Fortnox vs Kontist: Complete Comparison (2026)
An in-depth comparison of Fortnox and Kontist to help you choose the right tool for your business.
Last updated: November 2026
Fortnox
6.5/10
Swedish cloud accounting platform covering bookkeeping, invoicing, payroll, supplier invoice approval and reporting for small and mid-sized Swedish businesses and accounting firms.
Kontist
6.1/10
Kontist is a German mobile business account for freelancers and small companies, with automatic tax set-asides, invoicing, receipt management and bundled sevdesk accounting.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| Overall Rating | 6.5/10 | 6.1/10 |
| Analytics | 5/10 | 5/10 |
| Compliance | 7/10 | 7/10 |
| Cost | 6/10 | 8/10 |
| Customization | 5/10 | 4/10 |
| Ease of Use | 7/10 | 8/10 |
| Integration | 8/10 | 5/10 |
| Scalability | 6/10 | 3/10 |
| Security | 6/10 | 7/10 |
| Support | 7/10 | 4/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Cheapest paid plan | SEK 238/mo Mini | €11/mo Start |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | SEK 238/mo Mini | Free Free |
| Features | ||
| Corporate Cards | ||
| Expense Management | ||
| Invoicing | ||
| Accountant Access | Not listed | |
| Accounts Payable | Not listed | |
| Bank Reconciliation | Not listed | |
| Financial Reporting | Not listed | |
| General Ledger | Not listed | |
| Payroll | Not listed | |
| Tax Compliance | Not listed | |
Fortnox vs Kontist cost by team size
| Team size | Fortnox | Kontist |
|---|---|---|
| 1 user | SEK 238/moMini | FreeFree |
| 5 users | SEK 238/moMini | FreeFree |
| 10 users | SEK 238/moMini | FreeFree |
| 25 users | SEK 238/moMini | FreeFree |
| 50 users | SEK 238/moMini | FreeFree |
The plan that fits each team size, billed monthly, before add-ons and usage charges. Each cost opens that tool's pricing calculator for the team size.
Which One Should You Choose?
Why choose Fortnox
- Higher Integration score (8/10 vs 5/10)
- Higher Scalability score (6/10 vs 3/10)
- Better fit for small business (9/10 vs 7/10)
- Better fit for startups (8/10 vs 6/10)
Why choose Kontist
- Has a free plan (Fortnox does not)
- Higher Cost score (8/10 vs 6/10)
- Higher Ease of Use score (8/10 vs 7/10)
Pros & Cons
Fortnox
Pros
- More than 500 integrations, and one 189 kr licence covers all of them.
- A single platform covers bookkeeping, invoicing, payroll, supplier invoice approval, payments and a company card, which suits Swedish SMEs.
- Accounting firms get a dedicated bureau package for working in their clients' books.
- New companies get six months free, and every new subscription has a 30-day open purchase period.
- Trustpilot and Shopify app reviewers frequently praise customer service and sync reliability.
Cons
- Usage fees for invoices, paid employees and interpretations, plus an Access fee that scales with activity, make total cost hard to predict.
- Three-month agreements cost 15 percent more than the 12-month list prices.
- The product is Swedish-focused, and users have asked for an English interface.
- Some users call the reporting tools dated and say neobank integrations such as Revolut are missing.
Kontist
Pros
- Automatic real-time tax and VAT set-asides, which Trustpilot reviewers repeatedly praise
- Free plan with no monthly fee, a German IBAN and a Visa debit card
- Every plan includes a free period of sevdesk accounting, up to a full year on Plus
- Deposits are held at BaFin-licensed Solaris SE and protected up to 100,000 euros
- The app is available in both English and German, which helps expat freelancers
Cons
- Only available to people who live in and pay tax in Germany
- Reviewers report slow, mostly email-based support that has to be chased repeatedly
- Free tier includes only 5 SEPA transactions a month, and extra transactions cost a fee
- No full double-entry ledger, so proper bookkeeping depends on sevdesk or another tool
- Past complaints include account closures and the handling of unauthorized payments
Not sold on either?
Frequently Asked Questions
Fortnox scores higher on our Finance Software criteria: 6.5/10 against 6.1/10 for Kontist. The largest gap is in Integration: 8/10 for Fortnox and 5/10 for Kontist.
Kontist has a free plan; Fortnox does not list one.
Fortnox is the better fit for small business: we rate it 9/10 for them, against 7/10 for Kontist.
