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Personal Finance · head to head

MoneyWiz vs Starling Bank

M

MoneyWiz

Personal Finance

Simple and powerful personal finance app

From
Free
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

  • Each has a real cost: MoneyWiz there is no free tier; every plan requires a subscription; 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: MoneyWiz covers Expense tracking, 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 MoneyWiz and Starling Bank actually diverge.

Attributes where MoneyWiz and Starling Bank differ
AttributeMoneyWizStarling Bank
Pricing modelfreemiumFree personal current account; business accounts have free and paid tiers
PlatformsWeb, IOS, AndroidiOS, Android, Web
Founded2011Unknown

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 MoneyWiz

  • Expense tracking
  • Budget management
  • Multi-currency support
  • Financial analytics
  • Bank accounts
  • Credit cards
  • Web support
  • IOS support

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.

MoneyWiz

  • Tracking personal accounts, budgets and bills across iOS, macOS, Windows and Androidnot Starling Bank
  • Syncing one finance database across multiple devices through MoneyWiz Cloudnot Starling Bank
  • Automatically importing transactions through bank syncnot Starling Bank

Starling Bank

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

Where each one falls short

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

MoneyWiz

  • There is no free tier; every plan requires a subscription
  • Bank sync with over 40,000 banks is Premium only, at 59.99 USD a year or 5.99 USD a month
  • The Standard plan at 29.99 USD a year provides only cloud sync between devices, with no bank sync
  • Subscriptions cap usage at 15 devices and two MoneyWiz Cloud accounts
  • Priority support is restricted to the Premium tier

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

MoneyWiz

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Basic expense tracking
    • Multiple accounts
  • Premium$4.99/month
    • Advanced analytics
    • Budget forecasting
    • Custom categories

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 MoneyWiz if

  • You need expense tracking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, IOS, Android.
  • You also want budget management.
MoneyWiz 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 MoneyWiz or Starling Bank better?
Neither clearly leads. MoneyWiz starts at Free and Starling Bank at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, MoneyWiz or Starling Bank?
MoneyWiz starts at Free and Starling Bank at Free.
Does MoneyWiz or Starling Bank run on more platforms?
MoneyWiz runs on Web, IOS, Android. Starling Bank runs on iOS, Android, Web.
Can I use MoneyWiz for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is MoneyWiz best used for?
MoneyWiz is most often used for tracking personal accounts, budgets and bills across ios, macos, windows and android, syncing one finance database across multiple devices through moneywiz cloud, automatically importing transactions through bank sync. Of those, tracking personal accounts, budgets and bills across ios, macos, windows and android and syncing one finance database across multiple devices through moneywiz cloud are not what Starling Bank is typically brought in for.
What can MoneyWiz do that Starling Bank cannot?
MoneyWiz covers Expense tracking, Budget management, Multi-currency support, Financial analytics. Starling Bank covers FSCS-protected deposits, Business banking suite, Fee-free foreign card spending, Savings Spaces.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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.

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.

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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