# What Are the Best Fintech Apps and Neobanks in Germany? (2026) > The six app-first accounts worth holding in Germany: N26, Revolut, Wise, Trade Republic, C24 and bunq compared on monthly fee, IBAN country, English support and deposit protection. By Jules de Bruin · URL: https://www.guide-germany.com/finance/fintech-apps Six app-first accounts are worth holding in Germany: N26, Revolut, Wise, Trade Republic, C24 and bunq. Five of the six cost EUR 0 a month and bunq Core costs EUR 3.99, and none of the six needs a Meldebescheinigung from the [Bürgeramt](/moving/address-registration), which is why they are the fastest route to an IBAN in your first week. Two things the marketing does not say: every card attached to these accounts is a Debitkarte and not a credit card, and two of the six issue an IBAN that is not German, Revolut a Lithuanian one and Wise a Belgian one. ## Which Fintech Apps Are Worth Holding? Six accounts from the August 2026 catalogue, ordered by how usable they are in Germany: German banking licence and German IBAN first, then the foreign-licensed accounts that still open in minutes. **N26 Standard** is the default pick, a German IBAN from a bank with its own German licence, free, in English, and open before the Anmeldung is done. **Revolut Standard** has the deepest feature set but a Lithuanian IBAN. **Wise** is the multi-currency account, and it is a payment institution rather than a bank. **Trade Republic** and **C24** are German-licensed banks with German IBANs, and **bunq Core** is the only one here with a monthly fee. N26 ### N26 Standard 4.7German IBAN without Anmeldung requirement [Get app](https://www.bleap.finance/blog/bleap-vs-n26-what-is-the-best-neo-bank)Pay withMonthly feeFreeIBANGerman (DE)Cards includedVirtual Mastercard debit free; first physical card 10 EUR one-offEnglish supportApp and supportAnmeldung neededNoOpening time0 daysMore detailsFee waiverUnconditionally freeFree ATM network2 free EUR withdrawals/month; Cash26 retail cash-in/outOutside that network2 EUR per additional withdrawal; 1.7% non-EUR ATMHow to identify yourselfVideoIdent, photo ID in-appTax ID neededNot requiredDeposit protectionEUR 100,000 per depositorContractsAvailable in EnglishPrices as of August 2026, verify on the provider site. Pros - Opens in ~10 minutes from abroad - Full English app, contracts and support Cons - Only 2 free ATM withdrawals monthly Best for New arrivals: a German IBAN in English, before the Anmeldung is done Revolut ### Revolut Standard 4.7Opens pre-arrival without Anmeldung [Get app](https://vivid.money/en-de/blog/revolut-business-account/)Pay withMonthly feeFreeIBANLT, not a German IBANCards includedVirtual card free; physical card delivery fee appliesEnglish supportApp and supportAnmeldung neededNoOpening time0 daysMore detailsFee waiverUnconditionally freeFree ATM networkFree withdrawals to 200 EUR/month (or 5x)Outside that network2% above allowance (min. ~1 EUR)How to identify yourselfin-app photo IDTax ID neededNot requiredDeposit protectionEUR 100,000 per depositorIBAN noteGerman customers currently receive LITHUANIAN (LT) IBANs; Revolut has announced German IBAN rollout for end-2026 (own help centre, Aug 2026). Until then: real-world IBAN discrimination risk on some salary forms and utility direct debits despite SEPA Art. 9 ban.Spending abroad0% within plan allowance at interbank rate on weekdays; markup outside hours/weekends (1%); allowance 1,000 EUR/month on StandardContractsAvailable in EnglishPrices as of August 2026, verify on the provider site. Pros - Best-in-class multi-currency exchange - Full English app and contracts Cons - LT IBAN: salary/utility rejection cases reported Best for New arrivals who need an IBAN today, in English Wise ### Wise Account 4.7Opens from almost any country pre-arrival [Get app](https://www.bankdaten.de/en/guide/basiskonto-germany.html)Monthly feeFreeIBANBE, not a German IBANCards includedVirtual card free; physical 7 EUR one-offEnglish supportApp and supportAnmeldung neededNoOpening time0 daysMore detailsFee waiverUnconditionally free; card 7 EUR one-offFree ATM network2 withdrawals / 200 EUR per month freeOutside that network0.50 EUR + 1.75% above allowanceHow to identify yourselfin-app photo IDTax ID neededNot requiredDeposit protectionClient money safeguarded, not deposit protectedIBAN noteBelgian (BE) IBAN; IBAN discrimination risk on German salary/utility forms is a documented, searched issueSpending abroadConversion from ~0.35-2%+ per currency at mid-market; not a flat %ContractsAvailable in EnglishPrices as of August 2026, verify on the provider site. Pros - 40+ currencies at mid-market rates - Full English app and contracts Cons - NO deposit insurance (safeguarding only) Best for New arrivals who need an IBAN today, in English Trade Republic ### Trade Republic Girokonto 4.3Free full-bank account with DE IBAN [Get app](https://www.neuebanken.de/sparkasse-gebuehren-rentner/)Monthly feeFreeIBANGerman (DE)Cards includedVisa debit (virtual free; physical card one-off fee per plan)English supportApp and supportAnmeldung neededNoOpening time1 dayMore detailsFee waiverUnconditionally freeFree ATM networkFree withdrawals worldwide from 100 EUROutside that network1 EUR below 100 EUR withdrawals (per 2026 reviews)How to identify yourselfVideoIdentTax ID neededSteuer-Identifikationsnummer requiredDeposit protectionEUR 100,000 per depositorContractsAvailable in EnglishPrices as of August 2026, verify on the provider site. Pros - **1%** Saveback on card spending to savings plan - Interest on balance (ECB-tracking) Cons - Support historically weakest in class (chatbot-first) Best for New arrivals: a German IBAN in English, before the Anmeldung is done C24 ### Smart 4.3Unconditionally free with DE IBAN [Get app](https://www.bankdaten.de/c24/girokonto.html)Monthly feeFreeIBANGerman (DE)Cards includedMastercard debit freeEnglish supportGerman onlyAnmeldung neededNoOpening time1 dayMore detailsFee waiverUnconditionally freeFree ATM network4 free withdrawals/month (DE/EU); worldwide free at 0% FXOutside that network2 EUR beyond 4/monthHow to identify yourselfVideoIdentTax ID neededSteuer-Identifikationsnummer requiredDeposit protectionEUR 100,000 per depositorContractsGerman onlyPrices as of August 2026, verify on the provider site. Pros - **0.5%** interest on balance - 4 free ATM withdrawals monthly Cons - Account-freeze wave after BaFin AML measures Best for Residents who want a full German account and are fine in German bunq ### bunq Core 4.3Multiple sub-accounts with own IBANs [Get app](https://www.computerbild.de/artikel/News-Finanzen-Lohnt-sich-das-ING-Girokonto-mit-Depot-fuer-300-Euro-Praemie-00001-41115887.html)Monthly feeEUR 3.99IBANGerman (DE)Cards includedPhysical Mastercard debit includedEnglish supportApp and supportAnmeldung neededNoOpening time0 daysMore detailsFee waiverNoneFree ATM networkFree withdrawals per plan quotaHow to identify yourselfin-appTax ID neededNot requiredDeposit protectionEUR 100,000 per depositorContractsAvailable in EnglishPrices as of August 2026, verify on the provider site. Pros - Full physical card - German IBAN available Cons - 3.99 EUR where N26 Standard is free Best for New arrivals: a German IBAN in English, before the Anmeldung is done ## What Is a Fintech Account in Germany? A current account opened and run entirely in an app, with no branch and no paper contract. In Germany the practical difference is speed: N26, Revolut, Wise and bunq are recorded as opening in zero days and Trade Republic and C24 in one, and none of the six requires the registered German address that a [Girokonto](/finance/open-bank-account) at DKB, ING or a Sparkasse does. Identity is checked by VideoIdent or by photographing your passport in the app, so you can open one from abroad before you fly. The card is the part most readers get wrong. Every card attached to these six accounts is a **Debitkarte**: the money leaves the balance the same day, no credit line is granted, and no SCHUFA credit history is built by holding one. That matters twice over. It means a thin SCHUFA file cannot block the application, which is exactly why these accounts work in week one. It also means the card will be refused at the counters that want a genuine credit card, most reliably a car-rental desk or a hotel deposit. For that you need a [real credit card](/finance/credit-cards), which is a separate product. None of these six issues a **girocard**, the German domestic debit scheme. Bakeries, doctors' practices and a lot of restaurants still take girocard and nothing else, so an app account alone will leave you standing at a till at some point. The traditional Girokonten cover that gap: ING sells a girocard for EUR 0.99 a month, DKB for EUR 0.99 and comdirect for EUR 1. ## Do They Issue a German IBAN? Four of the six do. N26, Trade Republic, C24 and bunq all issue a German (DE) IBAN. **Revolut** issues a Lithuanian (LT) IBAN and **Wise** a Belgian (BE) one. Article 9 of the SEPA Regulation forbids a payer from refusing an account because of the country its IBAN starts with, but German payroll systems, landlords and utility direct-debit forms still do it, and the catalogue flags that rejection risk on the Wise record explicitly. If your salary has to land somewhere in month one, pick one of the German IBANs and keep Revolut or Wise for [currency conversion](/finance/cards-abroad). The second difference is what stands behind the money. N26, Trade Republic, C24, bunq and Revolut each carry EUR 100,000 of deposit protection per depositor. **Wise Europe SA is a Belgian payment institution supervised by the National Bank of Belgium, and not a bank**: its deposit-protection figure in the catalogue is EUR 0. Your money there is safeguarded, held in segregated accounts away from Wise's own funds, which protects it if Wise fails but is not a deposit guarantee scheme and pays out under different rules. Treat Wise as a place money passes through, not a place it sits. ## Compare two providers Already down to two? Each comparison declares a winner on every criterion that decides the purchase. [Revolut vs N26](/finance/revolut-vs-n26)[C24 Bank vs RevolutC24 Bank issues a German DE IBAN and caps out-of-allowance withdrawals at a flat EUR 2, while Revolut issues a Lithuanian LT IBAN but opens in 0 days without a German tax ID and runs fully in English.](/finance/compare/c24-bank-vs-revolut)[N26 vs C24 BankN26 opens in 0 days without a German tax ID and runs the app, contracts and chat in English, where C24 Bank asks for a tax ID and is German-first.](/finance/compare/n26-vs-c24-bank)[DKB vs INGDKB clears its free-account bar at EUR 700 monthly incoming where ING asks for EUR 1,000, and charges EUR 4.50 instead of EUR 4.90 if you miss it.](/finance/compare/dkb-vs-ing)[comdirect vs DKBcomdirect is free for the first 6 months and then waives its fee on any one of four conditions, where DKB waives only on EUR 700 monthly incoming or being under 28.](/finance/compare/comdirect-vs-dkb)[Sparkasse vs N26N26 wins on price, language and speed: EUR 0 a month, English throughout and open in 0 days with no Anmeldung, against a Sparkasse's EUR 2.95 to EUR 12.95, German only and 1 day after registration.](/finance/compare/sparkasse-vs-n26)[Volksbank vs SparkasseThese two branch networks are close.](/finance/compare/volksbank-vs-sparkasse)[Revolut vs WiseRevolut records EUR 100,000 of deposit protection where the Wise account records none, and allows free withdrawals up to EUR 200 or 5 a month against Wise's 2.](/finance/compare/revolut-vs-wise)[GenialCard vs Advanzia Gebührenfrei GoldBoth cards cost EUR 0 a year with 0% foreign transaction fees, so the split is elsewhere.](/finance/compare/genialcard-vs-advanzia-gebuehrenfrei-gold)[TF Bank Mastercard Gold vs GenialCardBoth are EUR 0 a year with 0% foreign transaction fees.](/finance/compare/tf-bank-mastercard-gold-vs-genialcard) ## Related Guides [### Revolut vs N26 Lithuanian IBAN against German.](/finance/revolut-vs-n26)[### Open Bank Account Anmeldung, tax ID and identification.](/finance/open-bank-account)[### Commercial Banks The three-pillar banking system.](/finance/commercial-banks)[### Cards Abroad What non-euro spending costs.](/finance/cards-abroad) ## Frequently Asked Questions ### Is Revolut a German bank? No. Revolut Bank UAB holds a Lithuanian banking licence and is supervised by the ECB, and the account it issues in Germany carries a Lithuanian (LT) IBAN rather than a German one. Deposits are protected up to EUR 100,000 per depositor, and the account is free and opens the same day. ### Can I have my salary paid into an N26 account? Yes. N26 Bank SE holds its own German banking licence, is supervised by BaFin and the ECB, and issues a German (DE) IBAN, so it behaves like any other Girokonto on a payroll or direct-debit form. It costs EUR 0 a month and needs neither a Meldebescheinigung nor a Steuer-Identifikationsnummer to open. ### Is money in a fintech account safe? It depends on the licence, not on the app. N26, Trade Republic, C24 and bunq are licensed banks and the catalogue records EUR 100,000 of deposit protection per depositor on each, as it does on Revolut. Wise Europe SA is a Belgian payment institution and not a bank: its record shows EUR 0 of deposit protection, because client money is safeguarded in segregated accounts instead. --- Source: https://www.guide-germany.com/finance/fintech-apps Last updated: n/a Format: LLM-readable Markdown twin (.md) of the canonical HTML page.