Which is better: Monzo, Starling, or Revolut?

It depends on your needs. Starling is best for a full current account replacement with no fees abroad and excellent customer service. Monzo excels at budgeting tools, spending pots, and bill splitting. Revolut offers the most features — particularly for frequent travellers, multi-currency use, and those who want crypto or stock trading in the same app.

Do Monzo, Starling and Revolut have FSCS protection?

Monzo and Starling have full UK banking licences and your deposits are FSCS-protected up to £120,000 (this limit rose from £85,000 on 1 December 2025). Revolut has completed its transition from an e-money licence to a full UK banking licence, and its UK bank account products now carry the same FSCS protection — check your account type in the Revolut app, as some legacy balances may still sit under older e-money terms.

Which digital bank is best for travelling abroad?

Starling has no fees on card payments or ATM withdrawals abroad — ever, with no monthly limit. Revolut offers strong exchange rates on weekdays but imposes monthly limits on its free plan and adds a markup at weekends. Monzo charges no fee on card payments on weekdays but applies fees on ATM withdrawals above its free monthly allowance — check current limits in-app, as these are periodically revised.

Can I use a digital bank as my main account?

Yes — Starling is particularly well-suited as a main account with FSCS protection and full banking features. Monzo also works well as a primary account. Many people use all three for different purposes: Starling for salary, Monzo for budgeting, and Revolut for travel.

Is Revolut safe to use in the UK?

Revolut is FCA-regulated and has completed its transition to a full UK banking licence, bringing FSCS protection to its UK bank account products in the same way as Monzo or Starling. Some older Revolut balances may still be held under e-money safeguarding rather than FSCS — check your account type in the app if you're unsure, and confirm current status on Revolut's own site before relying on it for a large balance.

Monzo vs Starling vs Revolut — Which Digital Bank Is Best in 2026? | PocketWise

Monzo, Starling, and Revolut dominate the UK’s digital banking market between them — but they are very different products aimed at different users. For a broad guide to all UK bank options including high-street banks, return to the Bank Reviews hub.

Quick Comparison

Feature	Monzo	Starling	Revolut
UK Banking Licence	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	✅ Yes (transition to full licence completed)
FSCS Protected	✅ £120,000	✅ £120,000	✅ On banking products — confirm your account type in-app
Monthly Fee	Free, or paid tiers (Extra £3, Perks £9, Max from £19)	Free	Free (Standard), paid tiers available
Interest on current account	No — interest sits on separate savings products	No — interest sits on separate savings products	No — interest sits on separate savings products
Overseas Card Payments	No fee	No fee	No fee (limits apply on free plan)
ATM Withdrawals Abroad	£200 free/month on the free plan, more on paid tiers — confirm current limits	No limits	Monthly limits vary by plan — confirm current limits
Joint Accounts	✅	✅	✅
Business Accounts	✅	✅	✅

Note on Revolut licence status: Revolut received a restricted UK banking licence in 2024 and has since completed the transition to a full licence, with UK bank account products now carrying FSCS protection. Because the rollout happened in stages, always check the account type shown in the Revolut app before assuming full protection applies to every balance you hold.

Note on current account interest: None of the three currently pay interest directly on the main current account balance. Instead, each offers separate linked savings products — Monzo’s Instant/Select Access savings, Starling’s Easy Saver and Fixed Saver, and Revolut’s Vaults — which do pay interest. Rates below are correct as checked in September 2026 and change regularly, so confirm the current rate before relying on it.

Monzo

Overview

Feature	Details
Founded	2015
UK Customers	9+ million
App Rating	4.5★
Best For	Budgeting, bill splitting

For the full breakdown, see our Monzo review 2026.

Monzo Plan Features (checked September 2026)

Monzo restructured its paid tiers during 2026 — if you’ve seen references elsewhere to “Monzo Plus” (£5/month) or “Monzo Premium” (£15/month), those names and prices are now out of date. The current line-up is:

Feature	Free	Extra (£3/mo)	Perks (£9/mo)	Max (from £19/mo)
Instant Access savings interest	2.75% AER	3.00% AER	3.25% AER	3.50% AER
Select Access savings interest (£500 min)	3.15% AER	3.15% AER	3.65% AER	3.65% AER
Budgeting pots	✅	✅	✅	✅
Fee-free cash withdrawals	Up to £200/month	Confirm current limit	Up to £600/month	Up to £600/month
Virtual cards	1	Unlimited connected banks, virtual cards	Included	Included
Extra perks	—	3 credit scores, Billsback	+ Railcard, cinema/Uber/YouTube perks	+ travel & phone insurance, breakdown cover

Savings interest and perks are the areas most likely to change — always check monzo.com for the current rates and tier names before comparing.

Monzo Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
Excellent budgeting pots and tools	Fee applies to ATM withdrawals abroad above the free monthly allowance
Instant spending notifications	Best savings rates and perks require a paid tier
Easy bill splitting	Phone support only on premium plans
Salary sorting feature	Plan names and pricing have changed recently — double check before comparing to older reviews
Strong community and app updates

Starling Bank

Overview

Feature	Details
Founded	2014
UK Customers	4+ million
App Rating	4.7★
Best For	Main current account, travel, small business

For the full breakdown, see our Starling Bank review 2026.

Starling Features

Feature	Personal Account	Kite (Kids)	Business
Monthly fee	Free	Free	Free
UK debit card	✅	✅	✅
Interest on current account balance	❌ (interest sits on separate savings products)	✅	✅
Savings Spaces / linked savings	✅	✅	Goals
Overseas spending	No fees ever	No fees	No fees
ATM abroad	Unlimited free	Unlimited	Unlimited
Joint account	✅	N/A	N/A
Overdraft	✅	❌	✅

Starling Savings Rates (checked September 2026)

Starling’s current account itself does not pay in-credit interest — its competitive rates sit on separate linked savings products:

Product	Rate
Easy Saver	~4.00% AER (variable)
Fixed Saver	~3.70% AER
Flexible Cash ISA	~2.50% AER (tax-free, variable)

Rates change regularly — confirm the current figure on starlingbank.com before relying on it.

Starling Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
No fees abroad — no monthly limits	Fewer budgeting features than Monzo
Competitive linked savings rates, at no cost	No packaged account option
Consistently top-rated customer service	Smaller product range than Revolut
Full banking features, joint and business accounts	Current account itself pays no interest — you need to actively move money to a Space or Saver
Award-winning app

Revolut

Overview

Feature	Details
Founded	2015
Global Customers	50+ million
App Rating	4.6★
Best For	Travel, multi-currency, crypto, stocks

For the full breakdown including the FSCS migration timeline, see our Revolut UK review 2026. For how Revolut compares to Wise for international transfers, see Wise vs Revolut.

Revolut Plans

Revolut’s paid tiers and their exact monthly currency exchange and ATM limits are revised periodically — confirm current figures on revolut.com before comparing plans, as this table (checked September 2026) can go stale quickly:

Feature	Standard	Plus	Premium	Metal
Monthly subscription	Free	~£3–4/mo	~£8/mo	~£15/mo
Currency exchange	Limited free monthly allowance	Higher allowance	Unlimited	Unlimited
ATM withdrawals	Limited free monthly allowance	Higher allowance	Higher allowance	Highest allowance
Crypto trading	Limited	✅	✅	✅
Disposable virtual cards	❌	✅	✅	✅
Travel insurance	❌	❌	✅	✅
Airport lounge access	❌	❌	❌	✅
Cashback	❌	❌	❌	Up to 1%

Revolut Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
Competitive exchange rates (weekdays)	Weekend markup on exchanges
30+ currency accounts built-in	Monthly limits on free plan
Crypto and stock trading in-app	Customer service historically inconsistent
Most feature-rich of the three	Full UK banking licence transition happened in stages — confirm your account type
Global reach, used in 150+ countries	Plan pricing and limits change periodically — verify before comparing

Head-to-Head Comparisons

Foreign Spending

Scenario	Monzo	Starling	Revolut
Card payments abroad	No fee (weekday)	No fee	No fee (weekday, within limits)
ATM withdrawal within free allowance	Free	Free — always	Free (within limits)
ATM withdrawal above free allowance	Fee applies	Free	Fee on excess
Weekend spending	Check current terms	Standard rate	Markup applies on free plan
Exchange rate source	Card network rate	Card network rate	Interbank rate

Winner: Starling (no limits ever). Runner-up: Revolut (strong rates on weekdays, but limits and weekend markup apply on the free plan).

Budgeting Features

Feature	Monzo	Starling	Revolut
Spending categories	✅ Excellent	✅ Good	✅ Good
Savings pots/spaces	✅ Best	✅ Good	✅ Vaults
Salary sorting	✅	❌	❌
Bill tracking	✅	✅	✅
Round-ups	✅	✅	✅
Spending targets	✅	✅	✅

Winner: Monzo

Savings and Interest

Feature	Monzo	Starling	Revolut
Interest on current account itself	❌ None	❌ None	❌ None
Linked/pot savings rate (free tier)	2.75% AER	~4.00% AER (Easy Saver)	Varies by plan
Easy access	✅	✅	✅
Fixed rate options	✅	✅	✅

Winner: Starling — its linked Easy Saver rate is the most competitive of the three at no cost, though remember none of the three pay interest on the current account balance directly.

Customer Service

Metric	Monzo	Starling	Revolut
In-app chat	✅	✅	✅
Phone support	Paid tiers only	✅ Free	Paid tiers only
Response time	Variable	Fast	Variable
Trustpilot score	Check current rating	Check current rating	Check current rating

Winner: Starling

Additional Features

Feature	Monzo	Starling	Revolut
Crypto trading	❌	❌	✅
Stock trading	❌	❌	✅
Multi-currency accounts	❌	€ account	30+ currencies
Bill splitting	✅ Excellent	✅	✅
Subscription tracking	✅	✅	✅

Winner: Revolut (most features overall)

Which Should You Choose?

Choose Monzo If:

Use Case	Why Monzo
You want excellent budgeting tools	Best pots, categories, and salary sorting
You split bills with friends regularly	Easiest social payment features
You are new to digital banking	Very user-friendly
You want spending visibility	Best-in-class spending insights

Choose Starling If:

Use Case	Why Starling
You want a complete main account replacement	Full features, reliable, FSCS-protected
You travel frequently	No ATM limits or foreign fees — ever
You value customer service	Consistently top-rated
You want a competitive linked savings rate for free	~4.00% AER on Easy Saver, no monthly fee
You run a small business or freelance	Excellent business account features

Choose Revolut If:

Use Case	Why Revolut
You travel very frequently to multiple countries	Competitive exchange rates on weekdays
You want crypto or stock trading	Only one of the three with this
You send money abroad regularly	Cheap and fast international transfers
You hold or receive money in multiple currencies	Native 30+ currency accounts

Using All Three

Many people use more than one account. A common split:

Account	Used For
Starling	Main salary account — reliable, FSCS, linked savings
Monzo	Day-to-day budgeting and bill pots
Revolut	Travel and international transfers

Security Comparison

Security Feature	Monzo	Starling	Revolut
Instant card freeze	✅	✅	✅
Biometric login	✅	✅	✅
Instant transaction notifications	✅	✅	✅
3D Secure	✅	✅	✅
Disposable virtual cards	Paid tiers	❌	Paid tiers
Location-based security	✅	✅	✅

Summary

Category	Winner
Best main current account	Starling
Budgeting and spending tools	Monzo
Travel (no limits)	Starling
Best exchange rates	Revolut
Customer service	Starling
Most features overall	Revolut
Best free linked savings rate	Starling
Business banking	Starling
FSCS protection	All three — confirm your Revolut account type

Bank Reviews hub — full library of UK bank comparisons
Monzo Review 2026
Starling Bank Review 2026
Revolut UK Review 2026
Wise vs Revolut — international transfers compared
Chase UK Review 2026
Online Banks Guide

Monzo vs Starling vs Revolut — Which Digital Bank Is Best in 2026?

Contents

Quick Comparison

Monzo

Overview

Monzo Plan Features (checked September 2026)

Monzo Pros and Cons

Starling Bank

Overview

Starling Features

Starling Savings Rates (checked September 2026)

Starling Pros and Cons

Revolut

Overview

Revolut Plans

Revolut Pros and Cons

Head-to-Head Comparisons

Foreign Spending

Budgeting Features

Savings and Interest

Customer Service

Additional Features

Which Should You Choose?

Choose Monzo If:

Choose Starling If:

Choose Revolut If:

Using All Three

Security Comparison

Summary

Sources

Contents

Quick Comparison

Monzo

Overview

Monzo Plan Features (checked September 2026)

Monzo Pros and Cons

Starling Bank

Overview

Starling Features

Starling Savings Rates (checked September 2026)

Starling Pros and Cons

Revolut

Overview

Revolut Plans

Revolut Pros and Cons

Head-to-Head Comparisons

Foreign Spending

Budgeting Features

Savings and Interest

Customer Service

Additional Features

Which Should You Choose?

Choose Monzo If:

Choose Starling If:

Choose Revolut If:

Using All Three

Security Comparison

Summary

Related Guides

Sources