Wise Business vs Revolut Business for solopreneurs (2026)
Wise Business vs Revolut Business for a one-person company in Europe — multi-currency accounts, FX cost, fees, features and EU coverage compared. Honest, solo-first, and clear on which suits getting paid abroad versus all-in-one banking.
Solopreneur (20 years) · marketer & investor · 24 June 2026 · updated 24 June 2026 · 5 min read
If you run a one-person business in Europe and invoice or buy across borders, two names come up again and again: Wise Business and Revolut Business. They look similar from the outside — slick app, multi-currency account, cards, no branch — but they’re built around different jobs. Wise is, at heart, a low-cost money-movement and FX tool. Revolut is closer to an all-in-one operating account with tiers and add-ons. Here’s how they compare from a solo’s chair, and who each actually suits. For the wider field, see the best business bank accounts for EU freelancers.
How I compared these. From a solo’s chair: which gets me paid across currencies for the least cost, which is simplest to run alone, and which fees actually bite a business of one? Enterprise features (payroll at scale, big teams) aren’t the point here. Exact fees, FX rates and plan limits change often and vary by country — every figure below is indicative; confirm on the provider’s page before deciding.
At a glance
| Wise Business | Revolut Business | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Multi-currency & low-cost FX | All-in-one business features |
| Account model | Pay-per-use, no monthly fee | Free tier + paid tiers |
| Multi-currency | Strong — local details in many currencies | Yes, varies by plan |
| FX cost | Low, near mid-market + clear fee | Competitive; plan/weekend markups apply |
| Cards | Debit cards | Debit + more on higher tiers |
| Extras | Lean, focused | Expense tools, sub-accounts, integrations |
| EU coverage | Broad EEA availability | Broad EEA availability |
| Legal status | EMI (check your country) | EMI (check your country) |
Indicative — confirm current details on each provider’s page.
Wise Business — the multi-currency and FX specialist
Wise Business
Wise Business is the one I point most cross-border solos to first. Its whole reason for existing is cheap, transparent currency conversion at the mid-market rate with a clearly stated fee — and for a freelancer paid in EUR, USD, GBP and the odd other currency, that’s the costliest problem solved well. You get local account details in several currencies, so a US or UK client can pay you “locally” instead of via an expensive international wire, and you convert when you choose. There’s typically no monthly fee — you pay per use — which suits a lean business of one. The trade-off is that it’s deliberately focused: it’s an excellent money-movement account, not a full operating suite with deep expense management or lots of bundled extras.
Pros: low-cost FX near the mid-market rate; multi-currency local account details; no monthly fee, pay-per-use; clean and simple to run alone. Cons: lighter on all-in-one operating features; fewer bundled extras than Revolut’s higher tiers; some receiving/conversion fees still apply (confirm current figures).
Best for: solos who get paid across currencies and want the cheapest, simplest way to receive and convert. More on the workflow in get paid across borders as an EU solo.
Revolut Business — the all-in-one operating account
Revolut Business
Revolut Business leans the other way: it wants to be your everyday operating account. Alongside multi-currency holding and FX, it bundles debit cards, sub-accounts, expense and spend management, and integrations with accounting tools — packaged into a free tier plus paid tiers that unlock more allowances and features as you scale. For a solo who values having spending, admin and money in one app, that breadth is the draw. The catch is that the value depends on the plan: free-conversion allowances, FX markups (including weekend/fair-usage rules) and feature limits vary by tier, so the “competitive FX” can quietly cost more than Wise once you’re past an allowance. Worth pricing against your real monthly volume rather than the headline.
Pros: all-in-one feature set (cards, sub-accounts, expense tools, integrations); free tier to start; tiers that scale with you; strong app and admin. Cons: FX and limits depend on plan; weekend/fair-usage markups can apply; higher tiers add monthly cost; more product surface than a pure money-mover needs.
Best for: solos who want one app for spending, admin and money — and will use the bundled features, not just hold currency.
Which should you choose?
The honest split, for a business of one:
- You mostly need to get paid in several currencies and convert cheaply? → Wise Business. Its FX and local account details are the core strength, at the lowest typical cost and no monthly fee.
- You want a single operating account — cards, expense tools, sub-accounts, integrations? → Revolut Business, on whichever tier matches your volume.
- You’re price-sensitive on conversion specifically? → Wise usually wins on plain FX; Revolut can match it within plan allowances, then markups bite. Confirm both on their pages.
- You want everything in one login and will actually use the extras? → Revolut’s breadth earns its keep; if you won’t, you’re paying for surface area.
And the answer plenty of solos land on: use both. Wise for receiving and converting cross-border money, Revolut for day-to-day spending and admin. It often costs little, and each does the job it’s best at — just keep the bookkeeping tidy so two accounts don’t become a reconciliation chore.
Either way, the account is a tool, not a strategy. Get the basics right first: understand what a freelancer actually needs from a business bank account, and follow the practical steps in how to open a business bank account in Europe — including the EMI-versus-bank question above — before you commit your operating money to either one.