Bankings

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

Detailed comparison of Monzo, Starling, and Revolut for UK customers. Features, fees, foreign spending, savings, and which bank suits your needs.

· 4 min read

The three biggest UK challenger banks each have strengths. Here’s how they compare for everyday banking.

Quick Comparison

Feature Monzo Starling Revolut
UK Banking Licence ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ✅ Yes
FSCS Protected ✅ £85,000 ✅ £85,000 ✅ £85,000
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 ✅ ✅ ✅

Monzo

Overview

Feature Details
Founded 2015
Customers 9+ million
App Rating 4.5★
Best For Budgeting, social payments

Monzo 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 & Cons

Pros Cons
Excellent budgeting tools ATM fees abroad after limit
Instant notifications Interest rates not highest
Easy bill splitting Customer service can be slow
Strong community Premium required for best rates
Salary sorting feature

Starling Bank

Overview

Feature Details
Founded 2014
Customers 4+ million
App Rating 4.7★
Best For Main current account

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 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 & Cons

Pros Cons
No fees abroad ever Fewer budgeting features
Interest on current account Less trendy brand
Excellent customer service Smaller community
Full banking features No packaged accounts
Award-winning Fewer partner integrations

Revolut

Overview

Feature Details
Founded 2015
Customers 40+ million globally
App Rating 4.6★
Best For Travel, multi-currency

Revolut Plans

Feature Standard Plus (£3.99/mo) Premium (£7.99/mo) Metal (£14.99/mo)
Card Standard Premium Premium Metal
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 ❌ ❌ ✅ ✅
Lounge access ❌ ❌ ❌ ✅
Cashback ❌ ❌ ❌ Up to 1%

Revolut Pros & Cons

Pros Cons
Best exchange rates Limits on free plan
Multi-currency accounts Weekend exchange markup
Crypto & stocks Customer service issues
Most features Can feel overwhelming
Global reach Premium features cost

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 Free Fee on excess
Weekend spending Normal rate Normal rate 1% markup
Exchange rate Mastercard Mastercard Interbank (best)

Winner: Starling (no limits), or Revolut (best rates but limits)

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 & Interest

Feature Monzo Starling Revolut
Interest on balance 1% (free) 3.25% Paid plans
Savings pots rate Up to 4.5% Up to 4.5% Up to 4.5%
Easy access ✅ ✅ ✅
Fixed rate options ✅ ✅ ✅

Winner: Starling (free account interest)

Customer Service

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

Winner: Starling

Additional Features

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

Winner: Revolut (most features)

Which Should You Choose?

Choose Monzo If:

Use Case Why Monzo
You want excellent budgeting Best pots and categories
You split bills often Easy social features
You prefer community feel Active user base
You’re new to digital banking User-friendly

Choose Starling If:

Use Case Why Starling
You want a main bank replacement Full features, reliable
You travel frequently No ATM limits
You value customer service Best support
You want interest on your balance Free account interest
You run a small business Excellent business accounts

Choose Revolut If:

Use Case Why Revolut
You travel very frequently Best exchange rates
You want crypto/stocks Built-in trading
You send money abroad often Cheap transfers
You want maximum features Most comprehensive
You hold multiple currencies Native multi-currency

Using All Three

Many people use multiple accounts:

Account Use For
Starling Main salary account
Monzo Spending money & budgeting
Revolut Travel & currency exchange

Security Comparison

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

Summary

Category Winner
Overall main account Starling
Budgeting Monzo
Travel Revolut/Starling
Exchange rates Revolut
Customer service Starling
Features Revolut
Savings interest Starling
Business banking Starling