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 £85,000. Revolut received a UK banking licence in 2024, but the migration of existing UK customers from e-money accounts to bank accounts was still rolling out through 2025–2026. Check whether your Revolut account is held as a bank account or e-money account — only the former carries FSCS protection.

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 the best exchange rates on weekdays but imposes monthly ATM limits on the free plan and adds a 1% markup at weekends. Monzo charges no fee on card payments but applies a 3% fee on ATM withdrawals above £250/month.

Can I use a digital bank as my main account?

Yes — Starling is particularly well-suited as a main account with FSCS protection, interest on balances, 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-registered and uses safeguarding to protect e-money balances — meaning customer funds are held separately from company funds. Revolut received a UK banking licence in 2024, which will bring FSCS protection as customers are migrated to bank accounts. For significant savings, Monzo or Starling (with established full banking licences) are the safer primary account choice until Revolut's UK migration is complete.

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 (granted 2024)
FSCS Protected	✅ £85,000	✅ £85,000	⚠️ In transition — check your account type
Monthly Fee	Free	Free	Free (Standard)
Interest on Balance	Yes (limited)	Yes	Yes (paid plans)
Overseas Card Payments	No fee	No fee	No fee (limits)
ATM Withdrawals Abroad	£250 free/month	No limits	£200 free/month
Joint Accounts	✅	✅	✅
Business Accounts	✅	✅	✅

Note on Revolut FSCS status: Revolut’s UK banking licence was granted in 2024, but migrating all UK customers from e-money accounts to full bank accounts is a phased process. Until migration is confirmed on your account, your balance is protected by safeguarding rules — not FSCS. Check the Revolut app for your current account type.

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

Feature	Free Account	Monzo Plus (£5/mo)	Monzo Premium (£15/mo)
Hot coral card	✅	✅ Metal	✅ Metal
Budgeting pots	✅	✅	✅
Spending insights	✅	✅	✅
Interest on balance	1% (up to £2k)	3.75% (up to £25k)	4.5% (up to £25k)
Virtual cards	1	6	6
Fee-free abroad cash	£250/month	£400/month	£600/month
Travel insurance	❌	❌	✅
Phone insurance	❌	❌	✅

Monzo Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
Excellent budgeting pots and tools	3% ATM fee abroad after £250/month
Instant spending notifications	Interest rates not highest on free tier
Easy bill splitting	Phone support only on premium plans
Salary sorting feature	Premium required for best rates
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 balance	Yes (variable)	✅	✅
Savings Spaces	✅	✅	Goals
Overseas spending	No fees ever	No fees	No fees
ATM abroad	Unlimited free	Unlimited	Unlimited
Joint account	✅	N/A	N/A
Overdraft	✅	❌	✅

Starling Interest Rates

Balance	Rate
Up to £5,000	3.25% AER
Savings Spaces	Up to 4.5% AER

Starling Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
No fees abroad — no monthly limits	Fewer budgeting features than Monzo
Interest on current account balance (free)	No packaged account option
Consistently top-rated customer service	Smaller product range than Revolut
Full banking features, joint and business accounts
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

Feature	Standard	Plus (£3.99/mo)	Premium (£7.99/mo)	Metal (£14.99/mo)
Currency exchange	£1,000/mo free	£3,000/mo	Unlimited	Unlimited
ATM withdrawals	£200/mo free	£400/mo	£800/mo	£1,500/mo
Crypto trading	Limited	✅	✅	✅
Disposable virtual cards	❌	✅	✅	✅
Travel insurance	❌	❌	✅	✅
Airport lounge access	❌	❌	❌	✅
Cashback	❌	❌	❌	Up to 1%

Revolut Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
Best exchange rates (weekdays)	1% weekend markup on exchanges
30+ currency accounts built-in	Monthly ATM limits on free plan
Crypto and stock trading in-app	Customer service inconsistent
Most feature-rich of the three	FSCS migration still in progress
Global reach, used in 150+ countries	Can feel overwhelming for basic users

Head-to-Head Comparisons

Foreign Spending

Scenario	Monzo	Starling	Revolut
Card payments abroad	No fee	No fee	No fee (weekday)
ATM withdrawal €200	Free (under limit)	Free — always	Free (under limit)
ATM withdrawal €500	3% on €250 excess	Free	Fee on excess
Weekend spending	Mastercard rate	Mastercard rate	1% markup
Exchange rate source	Mastercard	Mastercard	Interbank (best)

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

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	1% (free tier)	3.25% (free tier)	Paid plans only
Savings pots rate	Up to 4.5%	Up to 4.5%	Up to 4.5%
Easy access	✅	✅	✅
Fixed rate options	✅	✅	✅

Winner: Starling — interest on the current account balance at no cost is a clear advantage.

Customer Service

Metric	Monzo	Starling	Revolut
In-app chat	✅	✅	✅
Phone support	Premium only	✅ Free	Premium only
Response time	Variable	Fast	Variable
Trustpilot score	~4.0★	~4.3★	~4.2★

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 interest on your balance for free	3.25% AER with 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	Best 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, interest
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	Premium	❌	Plus and above
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
Free current account interest	Starling
Business banking	Starling
FSCS protection certainty	Monzo or Starling

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

Monzo Pros and Cons

Starling Bank

Overview

Starling Features

Starling Interest Rates

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

Monzo Pros and Cons

Starling Bank

Overview

Starling Features

Starling Interest Rates

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