Is Qonto or Solaris better?

Neither clearly leads. Qonto starts at €9/month and Solaris at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, Qonto or Solaris?

Qonto starts at €9/month and Solaris at On request.

Does Qonto or Solaris run on more platforms?

Qonto runs on Web. Solaris runs on Web, API.

What is Qonto best used for?

Qonto is most often used for business banking, team payments, cash flow management, multi-currency transfers. Of those, business banking and team payments are not what Solaris is typically brought in for.

What can Qonto do that Solaris cannot?

Solaris covers German banking licence, IBAN accounts, Card issuing, Lending as a service.

Accounting · head to head

Qonto vs Solaris

Qonto

Accounting

French neobank and finance management platform for freelancers, SMEs and businesses

From: €9/month
Rated: -

Full review Website

Solaris

APIs

German banking as a service with a full banking licence and a live regulatory problem

From: On request
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Each has a real cost: Qonto pricing in EUR only, not USD; Solaris baFin appointed a special representative in 2022 and extended the mandate in July 2024, so a partner is joining a bank under active supervisory monitoring, with slower approvals and heavier compliance demands as a direct consequence.
Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Qonto and Solaris actually diverge.

Attributes where Qonto and Solaris differ
Attribute	Qonto	Solaris
Starting price	€9/month	On request
Pricing model	subscription	quote
Platforms	Web	Web, API
Category	Accounting	APIs

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Qonto

Nothing recorded that Solaris does not also cover.

Only in Solaris

German banking licence
IBAN accounts
Card issuing
Lending as a service
Digital assets and custody
SEPA payments
KYC and onboarding
Deposit protection

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Qonto

Business bankingnot Solaris
Team paymentsnot Solaris
Cash flow managementnot Solaris
Multi-currency transfersnot Solaris
Freelancer paymentsnot Solaris

Solaris

A retailer or platform launching a German current account or card product without applying for its own licencenot Qonto
A fintech that needs deposit taking and lending, which an e-money licence cannot providenot Qonto
A European business needing German IBANs because customers reject foreign IBANs for salary and direct debitnot Qonto
A company requiring German statutory deposit protection on customer balances as a product claimnot Qonto

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Qonto

Pricing in EUR only, not USD
Basic tier limited to 30 transfers per month
Add-ons for invoice automation and project tracking cost EUR 12-39/month extra
Business tier minimum commitment for small team accounts
Business plan minimum pricing EUR 49/month vs self-employed EUR 9/month

Solaris

BaFin appointed a special representative in 2022 and extended the mandate in July 2024, so a partner is joining a bank under active supervisory monitoring, with slower approvals and heavier compliance demands as a direct consequence.
BaFin fined Solaris EUR 6.5 million in March 2024 for systematically late suspicious activity reports and EUR 500,000 for breaching large exposure limits between January 2022 and March 2024, which is a track record a partner inherits reputationally.
Solaris has previously needed BaFin approval before onboarding new corporate clients, which can turn a commercial decision to launch into a regulatory timetable outside your control.
The 2024 restructuring involved job cuts and the closure of parts of a business unit, so product lines a partner depends on may not have the engineering behind them that the sales process implies.
SBI Holdings acquired majority control in 2025, so strategic direction now sits with a Japanese financial group whose priorities for the European business may differ from the roadmap you were sold.

Pricing, plan by plan

Qonto

€9/month

Basic (Self-Employed)$9/month
- 30 transfers
- 1 physical + 2 virtual cards
- Account remuneration 5% for 2 months
Smart (Self-Employed)$19/month
- 100 transfers
- 2 physical + 50 virtual cards
- Account remuneration
Premium (Self-Employed)$39/month
- 200 transfers
- 2 physical + 50 virtual + 50 Instant cards
Essential (Business)$49/month
- 250 transfers
- 5 physical + 50 virtual cards
- Multiple sub-accounts

Solaris

On request

Solaris banking as a service$undefined/year
- Quoted per partner, typically setup fee plus monthly platform fee
- Per account, per card and per transaction charges on top
- Interchange sharing arrangements negotiated per programme

Which should you pick?

Choose Qonto if

Nothing in the data separates Qonto from Solaris on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

Qonto review

Choose Solaris if

You need german banking licence.
You work on Web, API.
You also want iban accounts.

Solaris review

Questions people ask

Is Qonto or Solaris better?: Neither clearly leads. Qonto starts at €9/month and Solaris at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Qonto or Solaris?: Qonto starts at €9/month and Solaris at On request.
Does Qonto or Solaris run on more platforms?: Qonto runs on Web. Solaris runs on Web, API.
What is Qonto best used for?: Qonto is most often used for business banking, team payments, cash flow management, multi-currency transfers. Of those, business banking and team payments are not what Solaris is typically brought in for.
What can Qonto do that Solaris cannot?: Solaris covers German banking licence, IBAN accounts, Card issuing, Lending as a service.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Qonto: How much does Qonto cost?

Qonto's self-employed plans range from EUR 9/month (Basic) to EUR 39/month (Premium). Business plans range from EUR 49/month (Essential) to EUR 199/month (Enterprise).

Source

Solaris: Does Solaris have a real banking licence?

Yes. Solaris SE is a German credit institution, which is why it can offer deposits and lending, unlike e-money based competitors.

Qonto: What is included in Qonto's Basic plan?

The Basic plan costs EUR 9/month and includes 30 monthly transfers, 1 physical card and 2 virtual cards, plus account remuneration at 5% for the first 2 months.

Source

Solaris: Is the BaFin action still live?

The special representative appointed in 2022 had the mandate extended in July 2024, and fines were issued in March 2024. Treat supervisory oversight as an active condition in your diligence.

Qonto: What is the difference between self-employed and business plans?

Self-employed plans (Basic to Premium) are for individuals and cost EUR 9-39/month. Business plans (Essential to Enterprise) offer more transfers and cards for teams, ranging from EUR 49-199/month.

Source

Solaris: Who owns Solaris now?

SBI Holdings of Japan agreed in December 2024 and January 2025 to take a majority stake of over seventy per cent for around EUR 100 million.

Qonto vs Solaris

Qonto

Solaris

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in Qonto

Only in Solaris

What people use each for

Qonto

Solaris

Where each one falls short

Qonto

Solaris

Pricing, plan by plan

Qonto

Solaris

Which should you pick?

Choose Qonto if

Choose Solaris if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on Qonto

More on Solaris

Keep looking

Other head to heads