Softwr

Personal Finance · head to head

Lunch Money vs Revolut

Lunch Money logo

Lunch Money

Personal Finance

Hosted budgeting app with bank sync, crypto and multi-currency tracking, pay-what-you-want annual pricing

From
$60/year
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Revolut logo

Revolut

Personal Finance

Multi-currency financial app operating as a licensed bank in parts of the EU and as an e-money institution elsewhere

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Revolut has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Lunch Money there is no self-hosted or local-first option at all, so your transaction data lives permanently on Lunch Money servers under their terms.; Revolut uK customer balances have historically been held under an e-money institution licence, meaning they are not covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme the way a traditional UK bank deposit is, even though Revolut was granted a restricted UK banking licence in 2024.
  • They diverge on capability: Lunch Money covers Bank sync, Revolut covers Multi-currency accounts.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Lunch Money and Revolut actually diverge.

Attributes where Lunch Money and Revolut differ
AttributeLunch MoneyRevolut
Starting price$60/yearFree
Pricing modelPay what you want, annual, above a published minimumFree standard tier; paid plans add higher limits, insurance and perks
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidiOS, Android, Web

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Personal Finance).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Lunch Money

  • Bank sync
  • Multi-currency support
  • Crypto account tracking
  • Recurring transaction detection
  • Budget rollover rules
  • Pay-what-you-want pricing

Only in Revolut

  • Multi-currency accounts
  • Revolut Bank EEA deposits
  • Stock, crypto and commodity trading
  • Budgeting and spending analytics
  • Virtual and disposable cards
  • Business accounts (Revolut Business)

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Lunch Money

  • Someone with bank accounts in more than one currency who wants unified budgeting without manual conversionnot Revolut
  • A crypto holder wanting wallet balances alongside ordinary bank budgeting in one viewnot Revolut
  • A user who wants automatic bank sync and does not want to run or maintain self-hosted softwarenot Revolut
  • A YNAB user frustrated by rigid category rollover rules who wants more configurable behaviournot Revolut

Revolut

  • Someone travelling or living across multiple currencies who wants low-cost exchange and spending in one accountnot Lunch Money
  • A user in the EEA who wants their balance held with a licensed bank covered by a deposit guarantee schemenot Lunch Money
  • A UK-based user who understands their balance sits under e-money safeguarding rather than FSCS bank protection, and is comfortable with thatnot Lunch Money
  • An investor wanting stock or crypto trading integrated with everyday spending in a single appnot Lunch Money

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Lunch Money

  • There is no self-hosted or local-first option at all, so your transaction data lives permanently on Lunch Money servers under their terms.
  • Bank sync depends on third-party aggregators, and connections to some smaller banks or regional institutions can break and need manual reconnection.
  • Pay-what-you-want pricing means the effective price a new subscriber lands on is not fixed, and legacy discounted pricing available to early adopters is not available to new sign-ups.
  • It has no free tier, only a trial, so anyone wanting a permanently free budgeting tool needs to look at Actual Budget or Firefly III instead.
  • Crypto tracking is basic balance tracking rather than portfolio analysis, so active traders will still want a dedicated crypto tool alongside it.

Revolut

  • UK customer balances have historically been held under an e-money institution licence, meaning they are not covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme the way a traditional UK bank deposit is, even though Revolut was granted a restricted UK banking licence in 2024.
  • Regulatory status differs by country of use, EEA versus UK versus other markets, so the actual protection on a given balance depends on where the account is domiciled, not on the brand alone.
  • Customer service has been a recurring complaint, with account freezes for fraud checks sometimes leaving customers unable to access funds for extended periods with limited direct human contact.
  • The free tier caps fee-free currency exchange at a monthly allowance, after which a fair usage fee applies, so heavy multi-currency users may need a paid plan to avoid extra charges.
  • The breadth of features, banking, trading, crypto and business accounts, spans multiple regulatory regimes and legal entities, which makes the overall structure harder for a typical customer to fully understand than a single-licence traditional bank.

Pricing, plan by plan

Lunch Money

$60/year
  • Lunch Money$60/year
    • Bank sync and manual accounts
    • Multi-currency and crypto tracking
    • Budgets, reports and recurring detection

Revolut

Free
  • StandardFree
    • Free multi-currency spending up to a monthly exchange allowance
    • Basic budgeting tools
    • UK balances held under e-money safeguarding, not FSCS-protected as a standard bank deposit
  • Premium$7.99/month
    • Higher free exchange allowance
    • Travel insurance and card delivery perks
    • Priority customer support
  • Metal$14.99/month
    • Cashback on card spending
    • Higher limits across features
    • Metal card and additional insurance cover

Which should you pick?

Choose Lunch Money if

  • You need bank sync.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want multi-currency support.
Lunch Money review

Choose Revolut if

  • You need multi-currency accounts.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on iOS, Android, Web.
  • You also want revolut bank eea deposits.
Revolut review

Questions people ask

Is Lunch Money or Revolut better?
Neither clearly leads. Lunch Money starts at $60/year and Revolut at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Lunch Money or Revolut?
Revolut has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $60/year for Lunch Money and Free for Revolut.
Does Lunch Money or Revolut run on more platforms?
Lunch Money runs on Web, iOS, Android. Revolut runs on iOS, Android, Web.
Can I use Revolut for free?
Yes. Revolut has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Lunch Money starts at $60/year.
What is Lunch Money best used for?
Lunch Money is most often used for someone with bank accounts in more than one currency who wants unified budgeting without manual conversion, a crypto holder wanting wallet balances alongside ordinary bank budgeting in one view, a user who wants automatic bank sync and does not want to run or maintain self-hosted software, a ynab user frustrated by rigid category rollover rules who wants more configurable behaviour. Of those, someone with bank accounts in more than one currency who wants unified budgeting without manual conversion and a crypto holder wanting wallet balances alongside ordinary bank budgeting in one view are not what Revolut is typically brought in for.
What can Lunch Money do that Revolut cannot?
Lunch Money covers Bank sync, Multi-currency support, Crypto account tracking, Recurring transaction detection. Revolut covers Multi-currency accounts, Revolut Bank EEA deposits, Stock, crypto and commodity trading, Budgeting and spending analytics.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Lunch Money: Can I self-host Lunch Money?

No, it is a hosted service only; there is no self-hosted or open source version.

Revolut: Is my money safe with Revolut?

It depends on your country. EEA balances are held with a Lithuanian-licensed bank and generally covered by deposit guarantee up to 100,000 euro; UK balances have historically sat under e-money safeguarding rather than FSCS bank protection, though Revolut has been working toward full UK banking status since gaining a restricted licence in 2024.

Lunch Money: How does the pay-what-you-want pricing work?

Lunch Money publishes a minimum annual price and lets subscribers choose to pay that or more; existing subscribers can often keep older discounted rates.

Revolut: Is Revolut a bank?

In the EEA, yes, through Revolut Bank UAB, licensed in Lithuania. In the UK, it has historically operated as an e-money institution and was granted a restricted banking licence in 2024, with full UK banking status pending completion of a mobilisation period.

Lunch Money: Does it handle multiple currencies?

Yes, natively, which is a common reason people choose it over YNAB or Monarch Money for international finances.

Revolut: Does Revolut charge for currency exchange?

Exchange is free up to a monthly allowance on the standard tier, after which a fair usage fee applies; paid plans raise or remove that allowance.

Share

Related pages

More on Lunch Money

More on Revolut

Keep looking

Other head to heads