AIB Mobile vs Starling
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
AIB Mobile
Manage your everyday banking conveniently and securely from your smartphone. Apply for loans, credit cards, and overdrafts, make payments, and access account statements. The app offers features like quick balance checks and card management for enhanced financial control.
- Open new accounts
- Apply for loans and overdrafts
- Make payments with phone number
- Manage standing orders and direct debits
- View and save statements
- Freeze/unfreeze cards
- Secure login with FaceID/TouchID
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Our mobile app is built to support you in the life you’re after. It includes features to support how you bank every day and new ways to manage your money and make quick and easy payments. The app offers a personalised everyday banking experience with a strong focus on your day-to-day banking. You can get better insight into your money with a clear picture of where your money is going, with detailed transactions and budgeting tools to help you understand your spending. With easy payments and more control to make the fast, secure SEPA Instant and Zippay payments you know and trust. Strong security & protection against fraud with enhanced security features, including Passkeys, which give you a fast and safe way to login to the app and an added layer of protection from fraudsters. The app offers support when and how you need it. Get help directly in the app - chat to our digital assistant Abi, check our FAQ’s or find other ways to contact us for the support you need. Your AIB mobile app home screen: Life is busy. Most days when you open the app, you just want to quickly check your balance and your spending. - To make your online banking easier, we’ve introduced spaces for your different accounts. - Your ‘Everyday’ space brings your current and credit card accounts, together in the one place. - Easily switch between your Savings, Loans, or Mortgages space. - See your balances, recent activity and upcoming payments at a glance. - Keep track of your spending and an eye on the budget you set. - In app messages help you stay up to date. - Ask Abi a question, call us or find your nearest branch. Spending & budgeting insights: Track your spending trends by getting a daily, weekly or monthly view. - See a breakdown of your spending by structured categories, so you know where your money is going. - Understand your habits by seeing where you spend most of your money. - Add your own tags to transactions to track spending in a way that works for you. - Set and manage budgets, track your progress and see what you’ve left against your budget target. Payments: Make & manage your payments simply and quickly. - Move your money between your AIB accounts. - Send, request or split payments with Zippay using your mobile contacts. - Send money to your family and friends whether they are in Ireland or the SEPA zone countries. - Use Selfie Check facial biometrics to let us check it’s really you making payments in the app. Once enrolled, you can make higher-value payments securely. - Pay your household or credit card bills. - Set up or cancel standing orders anytime. - View and manage your payees and set payment limits. Cards: You can easily and securely: - Freeze and unfreeze your cards. - Order a replacement card if yours is lost or stolen. - View your personal debit card PIN. Apply and open products: Open a new account, apply to borrow money, apply for a credit card or mortgage or get insurance. You can also plan for your future with AIB life. - New account: Open a new current or savings account on your own, all from within the app. - Borrow money: Apply for a Personal loan or top-up, a green loan, the SBCI Home Energy Upgrade Loan Scheme or a Personal overdraft. - Credit cards: Apply for a Click or Platinum credit card. - Mortgage: Easy access to calculate, apply and manage your mortgage application. - Insurance: Call us for a travel, home and/or car insurance quote. - AIB life: Start planning for your future by exploring ways to invest your money, grow your pension, get cover for your income or mortgage. For more information: We have more information on our website https://www.aib.ie/ways-to-bank/mobile-banking For more information on our new app go to https://www.aib.ie/newapp Allied Irish Banks, p.l.c. is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland.
Starling
Manage personal, business, and joint finances with a seamless mobile banking experience. Enjoy fee-free international transactions, advanced budgeting tools, and secure, human support. It offers features for individuals, families, and businesses, making banking simple and satisfying.
- Fee-free overseas spending and ATM withdrawals
- Virtual 'Spaces' for saving and budgeting
- Real-time payment notifications and spending insights
- Automated bill management
- Seamless international money transfers
- Digital cheque deposits
- 24/7 in-app human support
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Our personal, business and joint accounts make managing your money as seamless, simple and satisfying as it should be in 2026. It's why we're the Which? Recommended Provider for a seventh year in a row. Apply for a bank account online in minutes - for free - from your phone, and join the millions who have already discovered the better way to bank. What's in it for you? No overseas fees • We won't charge you a penny for using your card abroad, or for withdrawing cash at an ATM. • We'll give you the Mastercard exchange rate, and won't add anything on top. • Get notifications in the local currency, and in GBP. Better budgeting • Use Spaces to set money aside in a virtual change jar. Personalise with pictures, set a target, and track your progress. • Get instant payment notifications and track your balance in real-time • Learn where your money goes, and how to make savings, with Spending Insights • Use Bills Manager to set aside money for your bills. It means your main balance will only show you what's actually available for day-to-day spending. • Save on autopilot - automatically round up payments to the nearest pound and put away the spare change. Pay and get paid seamlessly • Owed money? Send a simple link to get paid back. • Enjoy easy international transfers to 34 countries from your app – no hidden fees or exchange rate markups • Pay people instantly in-app – no fiddly card reader needed • Deposit cheques digitally from your phone and pay in cash at the Post Office. Keep your money safe • Your money is covered up to £120,000 by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme • With 24/7 in-app support from real humans in the UK, we're always here to help • Lock your card in-app and turn settings on and off, such as contactless, online, gambling and swipe payments Business banking No monthly fees. Get mobile and web banking access, 24/7 support and simplified accounting. Deposit cash at the Post Office from as little as £3, and deposit cheques in-app by taking a photo. Automate your expenses, ring-fence money for bills, keep track of invoices with instant payment notifications and spot where your business is spending with smart analytics. Voted Most Innovative Business Bank at RFI UK Banking & Finance Awards 2026. The joint bank account Manage collective household expenses or set aside money together; our joint account simplifies shared spending. Get instant payment notifications, track your spending with Insights, budget together and make important payments from one account. Banking for the whole family, all in one app Under 16s is our free debit card and app for 6-15 year olds. It's built seamlessly into the adult's Starling account (personal or joint) for better visibility and control. Starling Bank Limited (trading as Starling) is registered in England and Wales (No. 09092149), 5th Floor London Fruit And Wool Exchange, 1 Duval Square, London, United Kingdom, E1 6PW. We are authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority under registration number 730166.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Starling at 74% against AIB Mobile's 16%. Starling also leads on ads (none vs shown) and rating (4.9 vs 4.5). On price, ratings volume, in-app purchases and monetization model 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.
Starling holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.5K and 2.8K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 16% of AIB Mobile's written reviews are positive against 74% of Starling's.
AIB Mobile ships an update every 3 weeks, Starling weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 28, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | AIB Mobile | Starling |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (1.5K ratings) | 4.9 (2.8K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 15.6% of reviews | 74.1% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 1.5K | 2.8K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Weekly — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 154 MB | 545 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Allied Irish Banks, p.l.c. | STARLING BANK LIMITED |
Customer experience
AIB Mobile
Starling
User reviews
AIB Mobile
From 1.5K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Nice app, enjoyable to use
- 🚀 Efficient and quick to use
- 💡 Fantastic transfers, saved time service
Room to improve
- 🐛 Archaic, outdated, and unreliable
- 🔒 Excessive security measures, complicated
- 🔒 Requires card readers, inconvenient
- 🐛 Constant issues, crashes, and bugs
- 🐛 Fails to update, authentication issues
Starling
From 2.8K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Easy to use app
- 🚀 Instant transactions
- 🔒 Secure banking
- 💡 Useful features like Spaces
- 👍 Excellent customer service
Room to improve
- 🐛 App crashes and freezes
- 🔒 Overly strict security measures
- 💰 Fees for cash deposits
- 🚫 Inability to open certain account types
- 🚫 Declined payments with no explanation
Bugs and requests
AIB Mobile
Reported bugs
3 issues- Selfie check operates sideways
- Payee information cannot be saved
- Security update consistently fails to install
Requested features
2 requests- Add ability to block betting sites
- Improve credit card balance display
Starling
Reported bugs
4 issues- Login issues after phone updates
- Inability to record video for verification
- App crashes on certain devices
- Delayed or failed money transfers
Requested features
7 requests- Joint account cards with different designs
- Ability to set up automatic transfers to savings
- More customization options for Spaces
- Integration with password managers
- Showing pending payments in balance
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- Daily balance history view
- Ability to split transactions into categories
In-app purchases
AIB Mobile
No in-app purchases
Starling
No in-app purchases








