vivid plans and pricing
With Vivid you start on the Free Start plan at 0 € a month, with no account fee and no minimum deposit. If you need more cards or features, you grow into Basic at 6.90 € or Pro at 18.90 €. You open the business account entirely online by photo or selfie ident, saving yourself the trip to a branch. And because cards, spend control and the account belong together, you do not need a second tool alongside it.
Vivid benefits for business
Vivid bundles exactly the points that together make the difference to a pure spend tool:
Everything sits in one app: account, cards, spend control, cashback and investing, instead of a tool and a bank side by side. The cashback with no monthly cap on all purchases turns into real money over the year on ongoing spending. Reserves no longer sit idle in the wallet but work through investing, which noticeably eases your liquidity management. And because the account is open to a GmbH and UG just the same, you spare yourself the provider switch at the next growth step.
Who Vivid suits
The Vivid business account suits freelancers and the self-employed, small companies as well as a GmbH and UG. Teams that steer company spending and at the same time want cashback and investing in the account are in the right place here too. Because the plans scale up from the 0 € Free Start plan, the business account grows with you, from the first invoice to the incorporated company.
Opening an account with Vivid
Opening a business account with Vivid takes a few steps online. You provide details about the company, identify yourself by photo or selfie ident and activate the account. Switching from a spend tool or another bank is straightforward: you move existing cards and payments over step by step. As a founder you are up and running just as quickly as when you switch.
Bottom line: Vivid combines the account, company cards with limits, cashback and investing in one app, open to a GmbH and UG too, a strong choice as a Pleo alternative that replaces the tool and the account.
More Pleo alternatives
Moss
Moss is a spend-management and expense tool from Berlin that comes closest to Pleo on cards: Mastercard company cards with limits, automated expense reports and accounts payable, plus more than 40 plug-and-play integrations including an ERP integration and a native DATEV connection. Moss is regulated as an e-money institution supervised by BaFin. You can start for free through the Cards or Invoices modules. The catch: like Pleo, Moss is a tool without an account of its own and without a German IBAN, there is no cashback, and the provider only names exact prices on request.
Circula
Circula targets the mid-market and covers travel expense reports, employee expenses and reimbursements, company credit cards, employee benefits and incoming invoices. The cards are real Visa credit cards with a high transaction limit, the travel module is GoBD-compliant, and as a DATEV Premium Partner Circula ties the accounting in closely. It also handles per diems and mileage allowances automatically. Billing is per module, for example from 15 € per licence for expenses plus a platform fee for the cards. The catch: Circula requires at least ten licences, which makes it expensive for sole traders and small teams, there is no account of its own with an IBAN, and cashback is missing.
Finom
If you write a lot of invoices, Finom is built around exactly that: quote, invoice and incoming payment sit in an account with a German IBAN, plus cashback between 1 and 4 % depending on the plan. It starts with the Solo plan at 0 €, with Basic at 7 €, Smart at 17 € and Core at 34 € a month above it. Finom is aimed at freelancers and small firms. The catch: there is no securities investing, only an interest account, and the ecosystem is smaller than at the big providers. For anyone who writes a lot and wants an account with cashback, Finom is still worth considering.
N26 Business
N26 is a German direct bank with its own app and a German IBAN. For 0 € a month you start on the Standard plan, with Smart, Go and Metal offering more cards above it. Cashback trickles in at 0.1 %, or 0.5 % on the Metal plan, and you trade stocks and ETFs from 1 €. The catch for business: N26 Business is only for sole traders and freelancers working under their own name. You cannot run a GmbH or UG with it, and the DATEV connection is narrower than at the specialists.
Qonto
If everything for you revolves around accounting and team spend control, Qonto is worth considering: the payment institution provides a German IBAN across all plans, an extensive DATEV connection, spend tags, budgets and fine-grained team management. It starts at Basic for 9 €, with Smart at 19 € and Premium at 39 € a month above it. The catch: there is no free plan, the account is built for euros, you only get cashback via the higher-tier cards at 0.4 to 0.8 %, and the deeper spend control partly runs through a paid add-on.
Choosing the right Pleo alternative
Which alternative fits simply depends on your needs. If you want the account, spend control, cashback and investing in one, open to a GmbH and UG too, the path leads to Vivid. If you only need a pure spend tool with credit cards and travel expenses, Moss or Circula come into play, and anyone who writes a lot of invoices and wants an account with cashback is in the right place at Finom. You will find an app bank for sole traders at N26, and if accounting together with a money-market fund is the focus, Qonto is worth a look. A rule of thumb helps with the maths: count not just the base price, but add cards, users and international payments on top. Only that total shows what a solution really costs you over a year.
Conclusion: which Pleo alternative fits?
Pleo remains a tool for steering company spending and cards across a team. It is just not an account, and cashback as well as investing stay off the table. Anyone looking for both in one, a real business account with a German IBAN plus company cards, cashback and investing, and one that works as a GmbH or UG too, will find the right all-in-one alternative in Vivid. Moss, Circula, Finom, N26 and Qonto cover individual needs depending on their focus. In the end your profile decides: sole traders, growing teams and incorporated companies set different priorities. The table and the criteria above help you make the right choice quickly.
Ready for your business account?
With the Vivid business account you get company cards with limits, cashback with no monthly cap on all purchases and investing in one app, for a GmbH and UG too.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
What is the best Pleo alternative?
It depends on what you need. For a business account with company cards, spend control, cashback and investing in one app, open to a GmbH and UG too, Vivid is a strong choice. If you want a pure spend tool, Moss or Circula come into play; for app banking as a sole trader, N26 fits.
Is Pleo a business account?
No. Pleo is a spend-management tool with company cards and has no account of its own and no German IBAN. It sits on top of your existing bank account, which you still need. Vivid, by contrast, is a real business account that brings the spend control with it.
Is there a Pleo alternative with cashback?
Yes. Vivid pays cashback with no monthly cap on all purchases, 0.1 to 0.5 % depending on the plan, with up to 6 % in selected categories. Finom offers 1 to 4 % depending on the plan. Pleo itself only unlocks cashback from the annual Advanced contract.
Which Pleo alternative suits the self-employed?
For the self-employed Vivid fits, because the business account, the cards and the cashback come together. N26 is an app bank for sole traders, and Finom combines invoicing with cashback. Anyone who only wants to manage spending reaches for a pure tool like Moss or Circula.
What does a Pleo alternative cost?
That ranges from 0 € a month at Vivid (Free Start), Finom (Solo) and N26 (Standard) to plan- or module-based prices at Qonto (from 9 €), Circula (from 15 € per licence) and Moss (price on request). Watch for extra costs for cards, users and international payments.
Is there a Pleo alternative with a German IBAN?
Yes. Vivid, Finom, N26 and Qonto each offer a real business account with a German IBAN. Pleo, Moss and Circula, by contrast, are spend tools without an account of their own that sit on top of your existing bank account.
Can I invest with a Pleo alternative too?
With Vivid you invest straight from the business account in stocks, ETFs, funds and crypto. Pleo, Moss and Circula offer no investing, Finom only an interest account, and Qonto a money-market fund. Anyone who wants reserves to work is most flexible with Vivid.
As of July 2026. The information on Pleo, Moss, Circula, Finom, N26 and Qonto was compiled to the best of our knowledge based on the official provider websites and may change at any time, in particular prices, plans and conditions. No claim is made to completeness or accuracy. Please check the current conditions directly with the respective provider. Pleo, Moss, Circula, Finom, N26 and Qonto are trademarks of the respective companies; there is no business relationship between Vivid and these providers. Investment and interest products are provided by Vivid Money B.V. Capital investments carry risks; the value of an investment can rise or fall, and past results are not an indicator of future returns. Crypto assets are not subject to financial supervision, are highly volatile, and a total loss is possible.
