Monzo vs Starling Bank
short answerBoth are traditional neobanks. Monzo is the larger platform (~12M users). Compare custody, license, FX markup and fees field by field below.
Monzo: 12M+ customers; UK license; US expansion.
Starling Bank: Profitable; Engine SaaS platform.
Side by side
| Monzo | Starling Bank | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | traditional | traditional |
| Audience | general | general |
| HQ | London, UK | London, UK |
| Founded | 2015 | 2014 |
| Custody | Custodial | Custodial |
| Regulation | Licensed bank | Licensed bank |
| License detail | UK banking license | UK banking license |
| Card | MC · Debit | MC · Debit |
| Cashback | — | — |
| Yield | ~4% savings pots | ~3-4% on balances |
| FX markup | 0% foreign transaction fee; Mastercard exchange rate, all tiers (2026-07) | 0% foreign transaction fee; Mastercard rate, no markup, any day/amount (2026-07) |
| Services | fiat pay-in (bank rails), fiat pay-out (bank rails), own IBAN / account no., virtual cards | — |
| Stablecoins | No | No |
| KYC | Yes | Yes |
| Regions | Europe | Europe |
| Reported users | 12M customers (2025) | — |
go deeperFull profiles: Monzo · Starling Bank — or run your own comparison of up to four in the directory.
Figures compiled from public sources, for comparison only — not financial advice. "Up to" rates change constantly; always confirm with the issuer. Spotted an error? Suggest a fix.