Starling Bank

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

Legal entity: Starling Bank Limited (trading as Starling). PRA/FCA authorised UK bank.

Neobank Business bankingactive

United Kingdom

Go to Starling Bank →iOS 4.8 · 210K Android 4.6 · 90K

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Starling Bank

8.1Strong

Alternatives

Five questions

At a glance

Is it a bank?
Yes — UK bank (PRA / FCA). Still read the entity on the statement.
If it fails?
FSCS up to £120,000 per depositor per bank (Starling FSCS information sheet). Joint accounts: £120,000 per holder.
Salary?
Yes — UK current account with sort code, for customers Starling accepts.
Open from abroad?
UK personal current accounts are residency-gated. Starling is not a passporting e-money app.
Monthly fee
Personal free · Business from £0–£7+
Account number
UK sort code / account number.

NeoBankDB Verdict

Licence first · score second

8.1

/10 · Strong

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.

What it is

Starling is a UK-authorised bank founded by Anne Boden. It stayed narrower than Revolut: current accounts, business accounts, and a marketplace of savings and loans. That discipline is the product. FSCS applies to eligible deposits.

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

Last checked 2026-08-01. Not advice.

What it does well

+Conservatively run UK bank
+Excellent business account
+Fee-free personal FX spend is still a headline feature
+Human support

What to watch

−UK-only onboarding
−App is calmer, less playful than Monzo
−Fewer ‘lifestyle’ extras
−Business pricing has stepped up

Legal entity, not the app icon

Who is behind it

Legal name: Starling Bank Limited (trading as Starling). PRA/FCA authorised UK bank.
Parent: Starling Bank Limited
Founders: Anne Boden
Offices: London
If something goes wrong: Financial Ombudsman Service on UK-regulated banking complaints.

Who holds the money

The account

Platforms: iOS · Android
Account types: Personal · Joint · Business · USD/EUR
Partner bank: Starling Bank Ltd
Minimum balance: £0
Lowest monthly fee: £0 personal
Who can open: UK individuals and companies
Availability: United Kingdom
IBAN country: UK sort code / account number.
Support: Help centre plus 020 7930 4450 / help@starlingbank.com (Starling published contacts).
Hours: Human in-app support — a scored strength
Remote open: UK personal current accounts are residency-gated. Starling is not a passporting e-money app.
Onboarding: App KYC, UK identity and address.
KYC documents: Photo ID and proof of address.
Minimum age: 18 for a personal current account.
Languages: English
Salary / payroll: Yes — UK current account with sort code, for customers Starling accepts.
Local rails: UK Faster Payments, BACS, Direct Debit, CHAPS.
ATM network: Mastercard; fee-free ATM abroad on personal (fair usage)
Overdraft: Personal overdraft on eligible accounts

How money actually moves

Who holds the cash: Insured bank deposit
How money moves: IBAN / SEPA · Faster Payments
Built for: Personal · Business · Freelancer
Settlement: Local rails instant where live; SWIFT slower
Freeze risk: Bank-grade; still not freeze-proof
Card: Starling Bank lists a physical card and a virtual card on mastercard, plus Apple Pay and Google Pay. Confirm the live product in the app — a card is not a current account.

Licence first

Safety

FSCS up to £120,000 per depositor per bank (Starling FSCS information sheet). Joint accounts: £120,000 per holder.

Who holds the money: Starling Bank Ltd

PRA / FCAUK bank · United Kingdom

Fees

Monthly: Personal free · Business from £0–£7+
FX markup: Mastercard rate; no Starling markup on personal spend
ATM: Fee-free ATM abroad on personal (fair usage)
Interest: Personal and business savings pots

Features

✓IBAN
✓Fee-free core
✓Multi-currency
✓Apple Pay
✓Google Pay
✓Virtual card
✓Physical card
–Metal card
–Crypto
–Stocks
✓Business
–Kids
–Halal

UK current account
Business account with accounting integrations
Euro and USD virtual IBANs / local details on some products
Marketplace lending and savings
In-app chat with human agents

Editorial, not a live demo

Screenshots and video

Official YouTube · Starling Bank

Media is editorial context, not a live demo of the app. Screenshots go stale — read the licence first.

Before you tap Sign up

How to open

Step 1
Confirm you can be a customer
Starling is a UK bank. Personal current accounts are not a remote-everywhere product.
Step 2
Pass KYC
App identity check. 18+ for the personal current account.
Step 3
Read the FSCS sheet
Eligible deposits at Starling Bank Limited are covered up to £120,000 per depositor. That is Starling’s own information sheet, not a directory guess.

Official help: help.starlingbank.com

Operator documents

Their own papers

These are the operator’s documents. They outrank this review if they disagree.

Score

Safety25%
Fees20%
Features15%
App15%
Global15%
Support10%

Change log

Full log

2025-03-01Product
Business toolkit deepened
Still a UK bank. Business is a SKU, not a separate EMI.
2025-03-01Product
Business toolkit deepened
Still a UK bank. Business is a SKU, not a separate EMI.
2016-01-01Licence
UK bank from day one of the public product
Marketplace partners are not the bank. The current account is.
2016-01-01Licence
UK bank from day one of the public product
Marketplace partners are not the bank. The current account is.

Available in

United Kingdom

Straight answers

FAQ

Is Starling Bank a bank?

Starling Bank is filed as UK bank. The named regulator is PRA / FCA. Still read the entity on the statement before you send money.

What happens to money in Starling Bank if it fails?

Starling Bank Limited is a UK bank. Eligible deposits are FSCS-protected up to £120,000 per person per authorised firm (scheme cap from 1 December 2025).