Best Banks For Freelancers In France

Welcome aboard the financial express, freelancers! Hop on as we navigate the bustling banking boulevards of France, highlighting the institutions that best understand your unique banking needs.

We promise, it’s not as daunting as you may think!

Quick Comparison Of The Best Banks In France For Freelancers 

If you are pressed for time and want an answer. Here are the best banks in France for freelancers:

• Bunq
• Revolut
• Qonto

Freelancers’ Specific Banking Needs

Accepting Multiple Payment Methods

Your customers may pay you in various ways, with some having a strong preference for the payment method due to the costs they would otherwise incur.

This can easily lead to losses on your part!

Receiving Funds In Multiple Currencies

Similarly, providing your services in Australian dollars and Polish zloty may land you a contract you would not have otherwise!

Easy-To-Grasp Cash Flow Overview

This is especially true if you frequently have multiple income streams with varying schedules.

For self-employed people, having a one-stop shop for all of their finances is invaluable.

Personal Bank Account Adjacent To The Business One

It is extremely convenient to have the option to manage your personal finances alongside, but legally and UI-wise separately.

This is especially true if you frequently claim a portion of your personal expenses as business expenses.

Automation Opportunities

Either natively through the bank’s app, through tools like Zapier, or by writing a script yourself using the bank’s Open API – setting aside VAT on sales or automating recurring payments is an invaluable time saver.

Bookkeeping Software Integration

Accounting software can save you a lot of time when dealing with tax services, and connecting it to your bank account can save you a lot more time on tedious money administration tasks.

Top Digital Banks For Freelancers In France

We have selected the top three banks for Freelancers in France. Let’s jump right into the details!

Bunq

The bunq bank is an Amsterdam-based mobile-first bank. Bunq, which was founded in 2012 by tech entrepreneur Ali Niknam, received a full banking licence from the Dutch National Bank in 2015.

Bunq became the first fully-licensed grassroots bank to open in the Netherlands in the last 35 years as a result. Since then, bunq has grown into a leading European mobile bank, with over €1 billion in user deposits by early 2021.

Bunq has since actively shifted its focus to sustainability, with bunq users collectively planting over 8 million trees.

Neobank provides a number of plans for both individual and business customers.

• The monthly cost starts from €2.99
• Joint accounts
• Business accounts
• Sign-up bonus 30 days free trial

The bunq bank provides online banking for individuals and businesses through a slick mobile app for Android.

Customers in Germany, France, Italy, and Spain automatically receive a bank account having a Dutch IBAN (International Bank Account Number), whereas customers in the Netherlands receive a bank account with an IBAN from their home country.

A new “Local IBANs” feature enables users to open multiple bank accounts in different countries. But how good is Bunq Bank? Find out in our comprehensive bunq review below.

Dutch online bank that allows you to bank like a local anywhere in Europe. The bank’s mobile apps are jam-packed with unique and exciting features, and the fully-fledged banking licence bunq possesses ensures that your money is always 100% safe.

Active Since	2012
Headquarters	Amsterdam, NL
Total Users	5’400’000+
Website	www.bunq.com
Personal Banking	From €2.99 p/m
Business Banking	From €4.99 p/m
Sign-up Bonus	30 days free trial
Shared Accounts	Available

Who said business banking couldn’t be fun?

Bunq, the latest Dutch fintech unicorn, is known for advocating for sustainable and ethical investment practises by enabling users to choose how their funds are invested and planting over 7 million trees for their “Become CO2-neutral in 2 years!” initiative.

This forward-thinking neobank offers tech-savvy entrepreneurs a powerful open API that allows you to automate most routine day-to-day operations while features like Auto-VAT, Invoice Scanning and Batch Payments can save you a major amount of time.

The bunq bank is a strong contender for your attention, with sleek iOS and Android apps and a brand-new desktop app.

Bunq is available in 7 different languages throughout Europe for individuals and businesses.

Pros

• Automatic payment categorisation and spending insights
• You can spend in foreign currency at a low cost and keep multiple currencies on hand.
• Open API and powerful integrations out-of-the-box
• Three physical cards and 25 virtual cards are included at no extra cost.
• Free personalised links for easy payment collection

Advantages

Flexibility For Budgeting

It’s very simple, especially if you get Easy Green or Easy Money, to set up a sub-account for all of your budgeting categories, giving you a better understanding of your finances.

Their Payment sorter feature automatically distributes your income to your sub-accounts based on your preferences.

Local IBAN And Bank Details

All the customers in France, Germany, Italy, and Spain can have local IBANs for their bunq sub-accounts; customers in other countries will receive Dutch IBANs by default.

Unique Features

The bunq bank has some interesting features that you might find useful. Dual PIN, for example, enables you to link a single card to two sub-accounts.

Freedom Of Choice

The bunq bank believes in ethical investments and has given its customers that power. You can specify where your deposits should be invested in the app.

Become Green Without Doing Anything

With the Easy Green plan, you can use your credit card to contribute to the forestation of specific regions worldwide.

Cons

• The new app features launch so fast and abruptly that they lack polish
• Limited daily ATM withdrawal allowance
• No cheque deposit options nor overdrafts are available

Downsides

Cost

Bunq’s plans are obviously more expensive than you’d expect, but if you use it to its full potential (payments in currency, multiple active cards, a few sub-accounts, etc.), it’s still significantly less expensive than the competition.

The question is whether you really need all of that.

Customer Service

All support inquiries are handled digitally via bunq’s in-app customer support chat or email.

Bunq may not be for you if you need to speak with someone about your concerns.

An Abundance Of Marketing Communication

Bunq is very keen on informing their customers about what’s hot this month.

Somewhat Confusing UI

It is not that bad once you get used to the UI, but some things still need to be more intuitive, even after using the app for a while.

Not All Payment Methods Are Supported

While bunq accepts Apple Pay and Google Pay, some lesser-known payment methods need to be supported.

Bunq, for example, does not accept Garmin Pay or Fitbit Pay. Bunq users are also unable to use Samsung Pay.

Countries Supported

Bunq is available to citizens and permanent residents of the countries listed below:

• Austria
• Belgium
• Bulgaria
• Denmark
• Finland
• France
• Germany
• Greece
• Iceland
• Ireland
• Italy
• Netherlands
• Norway
• Portugal
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• Spain
• Sweden

Plans Available For Personal Banking

Bunq offers four different subscription options to both individuals and businesses. They all have interesting names that reinforce bunq’s point that managing personal finances do not have to be as difficult as some banks make it.

Easy Bank, Easy Savings, Easy Money, and Easy Green are the four plans.

Easy Bank 

The monthly fee is € 2.99. Easy Bank, a bunq entry-level plan, is a basic bank account you would use for your daily expenses.

Although this plan only includes one card, it is a full-fledged account that allows you to enjoy inter-bank exchange rates on your travels, categorise your payments, and earn interest on funds in your current account while also providing serious security and a rainbow-coloured card.

As the name implies, it is a good option for a straightforward bank.

Easy Money 

The monthly fee is € 8.99. Easy money is a banking plan that allows you to bank like a local throughout the EU.

Bunq’s Premium-tier plan is an amazing choice for hassle-free banking, as it includes IBANs from multiple European countries and a variety of cards with global acceptance.

This plan will meet your daily needs and include a few “wow” features that will entice you to bank with bunq!

Easy Green 

The monthly fee is € 17.99. Easy Green is bunq’s top-tier plan at a premium price.

The main advantage of the Easy Money plan over the lower-tier Easy Money plan is the ability to easily offset your CO2 emissions by automatically planting a tree for every €100 spent from your bunq account.

Easy Green also includes invoice scanning with your phone’s camera, an extended warranty, and purchase protection.

Sign Up at bunq here🔥

Revolut

Revolut, Europe’s largest neobank, is a pioneer of mobile-first banking. Revolut is a safe option regardless of the customer’s country of residence.

It offers a wide range of financial services and banking products, including trading stocks and crypto.

• Free plan available
• 30+ currencies
• Personal Accounts
• Sign-up bonus: save 20% by paying annually

Revolut, based in London, UK, is a fintech unicorn and one of the world’s largest mobile-first digital banks.

Revolut was founded in 2015, by Vlad Yatsenko and Nik Storonsky and initially focused on low to no-fee exchanges.

It has since evolved to provide services via a “global financial super-app” for everyday needs and grow users’ wealth through stocks and cryptocurrencies.

Fintech has over 15 million users and operates in over 35 countries, giving users access to over 30 currencies from around the world.

Servicing over 500,000 businesses globally and millions of users enjoying Revolut’s bank accounts for individuals, the UK-based neobank is truly the #1 digital bank in sheer scale in Europe.

However, building a reliable, convenient and powerful bank for businesses all over the EU has been a challenge.

Active Since	2015
Headquarters	London, UK
Total Users	20’000’000+
Website	www.revolut.com
Personal Banking	Free plan available
Business Banking	Free plan available
Sign-up Bonus	Save 20% paying annually
Shared Accounts	Not available

With the Revolut for Business app, you can easily manage your finances and get paid. Revolut allows you to open an account in under 10 minutes, track your cash flow, and receive payments in multiple currencies.

The app can also be used to manage invoices and track payments. The world’s largest neobank has feature-rich apps available throughout Europe, as well as the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada.

Pros

• You can hold, exchange, and transfer money in multiple currencies without fees.
• Set up for standing orders and direct debits to gain access to a decent range of financial products and services.
• The app is simple to use and makes managing your finances simple.

Advantages

Easy Currency Exchange

You can exchange and hold 30+ currencies in just a few taps, including EUR, HKD, USD, GBP and AUD.

Budgeting Features

Because of its focus on currencies and investments, Revolut’s everyday use features should be more frequently noticed.

However, it has some interesting budgeting features such as Vault (interest-bearing savings accounts), Pockets sub-accounts into which you can divide your deposits for different purposes), and The Group Bills for splitting the bill with friends.

Charity As A Feature

Another underappreciated but successful feature of Revolut is the ability to support causes you care about in the app through roundup payments or scheduled contributions.

For The Intrepid

Revolut allows you to dip your toes into investing; from US stocks to cryptocurrencies to commodities, you can easily make small investments in the app.

Great UX/UI

It is safe to say that the UX/UI is what initially drew people to Revolut. A very clean and user-friendly mobile app (albeit with a fair amount of annoying marketing advertisements left and right) with a simple interface and a visually appealing card design.

What more could you want?

Cons

• Some of the features are only accessible to users who pay a monthly fee.
• Your bank accounts would have a Lithuanian IBAN.

Downsides

Acceptance Issues In The EU

Certain types of merchants dislike Revolut because of the bank’s popularity among scammers and fraudsters as a result of its more relaxed KYC and anti-AML practices combined with the ease of opening an account.

This causes Revolut to be rejected by the vendor; however, this occurs only infrequently.

Customer Support

There has been an onslaught of negative online reviews, with many emphasising that customer service is a major issue.

To be sure, the same sentiment can be found in online reviews of the majority of “digital-only” banks.

In-app support isn’t a deal-breaker, and as long as you’re comfortable managing your daily life from a smartphone, you should be fine.

Not Quite A Bank

Revolut continues to operate under an e-money licence in the United Kingdom, while its EU customers can benefit from full bank protection through its Lithuanian subsidiary.

Countries Supported

Companies registered in the following countries can use Revolut for business banking:

• Austria
• Belgium
• Bulgaria
• Croatia
• Cyprus
• Czechia
• Denmark
• Estonia
• Finland
• France
• Germany
• Greece
• Hungary
• Iceland
• Ireland
• Italy
• Latvia
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• Malta
• Netherlands
• Norway
• Poland
• Portugal
• Romania
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• Spain
• Sweden
• UK

Plans Available For Personal Banking

Revolut provides four personal plans, each with a plethora of perks and priced differently.

Below is a brief overview of Revolut’s various plans, followed by a comparison table. You can also find our recommendations for the best Revolut alternatives available today at the end of the review.

Standard 

There is no monthly fee for this plan. The entry-level plan from the international mobile bank Revolut includes all of the necessities for those who can benefit from having access to multiple currencies.

Includes strong payment and budgeting capabilities, as the access to more advanced financial features like stock and cryptocurrency trading.

Plus 

The monthly fee is € 2.99. Plus is Revolut’s new entry-level plan for those looking for a little something extra on top of the Standard plan.

The plan includes some extra features for everyday use, such as priority customer service, insurance coverage on purchases and even tickets, and more.

Premium 

This higher-tier Revolut plan costs € 7.99 per month and promises “an upgrade to a global lifestyle,” allowing users to spend, invest, and save money in various currencies and other assets.

Premium is a really strong proposition for users all over the world, with travel insurance, purchase protection, and lounge access.

Metal

The monthly fee is € 13.99. The highest-tier subscription from the UK-based digital banking behemoth is Revolut Metal.

This plan provides “ultimate power with the complete package” of financial services, including a contactless Metal card, insurance, purchase protection, and up to 1% cashback.

Sign Up at Revolut here🔥

Qonto

Qonto is a French neobank for businesses catering to freelancers, micro-businesses, SMEs, and startups alike.

Qonto, which has a diverse product portfolio and can meet any business need, is now offering a one-month free trial to new users.

• The monthly cost starts from €9.00
• Currencies: EUR
• Sign-up bonus: 30 days free trial

Qonto is a promising French fintech company based in Paris. The bank’s mission and target are to reinvent business banking by utilising design and technology to provide entrepreneurs with the best possible banking experience.

Designed for digital entrepreneurs, business owners, and young and ambitious startup founders, the company aims to make day-to-day banking easier for their clients while still providing a banking product on par with what traditional “brick-and-mortar” banks offer.

As a young challenger, you may be wondering if Qonto has what it takes to meet the banking needs of today’s digital entrepreneurs, freelancers, and SMEs.

We hope to provide you with comprehensive and up-to-date information in this Qonto bank review section so you can make a clear decision about opening a bank account at Qonto.

Year Founded	2016
Headquarters	Paris, FR
Customers	150’000+
Official Website	www.qonto.com
Business Banking	From €9.00 p/m
Personal Banking	Not available
Sign-up Bonus	30 days free trial
Employee Access	Not available

A hugely popular online bank Qonto, based in France, offers a variety of plans, ranging from a sole proprietorship-focused “Solo” tier to a respectable “Corporate” tier capable of meeting all of your company’s banking needs.

The plans vary greatly in terms of price and features, so you should be able to find one that meets your company’s current (and future) banking needs.

Furthermore, Qonto is the ideal “middle ground” between traditional and mobile banking, allowing you to reap the benefits of mobile-first banking while also having access to a dedicated account manager at all times.

Pros

• Free 30-day trial with no strings attached
• The ability to communicate with your personal account manager
• Simple to switch – the first-ever bank mobility service for businesses of any size
• An impressive set of features for complete control over your business expenses.
• Dozens of “out-of-the-box” integrations are readily available.

Advantages

Best Of Both Worlds

Despite the fact that Qonto positions itself as a digital-first and mobile bank, you can still go for face-to-face interaction thanks to the ability to contact your individual account manager.

Accounting Made Easy

With dozens of integrations already built and tens more on the way, automating the tedious parts of your business has never been easier!

Control Your Business Expenses

Set transaction limits for each of your credit cards online with a few mouse clicks. All related expenses can be easily tracked in real-time.

Switching Is Easy

Qonto is the first bank mobility service for professionals (or businesses as they are known in France).

A dedicated “switch support” team is available for larger businesses.

Cons

• Qonto is technically not a bank but rather a payment institution regulated by the Banque de France.
• Costly – Qonto has a serious proposition, but it comes at a cost.

Drawbacks

Not Technically A Bank

Qonto is a payment institution which is supervised by the Banque de France, not a bank.

Customers’ funds are safeguarded by Crédit Mutuel Arkéa and are protected by the FGDR up to €100,000. That is also why cash deposits, loans, and overdrafts are not permitted at Qonto.

Expensive

Despite an impressive product portfolio and a few unique features, Qonto is significantly more expensive than most other digital-first options.

French-Speaking Focus

Despite being available in multiple countries, Qonto retains a French-first focus, so there may be some inconsistencies in the app’s localisation.

Countries Supported

Qonto provides business banking services to companies registered in the following countries:

• France
• Germany
• Italy
• Spain

Plans Available For Banking

Qonto has four different plans, ranging from a “Basic” plan for sole proprietorships and freelancers to a respectable “Enterprise” tier with fully customisable feature sets, limits, and pricing.

Of course, each plan’s prices, quotas, and features vary greatly, so you’re very likely to find something that perfectly suits your company and its unique business banking needs.

Basic

The monthly fee is € 9.00. Qonto Basic is intended for self-employed individuals and digital entrepreneurs.

Basic, Qonto’s entry-level plan is a solid collection of essentials for managing your self-employment activity.

Basic is a modern and secure way to solve your business banking needs at a very reasonable price point, with rich localisation options and Qonto’s business-first focus.

Smart

The monthly fee is € 19.00.

Qonto Smart is a mid-tier bank account designed for managing your banking needs, efficient accounting, and assisting you in running your business by eliminating many day-to-day hassles, such as performing bulk transfers, storing digital receipts for business expenses, and providing the user with various tools for easy supplier management.

Premium

The monthly fee is € 39.00. Qonto Premium is the company’s top-tier subscription for freelancers and entrepreneurs.

This plan’s impressive feature set, great mobile app, and extremely dependable banking infrastructure make it a very appealing proposition for professionals looking for the ultimate solution to their business banking needs.

If you wish to enjoy the benefits of both digital and “traditional” banks, this plan is an excellent “middle ground.”

Mobile Banking: Good Choice For A Self-Employed Worker?

Your time as a freelancer is valuable – it literally equals money most of the time! As a result, we advise freelancers to consider their bank account selection as an investment.

Saving even an hour a month on phone calls to your traditional brick-and-mortar bank or sorting through paper mail from these “legacy” banks is well worth the extra €10 spent on a better bank.

The risks are also not really there – despite being digital-first and, for the most part, very young (compared to, say, Barclays and their 130+ years of history), these entities are subject to just as much (if not more!) regulatory scrutiny as their “physical” counterparts.

Audits, continuous reporting to authorities, very strict reviews of processes and policies, as well as their financial health – you can rest assured that your money is safe with a digital bank.

This, combined with near-zero switching costs (you can open a bank account with some digital banks like bunq in as little as 5 minutes! ), creates an ideal opportunity for you to get hands-on right now!

So, what are you holding out for?

Sign Up at Qonto here 🔥

Conclusion

And there you have it – a handy guide for every freelancer looking to master the finance game in France.

Remember, the right bank is a solid partner in your freelance journey. Choose wisely, and you’ll find your financial path smoother than a fresh croissant!

Happy Swipping!

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