Holvi review: a business account built around invoicing and bookkeeping

This Holvi review looks at one of the longer-running digital business accounts in Germany. Holvi was founded in Helsinki in 2011 and offers a German IBAN, Mastercard debit cards, invoicing, e-invoicing and bookkeeping tools aimed at freelancers, the self-employed and small companies. Holvi says more than 40,000 customers use it.

We have not opened an account ourselves. This review is based on Holvi's published plans and legal information, its terms, and how it compares with other business accounts. We cover what each plan includes, how safe your money is, who Holvi suits and when a rival makes more sense.

Holvi plans and what they include

Holvi offers four plans. Holvi Flex has no base fee and is billed monthly. It includes one German IBAN, one virtual Mastercard debit card and multi-currency accounts, but every SEPA transfer and direct debit costs a small fee, and a physical card costs extra each month. Flex is a sensible way to test Holvi or run a very quiet side business.

Holvi Lite adds a second IBAN, a physical card, 100 included SEPA transactions per month and the ability to write invoices and e-invoices. Holvi Pro, which Holvi marks as its bestseller, adds five IBANs, three physical cards, unlimited SEPA transfers and 500 included e-invoices per month plus extended reports. Holvi Business is meant for GmbHs and UGs with several employees and includes 15 IBANs, five physical and 20 virtual cards, and a lower foreign currency fee.

Paid plans are cheaper when billed yearly, but Holvi notes that the yearly option comes with a 12-month commitment and no early cancellation. New customers can try the paid plans for 30 days without a base fee.

• Flex: no base fee, pay per transfer, 1 IBAN, virtual card
• Lite: 2 IBANs, 1 physical card, 100 SEPA transactions, invoicing
• Pro: 5 IBANs, 3 physical cards, unlimited SEPA, e-invoices, advanced reports
• Business: 15 IBANs, 5 physical and 20 virtual cards, built for teams

Is Holvi a bank? How safe is your money?

This is the most important point to understand. Holvi is not a bank. Its legal notice states that Holvi Payment Services Oy is supervised by the Finnish Financial Supervisory Authority (FIN-FSA) as an authorised payment institution, that the Holvi account is a payment account, and that customer funds are held as segregated client money.

Segregation means your money is kept separate from Holvi's own funds and should be protected if Holvi fails. It is not the same as the statutory deposit guarantee of up to 100,000 euros that applies at licensed banks. For most freelancers this difference is small in practice, but if you hold large reserves, keeping part of them at a bank with deposit insurance is a reasonable precaution.

Invoicing, e-invoices and bookkeeping

Holvi's real strength is that invoicing sits inside the account. On Pro and Business you can create, send and track invoices and e-invoices in the XRechnung and ZUGFeRD formats, and incoming e-invoices can be uploaded, checked, paid and archived. With e-invoicing becoming mandatory between German businesses in stages, that built-in support is a practical advantage.

Receipts can be photographed in the app and attached to transactions with categories and notes. Holvi shows a live VAT preview and offers exports such as account statements, booking journals, VAT and income reports and electronic statements in camt.052 format. A DATEV connection runs over a secure EBICS link (an add-on on smaller plans) and there is a Lexware Office integration, so your tax adviser can pull data directly.

Cards, transfers, international payments and opening an account

All Holvi cards are Mastercard debit cards and work with Apple Pay and Google Pay. On request, and subject to approval, Holvi also offers a business credit card with a limit of up to 50,000 euros and no interest if you repay at the end of the month.

SEPA transfers, including instant transfers, are supported on every plan. Holvi can also send and receive SWIFT payments in 18 currencies and hold balances in currencies such as USD and GBP. A foreign currency fee applies to non-euro SWIFT payments: 1 percent on most plans and 0.5 percent on Holvi Business. If you are paid in foreign currencies often, compare that with specialist providers.

Who Holvi is for

Holvi suits freelancers, consultants and small agencies that write many invoices and want them tied to their payments, and small GmbHs and UGs that want team cards and tax adviser integrations without a traditional bank. It also accepts partnerships such as GbR, OHG and KG, and offers a company formation service for founders.

It is less suited to businesses that handle cash, need an overdraft or a classic credit line, or want the security of a full banking licence for large balances. Very high-volume users should also check whether Pro or Business is really cheaper than a bank package.

Holvi vs Qonto and Kontist

Qonto is the closest rival: a larger European business account with strong team and expense features, also available with a German IBAN. Kontist, which runs its accounts through the licensed bank Solaris, focuses on automatic tax reserves for German freelancers and offers statutory deposit protection. Holvi sits between them, with the most complete built-in invoicing and e-invoicing of the three.

Holvi accounts are opened online. New customers can test the Lite, Pro and Business plans for 30 days without a base fee, which is a sensible way to check whether the invoicing and bookkeeping tools fit your workflow before committing. Holvi also offers a free account switching service that redirects payments, notifies partners and helps move you away from your old account, which saves time for established businesses.

Support is available by phone, live chat and email, and Holvi also runs an AI assistant around the clock for simple questions. For founders, Holvi offers a company formation service that covers steps from the articles of association to trade registration, so the account can be in place from day one.

Is Holvi worth it?

If you invoice regularly and want a single tool for payments, invoices, receipts and your tax adviser, Holvi Pro offers good value, and the free Flex plan is a low-risk way to try it. Just be clear that you are using a regulated payment institution rather than a bank, and read the fee table for transfers and foreign currency before you commit to a yearly plan.

Key specs

Provider

Holvi Payment Services Oy, supervised by the Finnish FIN-FSA as a payment institution

Plans

Flex (no base fee), Lite, Pro, Business

IBAN

German IBANs: 1 (Flex) up to 15 (Business)

Cards

Mastercard debit, virtual and physical; Apple Pay and Google Pay

Transfers

SEPA incl. instant; SWIFT in 18 currencies

Invoicing

Invoices and e-invoices (XRechnung, ZUGFeRD) on Pro and Business

Accounting links

DATEV via EBICS, Lexware Office

Customers

Over 40,000, according to Holvi

Alternatives to consider

• Qonto: A larger European business account with strong team, card and expense features.
• Kontist: Automatic tax reserves for German freelancers, with accounts held at a licensed bank.
• N26 Business: A simple, low-cost account from a licensed German bank for sole traders.

Frequently asked questions

Holvi is a mature, practical business account for freelancers and small companies in 2026. Its built-in invoicing and e-invoicing, German IBANs and DATEV and Lexware links save real admin time, and the free Flex plan makes it easy to try. The trade-offs are per-transfer fees on the free plan, yearly commitments on discounted plans and the fact that Holvi is a payment institution rather than a bank. If those points suit you, Holvi is well worth a look.

How we research: Reviews are based on the maker’s specifications, published independent tests and owner reports. Scores compare the product with others in its class.