HMRC vs Starling
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
HMRC
Manage your taxes, benefits, and savings securely and easily. Check your tax code, claim refunds, and track your State Pension. Access Self Assessment and Child Benefit information, and find your National Insurance number.
- Quick secure sign-in
- Check tax code and pay
- Claim tax refunds
- View State Pension details
- Self Assessment payments
- Manage Child Benefit
- Find National Insurance number
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Take control of your money and tax with the HMRC app It’s secure, free to download, and easy to use. Get on it, and join millions of people already saving time with the HMRC app. Key Features: - Quick setup: sign in using face recognition, fingerprint scan, or a six-digit PIN - Stay in control: check your tax code and see your pay before it even shows in your bank, so you know you're paying the right amount - Claim a tax refund: find out if you’re due any tax back from us and quickly claim a refund if you’re owed one - Check your State Pension: see how much State Pension you could get, when you can get it and how to increase it, if you can - Self Assessment: a safe and secure way to make Self Assessment payments and get information you'll need to file - Child Benefit support: claim, manage, and update your Child Benefit details - National Insurance: find and save your National Insurance number so you have it when you need it - Go paperless: opt to receive key messages from HMRC online Download the HMRC app today and stay on top of your money and taxes
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
HMRC and Starling both sit at 4.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 74% of Starling's written reviews are positive against 48% of HMRC's. Starling also leads on update cadence (weekly vs monthly) and ratings volume (2.8K vs 600). On price, rating, ads 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 HMRC against 4.9 for Starling. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 600 and 2.8K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 48% of HMRC's written reviews are positive against 74% of Starling's.
HMRC ships an update monthly, Starling weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | HMRC | Starling |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (600 ratings) | 4.9 (2.8K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 47.9% of reviews | 74.1% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 600 | 2.8K — better |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 34 MB | 529 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | HMRC | STARLING BANK LIMITED |
Customer experience
HMRC
Starling
User reviews
HMRC
From 600 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Straightforward payment process
- 💡 Useful information and updates
- 🔒 Secure authentication
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent login issues and app crashes
- 🤔 Confusing navigation and UI
- ⚠️ Lack of communication about tax changes
- 🕰️ Slow and unresponsive app
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
HMRC
Reported bugs
4 issues- Endless login loops and redirects
- App freezing and becoming unresponsive
- Inconsistent behavior after app updates
- Issues with Face ID and biometric authentication
Requested features
4 requests- Improved notification system for tax updates
- Ability to view and manage tax details in-app
- Better integration with banking apps for payments
- More user-friendly design and navigation
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
HMRC
No in-app purchases
Starling
No in-app purchases






