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N26 vs Revolut

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N26 vs Revolut Apps

N26 vs Revolut: Which Is Better for Your Banking Needs?

Jul 10, 2023
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Two of Europe's best-known fintechs, N26 and Revolut are two world-class digital services that both go a long way in reducing the costs and offer a user-friendly online experience.

In this side-by-side review, we compare N26 and Revolut to help you make a more informed decision about the two. Read on to see how they stack up with each other across multiple areas, including fees, product quality, and customer satisfaction.

It's important to note at the very beginning that N26 and Revolut are fundamentally quite different. N26 is a fully-featured bank account, whereas Revolut's main offering is its prepaid debit card and multi-currency functionality. Furthermore, in this review, we only compare the services' standard plans — namely the 'N26 Standard' and 'Revolut Standard' accounts respectively.

That out the way, let's get straight to our in-depth comparison of N26 and Revolut: ―

N26
7.9
Revolut
8.9

Trust & Credibility

Background check

Background check
Background check

Licensed as a bank in Germany and regulated by BaFin, the country's financial regulatory authority.

Fully licensed and authorized in every country in which it does business.

Security & reliability

Security & reliability
Security & reliability

Accounts are fully secured using segregated user accounts and HTTPS and cards are 3-D Secure.

Segregated user accounts, HTTPS, 3-D Secure cards (issued by Mastercard or VISA).

Company size

Company size
Company size

Around 7 million customers and 1,500 employees worldwide.

28 million customers, 6,000 employees worldwide

Transparent pricing

Transparent pricing
Transparent pricing

A full overview of pricing is very accessible, although it doesn't provide every fee as per the regulator-standard fee schedule.

Pricing is accessible, but it doesn't provide every fee found on the regulator-standard fee schedule.

N26 vs Revolut: Are They Trustworthy?

Both N26 and Revolut are fully-secure online apps that offer checking account services in EU countries.

N26 holds a banking license regulated by the BaFin and is a member of the German deposit protection scheme, which insures all deposits up to €100,000 held in the member states of the EU. As an electronic money institution in many jurisdictions, Revolut partners with banks to provide its services. N26 is not available in the US or the UK.

The reason that Revolut ranked higher than N26 in our Trust & Credibility score is because of a number of regulatory and data-regulated issues that N26 has faced in recent years which directly impacted its customers. Furthermore, N26 is also a smaller company than Revolut, which meant it was edged out in our scoring process.

Nevertheless, we're confident that both companies offer high security to customers and that your deposits will be safe no matter which option you choose.

Correct as of 8/3/2022

N26
8.0
Revolut
7.9

Service & Quality

Using the mobile app

Using the mobile app
Using the mobile app

Well-designed and smooth interface with many interesting features, including 'Spaces' and in-app card freeze.

Well-designed, well-rated, and packed with helpful features.

Managing the account

Managing the account
Managing the account

Overdraft and multiple top-up methods are available, but only one currency is supported.

Many top-up methods and currencies (though lacks overdraft and interest).

Contacting support

Contacting support
Contacting support

FAQ and live chat are available on the standard plan, but phone support isn't available to all users.

FAQ and live chat are available, but phone support is lacking.

Making card payments

Making card payments
Making card payments

Contactless, online payments, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and social payments are all supported.

Contactless, online payments, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and social payments.

N26 vs Revolut: The Account & Card

Signing up for either N26 or Revolut will give you a current account (with an IBAN), a debit card, push notifications, budgeting, financial planning, money transfers, and several other core services. Revolut may charge for faster transfers or to non-Revolut, while N26 doesn't charge for these services. Revolut's primary offering is still its prepaid, multi-currency card, and we think its services still have a way to go to becoming a more complete and mature product. As a result, if you're looking for licensed bank account features, then N26 has the edge.

Cards

On the surface, N26's and Revolut's debit cards are quite similar. They both offer a Mastercard (though Revolut offers Visa cards in some countries) that supports contactless, Apple Pay, and Google Pay payments.

There’s one important difference though — N26 doesn’t charge commission on card transactions in a foreign currency, whereas Revolut charges up to 2% of the amount you spend depending on your membership plan. That’s why we’d recommend N26 over Revolut if you travel extensively.

Both providers offer elegant cards with a modern aesthetic, with metal cards available on their most exclusive plans. Additionally, both providers let you easily block your debit card from their mobile apps if your card is lost or stolen. Both also offer virtual cards in the app over and above the physical debit cards.

Account Experience

N26 and Revolut have taken different approaches to the account experience:

N26 is focused squarely on providing a good alternative to the traditional bank account. They offer features like overdrafts, interest on savings accounts and other functionality designed to make it easy to manage your money. Revolut is slightly more limited as it’s effectively a prepaid card that gives you multiple currency options and lets you send money overseas quickly and easily.

N26 allows you to manage your account through both their smartphone app and via an online banking portal, whereas Revolut’s service is only available through the app, and you’ll need to reinstall to a new phone if you lose your old device.

In terms of banking experience, we think N26 has a slight edge.

Local Accounts Details and Balance in Specific Currencies

Revolut offers more local currency options than N26. Revolut can provide unique local accounts details in pounds (if you're a UK resident), Euros (if you're a resident in a country within the Eurozone), krone (if you're a resident of Norway) and złoty (if you're a Polish resident), as well as other account details. If you’re from Poland or Norway, Revolut is therefore a better choice than N26, which only currently offers accounts Euros for EU/EEA residents (even in those countries that use a different currency).

Other Bank Account Features

N26 offers a few features that Revolut doesn't have. This includes savings accounts and overdrafts in Germany and Austria and direct debits (though Revolut offer does direct debits in both Euros and pounds).

Topping up Your Account

With N26, you can only top up your account through a bank transfer or by making a cash deposit using CASH26 (however the latter service is only available in Germany, Austria, Spain, Italy, and Greece). On the other hand, Revolut allows you to top up your account with a bank transfer, debit card or credit card, which is more convenient, in our opinion.

Last updated: 8/3/2022
¹ One free virtual card, €4.99 per replacement.
² Usually in the country in which the account is opened.
³ Via CASH26, only available in Germany, Austria, Spain, Italy, and Greece.

N26
9.3
Revolut
8.3

Fees & Exchange Rates

Everyday use

Everyday use
Everyday use

Zero everyday costs such as monthly fees, transfer fees, and local ATM withdrawal fees.

No monthly fees and few running costs for day-to-day use.

ATM withdrawals

ATM withdrawals
ATM withdrawals

Free up to 3 withdrawals per month in the Eurozone.

Withdrawals over £200 or equivalent /month cost 2%. Third-party ATM charges, fair use limits, and weekend surcharges may also apply.

Online spending

Online spending
Online spending

Ordinary online spending comes at no cost in the default currency, although a small Mastercard conversion fee may apply for spending in a foreign currency.

Ordinary online spending comes at no cost (except for FX markups on weekends)

International spending

International spending
International spending

Fees are quite low for overseas spending, although a 1.7% ATM withdrawal fee does apply.

Low fees for overseas spending, although minor conversion fees and weekend surcharges can apply.

N26 vs Revolut: How Do the Fees Compare?

As mentioned, both N26 and Revolut provide generous features in their free plans, although the exact features of these plans may vary slightly depending on the country in which you’re using them. Neither account charges for basic checking account features, although you'll pay fees in other ways. Note that fees for both services may vary between countries and all information shared below is for the Eurozone only.

Using your Debit Card Overseas

N26 charges no fees for using your debit card outside the Eurozone, while Revolut charges no fees on the first €1,000 you spend per month, and 2% after that.

ATM Withdrawals

Revolut charges a 2% fee on ATM withdrawals above €200 (or more than five withdrawals) per month whereas N26 charges no fees on the first three withdrawals in the Eurozone (with a €2 fee per withdrawal after) and 1.7% outside the Eurozone. This means that Revolut and N26 are fairly matched when it comes to ATM withdrawals: both charge a fee after a rather low limit has been reached (however you can get around N26's limit by making large withdrawals to avoid the fee where you cannot do this with Revolut).

Card Delivery

Although Revolut normally charges a fee of around €5 to deliver a debit card to you, if you sign up through Monito, they'll send you the card for free. N26 charges a much higher €25 to send you a debit card. Both companies charge for replacement cards and deliveries.

International Money Transfers

N26 pricing is easy and transparent for currency exchange as they use Wise to provide the service. Wise is consistently one of the best-priced providers for international money transfers. Revolut’s pricing is also very competitive but it depends on the currency, the volume you trade and if you’re exchanging currency during or outside market hours. You also need to pay an extra €6 if you want the money to arrive quicker than the standard three to five days with Revolut.

Last updated: 8/3/2022
¹ Free up to €200 withdrawn per month.
² Via Wise's money transfer platform.

N26
8.1
Revolut
9.4

Customer Satisfaction

Customer review score

Customer review score
Customer review score

Average Trustpilot rating of 3.9 out of 5 stars.

Trustpilot rating of 4.3 out of 5 stars.

Number of positive reviews

Number of positive reviews
Number of positive reviews

Nearly 15,000 four- and five-star reviews.

Over 113 thousand four- and five-star reviews.

N26 vs Revolut: What Are Customers Saying?

When it comes to customer feedback, Revolut holds the clear lead over N26. Customers love Revolut, with the service scoring 4.4 out of 5 stars on Trustpilot, with more than 100 thousand reviews in total. N26 doesn’t score quite as high, but it's score is still devent, with an average of 3.9 out of 5 stars over 15 thousand independent reviews.

Last updated: 3/3/2022
¹ Australia, Singapore, Switzerland, and Japan.
² Spanish, German, and Portuguese.
³ Greek, Italian, Japanese, Lithuanian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Spanish, Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Estonian, Finnish, Hungarian, Latvian, Norwegian, Slovakian, Slovenian, and Swedish.
⁴ Polish, Spanish, Japanese, Portuguese, and Lithuanian.

N26 vs Revolut: The Verdict

Whether to choose N26 or Revolut as a digital checking account partner isn't always an obvious decision, and either will probably impress you with its offerings. In the end, the choice comes down entirely to your needs and preferences.

We recommend N26 for EU residents looking for a low-cost fully-fledged bank account for flexible spending domestically or in Europe. However, for those who are already happy with their existing bank account and are looking for a spending option to take advantage overseas and domestically, Revolut and its nifty in-app features and low fees can be the ideal solution for you. N26 is also not available to customers in the US or the UK yet. Overall, Revolut gives the slight edge for frequent travellers, expats, and online spenders, while N26 has the edge for low-cost banking.

If you'd like to dive deeper into either of these two platforms, we recommend taking a look at our in-depth N26 review or Revolut review respectively. Watch Monito's review of Revolut in video. Also, to compare Revolut and N26 to other alternatives, don't forget to take a look at our rankings of the best online banks in Europe (hint — N26 ranked as number one!).

At the end of the day, whichever service you choose, you probably won't make a mistake, and there's a high chance you'll end up more than satisfied with your decision.

Why Trust Monito?

You’re probably all too familiar with the often outrageous cost of sending money abroad. After facing this frustration themselves back in 2013, co-founders François, Laurent, and Pascal launched a real-time comparison engine to compare the best money transfer services across the globe. Today, Monito’s award-winning comparisons, reviews, and guides are trusted by around 8 million people each year and our recommendations are backed by millions of pricing data points and dozens of expert tests — all allowing you to make the savviest decisions with confidence.

Learn More About Monito
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