Kontist alternative for cross-border and non-German businesses
Kontist is a German business account for freelancers and companies registered in Germany. Narvi is a Finnish e-money institution for EEA and cross-border companies that need Swift, team access and an API. Here's how they compare.
The short answer. Choose Narvi if your company isn't registered in Germany, you send or receive payments outside SEPA, or more than one person needs access to the account. Stay with Kontist if you're a freelancer or small company in Germany who wants a €0 plan, German tax estimates in the app and statutory deposit protection.Kontist and Narvi solve different problems. Kontist is built around German self-employed people and their tax return; Narvi is built for companies whose payments cross borders. Every Kontist fact below comes from Kontist's own pages or its partner Solaris as of 3 November 2026, linked at the end.
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At a glance
Kontist vs Narvi at a glance
Each number in brackets links to its source; the full list is at the end of the page.Provider and licence- Kontist: since 11 February 2026 trading as "Kontist by Shine". Shine Germany GmbH runs the app; the accounts are held by Solaris SE, a German bank supervised by BaFin. Kontist states it has no banking licence of its own [1][3][5][12]
- Narvi (Narvi Payments Oy Ab): e-money institution supervised by the Finnish Financial Supervisory Authority (FIN-FSA), registration 3190214-6, passported across the EEA [13]
- Kontist: account holders must live and pay tax in Germany; companies must be registered in Germany with a German business address, and no legal representative may be US-taxable [4][6][7]
- Narvi: companies across the EEA and, case by case, outside it, including founders and shareholders who aren't resident where the company is registered [22][23]
- Kontist: German IBAN starting with DE [4]
- Narvi: dedicated IBAN in your company's name, starting with FI, under Narvi's own BIC NARYFIH2 [17]
- Kontist: SEPA transfers, direct debits and SEPA Instant in EUR. Kontist's help centre says it doesn't support payments outside SEPA or in foreign currencies [2][9]
- Narvi: SEPA and SEPA Instant 24/7, plus Swift under Narvi's own BIC, and multi-currency wallets [18][23]
- Kontist: no joint accounts or power of attorney; no public API, accounting tools connect through PSD2 or DATEV [10][11]
- Narvi: roles for directors, accountants and employees, a business API with public documentation, and Banking-as-a-Service [21][20]
- Kontist: Free (€0), Start (€11 a month plus VAT) and Plus (€25 a month plus VAT), each with a set number of included transfers [2]
- Narvi: one-time onboarding fee, a monthly fee by risk tier with three months paid up front, and a minimum balance of three monthly fees [14]
Fit
Built for a German tax return, or for cross-border payments
Kontist's product is shaped around German self-employment: a real-time estimate of how much tax to set aside, invoicing, receipt capture, a sevdesk integration and DATEV connections [4][10]. If your accountant and tax office are in Germany, that's useful.Narvi has none of those tax tools. What it has is reach: Swift under its own BIC for clients and suppliers outside the SEPA zone, multi-currency wallets, and onboarding for companies whose owners live in different countries [17][23][22].Team access
When the account needs more than one person
Kontist says it doesn't offer joint accounts or power of attorney [11]. That's fine for a one-person business; it gets awkward once a co-founder, an accountant or an operations lead needs to see or approve payments.Narvi accounts support roles for directors, accountants and employees, and you can run several companies from one dashboard [21][17].When to stay
When Kontist is the better choice
If you're a freelancer or small company registered in Germany, pay only in euro within SEPA and want to start for €0, Kontist is the simpler fit [2][4]. Its tax estimate and DATEV links save work at year end [4][10]. And if statutory deposit protection matters to you, Kontist balances sit with a German bank and are covered up to €100,000 [8]; Narvi, as an e-money institution, safeguards funds instead [19].How to switch
Switching from Kontist to Narvi
What to prepare. You'll need your company documents, details of your directors and owners, and a short description of where your money comes from and goes. The full document list is in our help centre.- Book a short call with the onboarding team for a pricing estimate based on your business profile.
- Complete the online application, which takes about 10 minutes (step-by-step guide).
- Our compliance team reviews your documents and sends a priced offer.
- Fund the account: the onboarding fee, three months of monthly fees and a minimum balance of three monthly fees [14].
- Run both accounts in parallel. Move one payment flow at a time (customers, PSPs, payroll, suppliers) and send each counterparty your new IBAN and the BIC NARYFIH2.
- Close the old account only after the last inbound payment has landed, and check your Kontist agreement for notice periods and closing fees first.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Since 11 February 2026 it trades as Kontist by Shine. Kontist says nothing changes for existing customers, and the accounts are still held by Solaris SE.
No. Kontist accepts companies registered in Germany with a German business address, and individual account holders must live and pay tax in Germany.
Kontist's help centre says it doesn't support payments outside SEPA or in foreign currencies. Narvi supports Swift under its own BIC and multi-currency wallets.
No. Narvi Payments Oy Ab is an e-money institution authorised by the Finnish Financial Supervisory Authority and passported across the EEA. It holds client funds separately from its own money, as EU e-money rules require.
Yes, and we recommend it. Run both accounts in parallel and move your payment flows one at a time, so nothing stops while counterparties update your details.
Narvi charges a one-time onboarding fee and a monthly fee set by your risk tier, with three months of fees paid up front. Enterprise clients are priced after compliance review. The tiers are on the pricing page.
Get a dedicated FI IBAN in your company's nameOpen an account or talk to the onboarding team about your industry and payment flows.
Sources
Sources
Last checked: 3 November 2026. Also compare Narvi with ConnectPay, Stable.com, payabl., IBAN4U, Genome, Paxum, Bilderlings or Neteller, or read our comparison of Wise, Revolut and other alternatives.- Kontist homepage
- Kontist pricing
- Kontist imprint
- Kontist business account for small businesses
- Kontist help: a new chapter, Kontist by Shine (11 February 2026)
- Kontist help: eligible legal forms
- Kontist help: setting up an account for your company
- Kontist help: is my money safe
- Kontist help: foreign-currency transfers
- Kontist help: connecting accounting software
- Kontist help: access for others and joint accounts
- Solaris SE imprint
- FIN-FSA register of supervised entities
- Narvi pricing
- Narvi for iGaming
- Narvi for Web3 and crypto
- Narvi dedicated IBAN
- Narvi SEPA Instant
- Narvi FAQ
- Narvi Banking-as-a-Service
- Narvi multi-user access
- Narvi for non-resident and cross-border companies
- Narvi for small and medium businesses
What We Offer
IBAN Accounts For Your Business
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Narvi Payments Oy Ab is an Authorized Electronic Money Institution (EMI). Narvi’s EMI license is granted by the Finnish Financial Supervisory Authority (FIN FSA) with the registration number 3190214-6. Narvi’s license is passportised to all European Union countries.
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