Best Marygold & Co. 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

Atom bank

active

PRA/FCA UK bank. Savings and mortgages. FSCS. Not a Starling-class current account.

4.6

Durham / Newcastle · Savings-and-mortgage scale · Bank capital / BBVA-era shareholders

7.1Solid

Atom bank plc is a UK bank. FSCS applies. The live product is savings, mortgages and some SME lending — not a Monzo current account. Put salary at Starling or Monzo. Put a savings pot here if the rate wins. The purple app is not a licence upgrade for an EMI.

Best for: UK savers and mortgage-shoppers who want a PRA bank, not a current-account lifestyle app.

Licence

UK bank — Atom bank plc

Protection

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

Monthly

£0 on core savings SKUs — confirm live

#4 alternative

11Onze

active

Catalan community fintech. El Canut is the app, not a Banco de España bank.

Barcelona · Community-scale · Member / community-era

6.2Mixed

11Onze is a Catalan fintech community. El Canut can show an IBAN and a card. That is not Abanca. Keep a Spanish credit-institution account for salary if you want FGD. Score the app as a wallet and a gathering place, not as a bank.

Best for: Catalan users who want a community app and already keep salary at a real bank.

Licence

Fintech community / wallet — not a Spanish credit institution

Protection

Not Spanish FGD unless a named bank holds the balance. Treat El Canut as a wallet + aggregator until the statement names a credit institution.

Monthly

Account SKUs — confirm live

#5 alternative

albo

active

Mexican IFPE. CNBV payments licence. Not IPAB. Not a bank.

Mexico City · Millions in MX · Series-era LatAm fintech

6.5Mixed

albo is an IFPE. Write that on the card. IPAB does not follow the brand. If you need a Mexican bank deposit, wait for a banco licence or use a bank. The Mastercard is a spend rail.

Best for: Mexico-resident users who want a CNBV-authorised payments account and will keep IPAB money at a bank.

Licence

IFPE (institución de fondos de pago electrónico)

Protection

Not IPAB. IFPE balances are a payments product, not a bank deposit. Nu México’s bank conversion is a different file.

Monthly

Freemium / plus SKUs — confirm live

#6 alternative

Algbra

active

UK ethical / Sharia-screened EMI. FCA FRN 952360. Not FSCS.

London · UK ethical-fintech scale · EMI-era

6.5Mixed

Algbra is an EMI. FSCS stays with Starling and Monzo. Use this for screened spend, not rent. The 2025 Mastercard principal-issuer step is a card fact, not a bank licence.

Best for: UK residents who want a screened spend account and will keep salary at Starling or Monzo.

Licence

Authorised EMI — Algbra FS UK Limited, FRN 952360

Protection

Safeguarded e-money, not FSCS. Algbra’s own copy says the scheme covers banks, not EMIs.

Monthly

Confirm live ethical-account tariff