Qonto • EUR
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Ingrid Schneider · Updated: 3 September 2026
Qonto Starter is the entry-level plan from the French fintech Qonto, targeted by the provider specifically at freelancers and sole traders. The account is managed entirely online via web and app.
An important note up front: our product data lists an annual fee of 120 euros for Qonto Starter. However, Qonto's official website currently advertises the Starter plan as "permanently free" (0 euros account fee). Since the provider's live page is the more current and direct source, this review assumes a 0-euro account fee — the conflicting 120-euro figure in our database should be checked manually.
On transaction fees: the first 5 online bookings per month are free; from the 6th booking onward, Qonto charges 0.20 euros per booking. Anyone regularly sending more than 5 payments a month should budget for this extra cost. No data is available on offline bookings.
Qonto charges 0 percent interest for a tolerated (unauthorised) overdraft. No data is available on an arranged overdraft facility.
Qonto is currently advertising a welcome bonus of "up to 600 euros" for new business accounts. Important for anyone considering the Starter plan: that 600-euro figure applies only to the higher-tier Essential, Business or Enterprise plans. Choosing Starter, Basic, Smart or Premium — as here — gets you 200 euros instead. According to the provider, the conditions are: the new business account must be opened during the promotional period from 24 August to 30 September 2026, after which at least 1,000 euros must be spent on the physical or virtual Qonto card in three consecutive months. Payout occurs, per the provider, in the fourth month after account activation. Anyone who does not clear the 1,000-euro monthly card-spend hurdle in three consecutive months gets nothing — for a pure entry-level account without large monthly card volume, that is not a trivial condition.
According to the provider, the Starter plan includes one virtual card. Deposits are protected under EU-wide deposit protection up to 100,000 euros per customer and member state — the standard European statutory guarantee.
Qonto positions Starter specifically for freelancers and sole traders with modest transaction volumes (up to 5 free online bookings per month). Anyone regularly billing more than 1,000 euros a month via the Qonto card can additionally benefit from the welcome bonus.
Per the provider's current information, Qonto Starter is a permanently free business account for freelancers and sole traders with low transaction volumes. The widely advertised bonus of up to 600 euros does not apply to this account in full — Starter customers get 200 euros if they meet the conditions. Anyone regularly needing more than 5 online bookings a month should budget for the extra 0.20 euros per booking.
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