Kontist vs Pennylane Comparison
Compare Kontist vs Pennylane features, pricing, and more.
Last updated: November 2026
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.
Pennylane
6.4/10
French accounting, invoicing, cash management and business account platform for freelancers, small businesses, SMEs and the accounting firms that serve them.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| Overall Rating | 6.1/10 | 6.4/10 |
| Analytics | 5/10 | 6/10 |
| Compliance | 7/10 | 8/10 |
| Cost | 8/10 | 5/10 |
| Customization | 4/10 | 5/10 |
| Ease of Use | 8/10 | 8/10 |
| Integration | 5/10 | 7/10 |
| Scalability | 3/10 | 6/10 |
| Security | 7/10 | 6/10 |
| Support | 4/10 | 5/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | Yes | No |
| Cheapest paid plan | €11/mo Start | €7/mo Starter (freelancer) |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | Free Free | Contact for pricing |
| Features | ||
| Bank Reconciliation | ||
| Corporate Cards | ||
| Expense Management | ||
| Invoicing | ||
| Tax Compliance | ||
| Accountant Access | Not listed | |
| Accounts Payable | Not listed | |
| Budgeting and Forecasting | Not listed | |
| Financial Reporting | Not listed | |
| General Ledger | Not listed | |
| Online Payments | Not listed | |
| Payroll | Not listed | |
Kontist vs Pennylane cost by team size
Kontist costs less at 1 user.
| Team size | Kontist | Pennylane |
|---|---|---|
| 1 user | FreeFree | €7/moStarter (freelancer) |
| 5 users | FreeFree | Contact for pricing |
| 10 users | FreeFree | Contact for pricing |
| 25 users | FreeFree | Contact for pricing |
| 50 users | FreeFree | Contact for pricing |
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 Kontist
- Has a free plan (Pennylane does not)
- Higher Cost score (8/10 vs 5/10)
- Higher Security score (7/10 vs 6/10)
Why choose Pennylane
- Higher Scalability score (6/10 vs 3/10)
- Higher Integration score (7/10 vs 5/10)
- Better fit for small business (9/10 vs 7/10)
Pros & Cons
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
Pennylane
Pros
- Accountants and clients work in the same shared space, which reviewers call its main strength.
- Bank transactions are categorised and reconciled automatically, based on past categorisations.
- A business account with an IBAN and employee cards is included even on the entry plan.
- It is approved for French e-invoicing, and Premium adds electronic filing of VAT and tax returns.
- A 15-day free trial and cancel-anytime billing mean there is no long-term commitment.
Cons
- Reviewers consider it fairly expensive, and there is no free plan.
- Full accounting reports and tax filing are limited to Premium.
- No payroll or CRM of its own; it relies on Payfit, Silae and CRM integrations.
- Users report slow support on complex issues, occasional bugs, and a multi-currency feature that still needs work.
- Pricing for companies with employees is quote-based on the vendor site.
Not sold on either?
Frequently Asked Questions
Pennylane scores higher on our Finance Software criteria: 6.4/10 against 6.1/10 for Kontist. The largest gap is in Cost: 8/10 for Kontist and 5/10 for Pennylane.
Kontist has a free plan; Pennylane does not list one.
Pennylane is the better fit for small business: we rate it 9/10 for them, against 7/10 for Kontist.
