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Accounting · head to head

Spendesk vs Starling Bank

Spendesk logo

Spendesk

Accounting

Smart spend management for modern teams

From
$29/month
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: Spendesk no publicly available pricing, requires custom quote; 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: Spendesk covers Company cards, 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 Spendesk and Starling Bank actually diverge.

Attributes where Spendesk and Starling Bank differ
AttributeSpendeskStarling Bank
Starting price$29/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionFree personal current account; business accounts have free and paid tiers
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, Mobile iOS, Mobile AndroidiOS, Android, Web
CategoryAccountingPersonal Finance
Founded2016Unknown

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

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 Spendesk

  • Company cards
  • Expense management
  • Invoice payments
  • Budget management
  • Spend analytics
  • Xero
  • Sage
  • NetSuite

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.

Spendesk

  • Expense managementnot Starling Bank
  • Spend controlnot Starling Bank
  • Finance automationnot Starling Bank

Starling Bank

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

Where each one falls short

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

Spendesk

  • No publicly available pricing, requires custom quote
  • Strong European presence but limited in some non-EU markets
  • High implementation costs due to extensive integration requirements

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

Spendesk

$29/month
  • EssentialsFree
    • Virtual cards
    • Expense tracking
    • Approvals

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 Spendesk if

  • You need company cards.
  • You work on Web, Mobile iOS, Mobile Android.
  • You also want expense management.
Spendesk 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 Spendesk or Starling Bank better?
Neither clearly leads. Spendesk starts at $29/month and Starling Bank at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Spendesk or Starling Bank?
Starling Bank has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $29/month for Spendesk and Free for Starling Bank.
Does Spendesk or Starling Bank run on more platforms?
Spendesk runs on Web, Mobile iOS, Mobile 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. Spendesk starts at $29/month.
What is Spendesk best used for?
Spendesk is most often used for expense management, spend control, finance automation. Of those, expense management and spend control are not what Starling Bank is typically brought in for.
What can Spendesk do that Starling Bank cannot?
Spendesk covers Company cards, Expense management, Invoice payments, Budget management. Starling Bank covers FSCS-protected deposits, Business banking suite, Fee-free foreign card spending, Savings Spaces.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Spendesk: What is included in Spendesk's platform?

Spendesk combines corporate cards, a mobile receipts app, approval workflows, automated reconciliation, accounts payable, procurement, and spend controls into one platform.

Source
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.

Spendesk: How does Spendesk handle expense receipts?

Spendesk captures receipts via mobile photo upload with OCR technology, automatically matching receipts to transactions and generating automated expense reports with 98% of expense receipts collected on time.

Source
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.

Spendesk: What integrations does Spendesk offer?

Spendesk integrates with accounting software including Sage, Xero, NetSuite, and SAP, plus HR systems and tools like Slack for comprehensive spend management.

Source
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.

Spendesk: Is Spendesk profitable?

Yes. Spendesk became the first spend management platform to reach profitability in 2025, processing over £10 billion in spend across 35+ countries.

Source
Spendesk: What is Spendesk's valuation?

Spendesk is a unicorn company with a valuation of $1.5 billion, with 2025 revenue of $52 million ARR.

Source
Spendesk: How much time can Spendesk save on bookkeeping?

Organizations using Spendesk save an average of 4 days per month on bookkeeping, equivalent to over 380 hours per year returned to the business.

Source
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