C24 vs. N26 Bank Summary
👑 Winner: C24 wins in all the categories except English support. We find C24 a better choice if you are fine without an English banking app.
- C24’s free checking account offers all the services you may need for daily banking. Thus, it’s a good option for your main checking account. N26 removed most its services from free plan. Thus, it’s not the best option anymore on the market.
- N26 doesn’t offer phone customer support in its free plan. C24 offers customer support via phone, email, and in-app chat.
- The unique selling point of C24 is the joining bonus of 75 € and 2.5% interest on the checking account. N26 doesn’t offer interest on checking accounts. You must open a savings account instead. Moreover, the interest rate is only 1.26% in the free plan.
- The only shortcoming of C24 is that it is available in German only. So, it’s not the best option for people looking for English support. N26 offers banking in both German and English.
Parameter | Weightage | N26 (Score out of 10) | 👑 C24 (Winner) (Score out of 10) |
Customer service | 20% | 3 | ⭐ 6 |
Ease to open an account | 10% | = 10 | = 10 |
English support | 20% | ⭐ 10 | 0 |
Fees | 20% | 7 | ⭐ 9 |
Real-time transfer | 5% | 5 | ⭐ 10 |
Overdraft facility | 5% | 5 | ⭐ 10 |
Technology | 10% | 9 | ⭐ 10 |
Special features | 10% | 7 | ⭐ 9 |
Overall score | 6.1 | ⭐ 6.9 | |
To the provider | N26* | C24* |
⭐ Winner in a particular category or feature
As you can see, C24 is the winner in all the categories except English support. C24 free checking account is the best banking account in the market as of 2024.
Open free bank account with C24
- Best free bank account in Germany
- 2.5% interest on checking account
- 0.5% cashback on every transaction
- 4 free ATM withdrawals worldwide
Table of Contents
C24 vs. N26 – Customer service
👑 C24 (Winner) | N26 | |
Score | ⭐ 6 | 3 |
Customer support channels | ⭐ In-app chat, telephone, and email | In-app chat only (for free plans) |
Rating on Trustpilot | ⭐ 4.9 out of 5 (10,177 reviews) | 3.8 out of 5 (31,582 reviews) |
Rating on Finanzfluss | ⭐ 3.8 out of 5 (112 reviews) | 2.9 out of 5 (251 reviews) |
Positive reviews | ||
Opening a bank account | ✔️ Within a few minutes | ✔️ Within a few minutes |
Moving an account | ✔️⭐ | ✖️ |
Amazing mobile app | ✔️ | ✔️ |
Pockets (subaccounts) | ✔️⭐ 4 to 8 | ✖️ Not available in free plan |
Paying with a card abroad | ✔️ No fees | ✔️ No fees |
Negative reviews | ||
Accounts were suddenly blocked | Yes | Yes |
Transactions took longer than expected | Yes | ⭐ Didn’t find such a review |
Standard replies on chat | Yes | Yes |
Long waiting times when contacting customer care | Yes | Yes |
To the provider | C24* | N26* |
⭐ Winner in a particular category or feature
✔️ Offers the particular feature
C24 vs. N26 – Ease to open an account
👑 C24 (Winner) | N26 | |
Score | 10 | 10 |
Number of ways to verify yourself | ⭐ 3: Video Ident, Going to a post office, Verifying using an existing German bank account | 2: Video Ident, Going to a post office |
To the provider | C24* | N26* |
C24 vs. N26 – Checking account and other fees
👑 C24 (Winner) | N26 | |
Score | ⭐ 9 | 7 |
Account management fee | ✔️ 0 € | ✔️ 0 € |
Girocard | ✔️⭐ 0 € | ✖️ Don’t offer a Girocard |
Debit card | ✔️ 0 € | ✔️ 0 € |
Credit card | ✖️ Don’t offer | ✖️ Don’t offer |
Number of free ATM withdrawals per month | ⭐ 4 | 3 |
ATM withdrawal fee after exhausting free withdrawals | 2 € per withdrawal | 2 € per withdrawal |
ATM withdrawal within or outside Europe | Within EU: Same fees as in Germany ⭐ Outside EU: Same fees as in Germany | ⭐ Within EU: Unlimited free withdrawal Outside EU: 1.7% fee |
Payment within Europe | ✔️ 0 € | ✔️ 0 € |
Payments outside Europe | ✔️ 0 € | ✔️ 0 € |
To the provider | C24* | N26* |
✔️ Offers the particular feature
C24 vs. N26 – Overdraft facility
👑 C24 (Winner) | N26 | |
Score | ⭐ 10 | 5 |
Offers overdraft facility | Yes | Yes |
Interest in overdraft facility | ⭐ 7.49% to 11.49% | 13.4% |
To the provider | C24* | N26* |
C24 vs. N26 – Banking app and online banking
👑 C24 (Winner) | N26 | |
Score | ⭐ 10 | 9 |
Playstore rating | 4.8 (30.8k people reviewed it) | 3.8 (133k people reviewed it) |
Appstore rating | 4.8 (33.1k people reviewed it) | 4.6 (9.1k people reviewed it) |
Customer feedback | Positive | Positive |
To the provider | C24* | N26* |
C24 vs. N26 – Checking account’s features you’ll love
👑 C24 (Winner) | N26 | |
Score | ⭐ 9 | 5 |
Language | 🇩🇪 | ⭐ 🇩🇪 🇺🇸 |
Cashback on card transactions | ✔️⭐ 0.5% | ✖️ (business account only) |
Cashback on partner companies | ✔️⭐ | ✖️ (only in paid plans) |
Pockets / Sub-accounts | ✔️⭐ 4 to 8 | ✖️ (only in paid plans) |
Joint accounts | ✔️ Free | ✔️ Free |
Spending analysis and automatic savings options | ✔️ | ✔️ |
Free trading account | ✖️ | ✔️⭐ |
To the provider | C24* | N26* |
✔️ Offers the particular feature
C24 vs. N26 – How safe is your money with these banks?
C24 | N26 | |
Score | = 10 | = 10 |
Have a banking license? | ✔️ | ✔️ |
Registered with BaFin | ✔️ | ✔️ |
Deposit security insurance | ✔️ 100,000 € | ✔️ 100,000 € |
IBAN | ✔️ 🇩🇪 | ✔️ 🇩🇪 |
To the provider | C24* | N26* |
✔️ Offers the particular feature
C24 vs N26 – Conclusion, which account is better?
Nowadays, many banks offer free checking accounts. Thus, the verdict is based on the performance of C24 and N26’s free checking accounts.
Both C24 and N26 offer their customers great banking apps with many features. However, C24’s free checking account offers better overall services to customers looking for a main bank account.
The only problem with C24 Bank is that it’s available only in German. On the other hand, N26 offers services in both English and German.
However, N26 is not the best option as its free plan doesn’t offer many services like sub-accounts, cashback, interest, customer care on phone, etc. On the other hand C24 does.
So, C24* is the clear winner here. But if English banking is a must for you, then you should consider Revolut.
👑 Winner: C24 wins in all the categories except English support. We find C24 a better choice if you are fine without an English banking app.