Vivid Money Review 2026: Business Banking with Cashback, Tested
· Updated: Jul 22, 2026
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Ideal for
- Freelancers in Germany and the EU who want a free account with a German IBAN
- Self-employed people with high card spend who want cashback on it
- Founders who need sub-accounts with their own IBANs for reserves and projects
- App-first users who never need cash deposits or a branch
USP
Free business account with a German IBAN, cashback on card spend, interest on balances and built-in invoicing — the app bank for self-employed people who want their account to work for them
Free to start?
Yes — Free Start plan free forever; paid plans come with 2 free months
Vivid in 30 seconds
What is Vivid?
Vivid Money is a fintech with its own e-money licence (CSSF, Luxembourg) that positions its business account squarely on price and perks: a free-forever entry plan, cashback on card spend, interest on balances and a built-in invoicing tool. Practically every legal form is accepted — from sole traders to a GmbH in formation — and freelancers get their own, cheaper plan line.
That places Vivid in the gap between bare-bones free fintechs and tax-focused specialists like Finom or Kontist: more perks than a plain free account, less tax automation than the specialists.
Cashback and interest: the account as a yield product
The number-one selling point is interest on business balances — 4% p.a. as a promo for the first 4 months, then 0.1–1.3% depending on plan (USD/GBP balances earn more). Add cashback on business card spend: 0.1% base on the free plan, more on paid plans, with up to 6% category cashback on Pro. The honest math: if four figures a month run through your company card (ads, SaaS, travel), the plan fee pays for itself — with little card spend, stay on the Free Start plan.
Sub-accounts, invoicing, accounting
Sub-accounts with their own German IBANs organise tax reserves, fixed costs and projects — plus USD and GBP accounts for international clients. An invoicing tool is included free on every plan; receipts can be uploaded (capped at 25 on the free plan) and handed to your accountant via DATEV or Lexware Office exports — though exports require a paid plan. There is no automatic tax-reserve calculation like Kontist offers.
The catch: e-money, not a bank
Since 2024 Vivid no longer partners with Solaris — it safeguards funds itself as an e-money institution, separated from company assets but without the statutory €100,000 deposit guarantee that covers bank deposits. Add the typical fintech constraints: no cash deposits, no overdraft, app-only support. Vivid scores a solid ~4.6/5 on Trustpilot, but the most serious recurring complaint is sudden account freezes with slow resolution — a real operational risk for a business account, best hedged with a second account elsewhere.
Who is Vivid worth it for?
Vivid fits digital-first self-employed people who want a free or cheap account with a German IBAN and already run their spending through cards — then cashback and interest stack into a real price advantage. If you need automatic tax reserves, cash handling or full-bank deposit protection, look at Kontist or a classic bank — we compare the whole market in our business account overview.
What we like about Vivid and what we don't
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Free-forever plan with a German IBAN and free SEPA transfers
- Cashback on business card spend — up to 6% in categories on Pro
- Interest on balances (4% p.a. promo for 4 months, then up to 1.3% by plan)
- Invoicing tool included free on every plan
- Sub-accounts with their own German IBANs plus USD/GBP accounts
- Every paid plan comes with 2 free months
Cons
- E-money institution, not a bank: no classic €100,000 deposit insurance — funds are safeguarded separately instead
- Trustpilot complaints about sudden account freezes and hard-to-reach support
- No cash deposits, no overdraft, withdrawals cost 1–2% beyond a free allowance
- DATEV export only on paid plans
Pricing
Free Start
Free
free forever (freelancer plan line)
- German IBAN, free SEPA transfers
- 0.1% base cashback
- Invoicing tool included
- First physical card free
Basic
6,90 €
per month billed yearly, excl. VAT — monthly billing costs more
- Higher cashback (up to 4% in categories)
- DATEV and accounting exports
- Better interest on balances
- Unlimited receipt uploads
Pro
18,90 €
per month billed yearly, excl. VAT — monthly billing costs more
- Up to 6% cashback (Pro)
- 1.3% interest after the promo phase
- More sub-accounts, cards and free allowances
- Team access for growing companies
Prices may change — check the official website for current plans.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does the Vivid business account cost?
Self-employed users get three plans: Free Start is free forever, Basic costs €6.90/month and Pro €18.90/month (billed yearly, excl. VAT; monthly billing costs slightly more — Vivid says yearly saves up to 24%). Every paid plan includes 2 free months. As of July 2026 — check current terms at vivid.money.
How does Vivid cashback work?
Vivid pays cashback on business card spend, tiered by plan: 0.1% base on the free plan, more on paid plans — the advertised "up to 6%" applies to category cashback on the Pro plan, not every transaction. If you run ads, software and travel through the company card, cashback can cover the plan fee; with little card spend the effect stays small.
Is my money safe with Vivid?
Differently from a classic bank: Vivid Money S.A. is an e-money institution licensed by Luxembourg's CSSF — the statutory €100,000 deposit guarantee for bank deposits does not apply. Client funds are safeguarded separately from company assets (including central-bank deposits). That's regulated and normal for fintechs, but a different protection level than a full bank — worth knowing if you park large reserves.
Does Vivid come with a German IBAN?
Yes — every plan comes with a German IBAN, and sub-accounts each get their own DE IBAN too. The old fintech problem of foreign IBANs being rejected for direct debits doesn't apply here. You also get USD and GBP accounts for international clients.
Vivid or Kontist/bunq — which fits better?
Vivid wins on cost and extras: free plan, cashback, interest, invoicing. Kontist counters with automatic tax reserves, bunq with tiered sub-accounts and sustainability features. Rule of thumb: maximum cost efficiency and cashback = Vivid; automatic tax organisation = Kontist.
Verdict
Vivid is the value play among business accounts: use the free plan or activate cashback with your card spend and you get a lot of account for very little money — German IBAN, sub-accounts, interest and invoicing included. The price is the fintech setup: an e-money licence instead of deposit insurance, no cash, digital-only support — and the account-freeze complaints on Trustpilot are worth knowing. Strong as a low-cost account for digital-first self-employed people; for parking large reserves we'd still want a full bank.
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