Current vs Monese
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Current
Manage your finances with a mobile banking app that offers early direct deposit, fee-free overdrafts, and credit building tools. Earn cash back on purchases and interest on savings.
- Get paid up to 2 days early
- Advance paycheck up to $750
- Overdraft fee-free banking
- Build credit while banking
- Earn 1% cash back on dining/groceries
- Earn up to 4.00% bonus on savings
- Access 40,000+ fee-free ATMs
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Power up your paycheck when you switch to Current. Get paid faster, save smarter, and build credit with ease—all in one app. Join over 6 million members already banking with Current today. With Current you can: — Advance up to $1,000¹: Access more of your paycheck if you qualify. — Overdraft fee-free²: Breeze from payday to payday without hidden fees. — Get paid up to 2 days early³: Receive your direct deposit as soon as your employer sends it. — Build credit while you bank. — Earn 1% cash back on eligible categories with your Build Card⁴. — Enjoy 24/7 member support. — Access 40,000+ fee-free ATMs nationwide⁵. — Add cash in-store at locations like CVS, Walgreens, and McDonald’s. — Earn up to a 4.00% bonus on savings⁶ and save automatically with Round-Ups. See current.com/docs for full terms and conditions and current.com/legal_disclaimers for more info. Current is a financial technology company, not an FDIC-insured bank. FDIC insurance up to $250,000 only covers the failure of an FDIC-insured bank. Certain conditions must be satisfied for pass-through deposit insurance coverage to apply. Banking services provided by Choice Financial Group, Member FDIC, and/or Cross River Bank, Member FDIC. ¹ For eligible customers only. Paycheck Advance is offered by Finco Advance LLC, a financial technology company, not a bank. T&C: current.com/docs/paycheck_advance_terms ² Actual overdraft amount may vary and is subject to change at any time, at Current’s sole discretion. In order to qualify and enroll in the Fee-Free Overdraft feature, you must receive a minimum of $200 or more in Eligible Direct Deposits into your Current Account over the preceding 35-day period and fulfill other requirements subject to Current’s discretion. Negative balances must be repaid within 60 days of the first Eligible Transaction that caused the negative balance. T&C: current.com/overdraft_protection_terms_of_service ³ Faster access to funds is based on comparison of traditional banking policies and deposit of paper checks from employers and government agencies versus deposits made electronically. Delays by the employer, payer, or their banks may result in delayed access to funds beyond our control. ⁴ For eligible customers only. To earn Points, you must receive at least one Eligible Payroll Deposit of at least $200 over a 35-day period, and as applicable, make Build Card purchases at retailers whose merchant code is classified as either (i) Dining (e.g., restaurants) and Groceries (e.g., supermarkets) or (ii) belonging to the category or categories selected in the app, and complete other actions that Current may designate. Allow 3-5 business days for Points to post to your Current account. Points expire 365 days after they settle. T&C (including specific eligibility criteria): current.com/current_points_terms_and_conditions ⁵ Most AllPoint® ATMs are fee-free. To see if an ATM qualifies for fee-free ATM transactions, please check the Mobile App. ⁶ Boost Bonuses are credited to your Savings Pods within 48 hours of enabling the Boost feature and on a daily basis thereafter, provided that the Savings Pod has accrued a Boost Bonus of at least $0.01. No minimum balance required. The Boost rate on Savings Pods is variable and may change at any time. The disclosed rate is effective as of August 1, 2023. Must have $0.01 in Savings Pods to earn a Boost rate of either 0.25% or 4.00% annually on the portion of balances up to $2000 per Savings Pod, up to $6000 total. The remaining balance earns 0.00%. To earn a Boost rate of 4.00%, you must receive at least one Eligible Payroll Deposit equalling a minimum of $200 over a 35-day period. T&C: current.com/boost_terms_of_service
Monese
This app offers a digital banking alternative, allowing users to manage multiple currencies, send and receive money internationally, and access a contactless debit card. It provides budgeting tools, real-time notifications, and features like savings pots and virtual cards for secure online payments.
- Multi-currency accounts (GBP, EUR, RON)
- Contactless Mastercard debit card
- International money transfers
- Virtual card for online payments
- Savings pots
- Real-time spending notifications
- Credit score building (UK only)
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Monese is the banking alternative you’ve been waiting for. We’re the money app that helps you budget smartly, spend wisely and switch between currencies in a flash. Whether you need a GBP, EUR or RON account (or all 3!), you’ll be able to manage your money straight from your phone and enjoy the flexibility to live, work, travel, study and thrive wherever life takes you. We even have business accounts! Join over 2 million people and open a Monese mobile money account today. It’s simple, fuss-free and easy – so how does it work? • Open a GBP, EUR or RON account, straight from your phone • Easily switch between currencies and manage your money all in one place • Get a contactless Mastercard debit card you can use globally – online, in-store or at ATMs • Spend abroad with no extra fees on card spending and ATM withdrawals • Quickly send and receive money locally and internationally in multiple currencies • Create a virtual card and pay online or in-store for an extra layer of security • Open a joint account to easily spend, share and save with a loved one, roommate or friend With our feature-rich smartphone app, you’ll also get: • Real-time notifications: Instant updates whenever you use your account • A detailed spending overview: Full transparency around your transactions • Savings pots: Put money aside for something special • Apple Pay: A fast, easy and secure way to pay with your Apple Pay • Automatic Direct Debits and recurring payments: the easy way to pay for things like mobile phone contracts, rent, or gym memberships Plus, you can also: • Build your credit score: Use Credit Builder to grow your credit history and savings at the same time (UK only) • Link your PayPal account: Manage your PayPal balance and transactions from Monese, and add your Monese card to your PayPal wallet • Enjoy state-of-the art security features: 3D Secure, card locking, strong encryption and biometric login • Get instant account statements in PDF or XLS whenever you need Enjoy the convenience of being able to send and receive money straight from your phone, get your salary paid in, set up Direct Debits and recurring payments, all while maintaining a complete overview of your earning, spending and saving. Withdraw cash from ATMs worldwide for free, within generous allowances, and add money to your account by bank transfer, debit card, or with cash at over 84,000 locations in the UK, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal or Spain. You can open an account with us regardless of your citizenship or financial history, as long as you’re at least 18 years old and live in the European Economic Area (EEA).
Screenshots
Verdict
Current and Monese both sit at 4.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 58% of Current's written reviews are positive against 19% of Monese's. Current also leads on ads (none vs shown) and monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). Monese's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, rating, update cadence and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Current against 4.7 for Monese. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Current has 197K ratings behind it against 2.4K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 58% of Current's written reviews are positive against 19% of Monese's.
Current ships an update every 2 weeks, Monese every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on November 1, 2026.
| Parameter | Current | Monese |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (197K ratings) — better | 4.7 (2.4K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 58.0% of reviews — better | 18.8% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 197K — better | 2.4K |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks — better | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #71 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 152 MB | 203 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Finco Services, Inc. | Monese LTD |
Customer experience
Current
Monese
Bugs and requests
Current
Reported bugs
3 issues- Accounts being locked or suspended without explanation
- Funds disappearing from accounts with no recourse
- Recurring issues with mobile check deposits
Requested features
5 requests- Joint account and family management tools
- Expanded mobile check deposit limits
- Faster response times for customer support
- More transparent dispute resolution process
- Improved security and account recovery options
Monese
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Current
No in-app purchases
Monese
No in-app purchases









