Best LHV Bank alternatives

#1 alternative

Starling Bank

active

The grown-up UK challenger: bank first, app second.

4.7

London · 4M+ · ~$1.1B raised

8.1Strong

If the question is ‘will this still be here in ten years,’ Starling scores at the top of the UK set. Monzo is more fun; Starling is more bank.

Best for: UK individuals and SMEs who want a real bank, not a wallet.

Licence

UK bank

Protection

FSCS up to £85,000

Monthly

Personal free · Business from £0–£7+

#2 alternative

Monzo

active

UK current account that made banking feel like a group chat.

4.7

London · 11M+ · ~$1.3B raised

8.1Strong

The UK salary account to beat. Pair it with Wise or Revolut if you invoice in euros or dollars. Do not open Monzo expecting a travel-card replacement on the free plan.

Best for: UK residents who want FSCS protection and the best everyday app.

Licence

UK bank

Protection

FSCS up to £85,000

Monthly

Free · Plus/Premium/Max paid

#3 alternative

Kroo

active

PRA/FCA UK bank. FSCS. FRN 953772. Not an EMI and not a prepaid leftover.

4.8

London · UK challenger-scale · Bank capital / venture-era

7.1Solid

Kroo Bank Ltd is a UK bank. PRA and FCA, FRN 953772, 20 Farringdon Street. FSCS up to £120,000. The old Kroo prepaid was e-money. That product is not this product. Starling and Monzo remain the salary default on this desk. Kroo is a real bank with a smaller toolkit. Do not demote it to a wallet because the app is pretty.

Best for: UK residents who want a PRA bank with FSCS and can live without Starling’s SME toolkit.

Licence

UK bank — Kroo Bank Ltd, FRN 953772, company 10359002

Protection

FSCS up to £120,000 per depositor per authorised firm (scheme cap from 1 Dec 2025)

Monthly

£0 core current — confirm live

#4 alternative

LHV Pank

active

Estonian bank. Finantsinspektsioon / ECB. Tagatisfond €100k. Not the UK LHV Bank Ltd file.

3.6

Tallinn · Estonian bank-scale · Listed LHV Group

7.0Solid

AS LHV Pank is an Estonian credit institution. Finantsinspektsioon, Eesti Pank, ECB. Tagatisfond up to €100,000. Euromoney still calls it Estonia’s best bank in 2026. LHV Bank Limited in London is a separate PRA bank with FSCS. Two licences. Two schemes. Directories smash them because the letters match. This desk will not.

Best for: Estonia residents who want a local bank IBAN, not a Lithuanian EMI and not the UK LHV file.

Licence

Credit institution — AS LHV Pank

Protection

Tagatisfond (Estonian Deposit Guarantee Fund) up to €100,000 per depositor per bank

Monthly

Account packs — confirm live

#5 alternative

Kestrl is a habit layer. Keep a Monzo/Starling/high-street account for the actual deposit. Halal branding does not move FSCS.

Best for: UK Muslims who want a money app that speaks their constraints, with a real bank still underneath.

Licence

App + partner EMI/bank rails

Protection

If a spending account exists, it is partner-EMI or bank — not Kestrl-as-bank

Monthly

Freemium / subscription SKUs — confirm live

#6 alternative

Brex

active

US start-up cards and spend. Not a bank, on purpose.

3.9

San Francisco · Tens of thousands of firms · $1B+ raised historically

7.3Solid

Brex is a card and spend platform. Ramp is the rival. Mercury is the checking account you put underneath.

Best for: US start-ups that want Ramp-class cards with a slightly different religion.

Licence

Commercial card + treasury partners

Protection

Treasury/cash sits at partner banks or money-market — cards are credit/charge

Monthly

Card program; rewards-funded for eligible start-ups