Monzo review

Best Digital Bank

Leading UK digital bank with smart budgeting features, instant notifications, and fee-free spending abroad. Free and paid tiers.

Overview

Monzo is the UK's most popular digital bank with over 9 million customers. Known for its distinctive coral card and pioneering app features, Monzo has evolved from a spending card into a comprehensive banking platform.

Who Is Monzo Best For?

Fee Breakdown

Plan Monthly Cost Key Features
Personal £0 Core banking, pots, spending insights
Monzo Plus £5 Credit tracking, custom categories, virtual cards
Monzo Premium £15 Travel insurance, phone insurance, 1% cashback

Standout Features

Salary Sorting — automatically split your salary into pots for bills, savings, and spending the moment it arrives. This is budgeting on autopilot.

Bill Splitting — the best in any UK banking app. Split any transaction with friends, track who owes what, and send payment requests.

Spending Insights — automatic categorisation shows exactly where your money goes each month with trends over time.

Monzo's real strength is not the bank account itself — it is the budgeting and money management layer built on top. If you struggle to track spending, Monzo makes it effortless.

Savings Pots

Monzo offers Savings Pots powered by partner banks, offering both easy-access and fixed-rate options with FSCS protection through the partner bank. Rates are competitive and you can open them instantly within the app.

What Monzo Lacks

The Bottom Line

Monzo is the best choice if you want smart budgeting and social money features built into your bank account. The free tier is excellent for everyday banking. Whether you need Plus or Premium depends on whether the extras justify the monthly cost — for most people, the free account does the job.

Pros

Cons