If you’re managing expenses across multiple teams and markets, you’ll know that simply having a digital account is no longer sufficient. For European companies, the ideal scenario is achieving the right balance between control, speed, and cost. This, of course, is closely linked to selecting financial infrastructure that can scale with your business needs.
There are many providers in the market, and two frequently discussed options are Wallester Business and Bunq Business. Essentially, both serve SMEs with modern financial tools. But the choice between them depends on what you’re trying to optimise, because one is built primarily for spend control and card issuance infrastructure and the other for banking and cash management.
Here’s how they stack up.
Company overview
Wallester Business
- Founded: 2016
- HQ: Tallinn, Estonia
- Market: EEA + the UK
- Services: Visa corporate cards, expense tracking, multi-user dashboards, API integrations
Wallester Business is an expense management platform centred around fast and scalable card issuance. Companies can issue 300 virtual Visa cards for free, with unlimited physical cards, all synced to a real-time expense management dashboard. Additionally, Wallester Business offers API-based accounting integrations, supports 10 currencies with no internal FX fees, and enables onboarding that’s typically completed within hours.
Bunq Business
- Founded: 2012
- Headquarters: Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Market Presence: EEA + the UK
- Services: Multi-currency business accounts, local IBANs, debit cards, budgeting “pots,” batch payments, savings interest
Bunq Business presents itself as a digital bank for entrepreneurs and SMEs. It offers full EUR IBAN accounts, real-time payments, and up to 25 sub-accounts for budgeting and project tracking. There are also earning opportunities, with interest rates of up to 2.3% on USD and GBP balances, and 0.75% on EUR. These are paid out on a weekly basis.
Bunq Business offers four plans: Free Business (for sole proprietors), Core Business (€7.99/month), Pro Business (€13.99/month), and Elite Business (€23.99/month). Each tier adds more cards, account automation, and sustainability features.
Features Comparison
| Feature | Wallester Business | Bunq Business |
| Business Accounts & IBANs | No IBANs; expense infrastructure only | Full EUR IBAN + up to 25 sub-accounts (depending on plan) |
| Virtual & Physical Cards | 300 free virtual cards on Free plan, unlimited physical and virtual cards | 1–25 digital cards and up to 3 physical cards depending on plan |
| Card Issuance & Limits | Unlimited cards & users; real-time spend control | Plan-based card and transaction limits; extra cards may cost €99 |
| Cashback & Rewards | No cashback | Interest on balances: 0.75% (EUR), 2.30% (USD/GBP); paid weekly |
| Pricing & Subscription Fees | Free account with 300 virtual cards; paid plans from ~€0.066 per card/month | €0 (Free) → €7.99 (Core) → €13.99 (Pro) → €23.99 (Elite) |
| Expense Management | Real-time dashboard, whitelisting, team card controls | Pots, scheduled payments, automatic sorting, employee cards |
| Accounting Integrations | REST API, CSV export | Native integrations with Exact Online, MoneyMonk, Zapier, etc. |
| Customer Support | Real-time support on all plans; dedicated manager on higher tiers | 24/7 in-app support; no dedicated account manager |
| Currency Exchange | No FX fees between internal accounts (10 currencies supported) | Market FX rates with low spreads |
| Payroll Cards | Supports batch payouts of up to 1,500 employee cards | Not supported |
| Team Roles & Permissions | Custom roles (admin, accountant, employee) | Basic role management varies by plan |
Pros & Cons
Wallester Business
Pros:
- 300 free virtual Visa cards
- No monthly or per-card fees
- Real-time spend limits and team-level controls
- No FX markups between supported currencies
- Instant onboarding
- Payroll card support
- Direct Visa issuing (no third party)
Cons:
- Not a full bank account (no inbound IBAN payments)
- Focused on spend management, not deposits or savings
Bunq Business
Pros:
- Full IBAN business accounts with sub-accounts
- Earns up to 2.3% interest on balances
- Strong mobile app experience
- Instant SEPA transfers
- 24/7 multilingual support
Cons:
- Monthly fees across all paid tiers
- Card limits and per-user constraints
- Limited spend management tools compared to dedicated platforms
- Less competitive FX and international transfers fees
- No payroll or multi-card issuance for large teams
Which one is best for you?
It really depends on what you’re optimising for. If your priority is efficient expense control, team-level visibility, and scalability, Wallester Business is the better choice. You can issue hundreds of cards instantly, manage permissions in real time, and keep FX costs at zero, all without a monthly fee. It’s built for marketing teams, media buyers, and finance managers who need to control spend across multiple people or projects.
If you need a comprehensive banking solution, Bunq Business may be more suitable. For businesses that hold balances, receive client payments, and want to earn interest on deposits, Bunq offers a full-featured digital banking platform, though at a recurring cost.
Final thoughts
To sum up, both Wallester Business and Bunq Business serve modern European SMEs, but they solve different problems. Wallester is first and foremost a card-issuing and expense management platform. Bunq, on the other hand, is a digital bank with sub-accounts and interest-bearing deposits.
So, if your goal is to streamline payments, manage spend across multiple teams, and avoid the growing list of per-user or per-card fees typical of traditional business banking, then Wallester Business is likely the stronger long-term option.
Create your free Wallester Business account and get 300 virtual cards instantly.
