Kontist by Shine • EUR
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Ingrid Schneider · Updated: 3 September 2026
Kontist Free is the entry-level account from Kontist, the app-based business account provider now part of the French Shine group. The account targets freelancers, sole proprietors, small traders, GmbHs, partnerships and entrepreneurial companies who want to manage their business account entirely through an app rather than relying on a branch or phone advice.
On Kontist's offer page, the account itself is described as free of charge; paid tariffs, according to the provider, mainly concern additional sub-accounts. Our database nonetheless lists estimated total annual costs of around 240 euros for Kontist Free. This difference is likely explained by the database also factoring in typical costs for transactions above the free allowance and for the optional card in its total calculation, while the offer page only advertises the plain account maintenance as free. On transaction costs, the database shows the first 5 paperless transactions per month are free, with 0.40 euros per item charged from the 6th transaction onward. Since Kontist is a purely app-based account without a branch, there are no separate fees for paper-based transactions. A tolerated (unauthorised) overdraft carries a 0% interest rate.
Neither our database nor the provider's offer page lists a welcome bonus or new-customer incentive for Kontist Free. App features, according to the provider, include a real-time tax estimate that helps freelancers and sole proprietors continuously set aside reserves for income and VAT, as well as management of multiple sub-accounts for separate budgets. Account maintenance includes a Visa card, available both virtually and physically according to the provider; per our database, this card is optional and booked as an add-on. The account can be managed both via the mobile app and via a desktop web app.
Deposits are protected under the statutory deposit protection scheme (Einlagensicherungs- und Anlegerentschaedigungsgesetz) up to 100,000 euros at 100%. Kontist works with the German full bank Solaris, so customers receive a German IBAN.
Kontist Free suits freelancers, sole proprietors, small traders, GmbHs and partnerships looking for a purely digital business account without branch ties and who value an automatic tax-reserve estimate. Customers who need in-person branch advice or phone support should look for a classic business account with those channels instead, since Kontist is reachable only via app and web app.
Even though account maintenance itself is free according to the provider, heavy use can generate costs that approach the roughly 240 euros our database lists as the estimated total annual cost. For example, a customer making 45 paperless transactions per month pays 16.00 euros per month for the 40 transactions above the free allowance of 5 (40 times 0.40 euros), equal to 192.00 euros per year. Adding the optional Visa card, whose exact cost our database does not detail, plausibly accounts for the remaining amount up to 240 euros. Customers making only a few transactions per month and skipping the optional card come out noticeably cheaper than the 240 euros.
Kontist names freelancers, sole proprietors, registered traders, limited liability companies, general partnerships, civil-law partnerships and entrepreneurial companies as the target group. This means Kontist Free covers an especially broad range of legal forms, from the small sole proprietorship to the corporation, which is unusually comprehensive for a purely app-based account.
Kontist itself is not a credit institution but partners with the German full bank Solaris for account maintenance, which also handles the German IBAN and the statutory deposit protection under the Einlagensicherungs- und Anlegerentschaedigungsgesetz. For customers, this means balances are technically held at Solaris, while Kontist provides the user interface, the app and the tax-related add-on features. This model is widespread among app-based business accounts in Germany and does not change the statutory protection of deposits up to 100,000 euros.
See the summary lists below for the account's main strengths and weaknesses.
Kontist Free is a lean, app-based business account with free basic account maintenance, an automatic tax estimate, and an optional Visa card. Customers with many monthly transactions or who use the optional card should budget for extra costs, which our database estimates at around 240 euros per year in total. For digitally-minded self-employed people and small businesses with no need for a branch or phone advice, Kontist Free is an uncomplicated option.
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