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Personal Finance · head to head

Lunch Money vs Starling Bank

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
Starling Bank logo

Starling Bank

Personal Finance

UK-licensed digital bank with FSCS-protected deposits, built and majority-owned without a US parent

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Starling Bank 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.; Starling Bank as a UK-only bank, customers wanting broad multi-currency holding, international transfers or in-app investing will need a separate product, since Starling's feature set stays deliberately focused on core banking.
  • They diverge on capability: Lunch Money covers Bank sync, Starling Bank covers FSCS-protected deposits.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Lunch Money and Starling Bank actually diverge.

Attributes where Lunch Money and Starling Bank differ
AttributeLunch MoneyStarling Bank
Starting price$60/yearFree
Pricing modelPay what you want, annual, above a published minimumFree personal current account; business accounts have free and paid tiers
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 Starling Bank

  • FSCS-protected deposits
  • Business banking suite
  • Fee-free foreign card spending
  • Savings Spaces
  • Joint accounts
  • Starling mortgages

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 Starling Bank
  • A crypto holder wanting wallet balances alongside ordinary bank budgeting in one viewnot Starling Bank
  • A user who wants automatic bank sync and does not want to run or maintain self-hosted softwarenot Starling Bank
  • A YNAB user frustrated by rigid category rollover rules who wants more configurable behaviournot Starling Bank

Starling Bank

  • A UK resident wanting a free, fully licensed current account with FSCS deposit protectionnot Lunch Money
  • A sole trader or small business wanting a business account with built-in invoicing rather than a separate accounting subscriptionnot Lunch Money
  • A frequent traveller wanting fee-free card spending abroad on a UK-regulated accountnot Lunch Money
  • A saver wanting goal-based Spaces sub-accounts without opening a separate savings productnot 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.

Starling Bank

  • As a UK-only bank, customers wanting broad multi-currency holding, international transfers or in-app investing will need a separate product, since Starling's feature set stays deliberately focused on core banking.
  • Business account paid tiers add a monthly fee for features that some competitors bundle for free, so cost comparison against other business banking options should account for the tier actually needed, not the free entry point.
  • Like other app-first banks, Starling has very limited physical presence, which is a real limitation for customers needing to deposit cash or prefer in-person service.
  • Mortgage lending is limited to buy-to-let through a subsidiary rather than a full residential mortgage range, so it is not a one-stop option for a typical homebuyer.
  • Interest rates on savings Spaces and any lending products are set individually and can change, so the specific rate should be checked at the time of opening rather than assumed from marketing.

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

Starling Bank

Free
  • Personal current accountFree
    • Free current account with FSCS-protected deposits
    • Fee-free foreign currency card spending
    • No monthly account fee
  • Business Toolkit$7/month
    • Integrated invoicing and expense categorisation
    • Multiple sub-accounts (Spaces) for tax and VAT setting-aside
    • Accounting software integrations

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 Starling Bank if

  • You need fscs-protected deposits.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on iOS, Android, Web.
  • You also want business banking suite.
Starling Bank review

Questions people ask

Is Lunch Money or Starling Bank better?
Neither clearly leads. Lunch Money starts at $60/year and Starling Bank at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Lunch Money or Starling Bank?
Starling Bank has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $60/year for Lunch Money and Free for Starling Bank.
Does Lunch Money or Starling Bank run on more platforms?
Lunch Money runs on Web, iOS, Android. Starling Bank runs on iOS, Android, Web.
Can I use Starling Bank for free?
Yes. Starling Bank 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 Starling Bank is typically brought in for.
What can Lunch Money do that Starling Bank cannot?
Lunch Money covers Bank sync, Multi-currency support, Crypto account tracking, Recurring transaction detection. Starling Bank covers FSCS-protected deposits, Business banking suite, Fee-free foreign card spending, Savings Spaces.

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.

Starling Bank: Is Starling Bank a real bank?

Yes, Starling Bank Limited holds a full UK banking licence and is regulated by the FCA and PRA, the same framework as traditional UK banks.

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.

Starling Bank: Are deposits protected if Starling fails?

Eligible deposits are covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme up to 85,000 pounds per eligible person, the same statutory protection as other UK banks.

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.

Starling Bank: Is Starling good for a small business?

It has a well regarded business banking product with integrated invoicing and accounting software links, commonly used by UK sole traders and small companies.

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