Best UK Banks 2026/27 — Bank Reviews and Comparison Guide

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

Detailed comparison of Monzo, Starling, and Revolut for UK customers in 2026. Features, fees, foreign spending, savings, FSCS protection, and which bank suits your needs.

· · Last reviewed: · 6 min read

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

Sources

  1. FCA — Banking
  2. FSCS — Protecting your deposits
  3. Monzo — FSCS protection