Comparison

Starling vs Smart Pension

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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.

About

Smart Pension

Manage your workplace pension savings with ease. Track your fund's performance in real-time, adjust contributions, and explore investment options. Access exclusive discounts and customer support directly from your phone.

Highlights
  • Real-time pension balance tracking
  • Investment fund selection
  • Contribution level adjustments
  • Enhanced security features (Face ID, Touch ID)
  • Access to exclusive discounts
  • Live chat customer support
Features
Read full description

The Smart Pension Employee App will transform the future of pension saving for a new generation. It allows you to pick and choose the most suitable investment funds, track your pension balance in real time on your phone and increase contribution levels when you can afford it. Engaging you with your pension like never before! Key features: 1. Enhanced security: • Face ID • Touch ID • Password 2. Real-time access to pension fund valuations, to check how much your pension pot is worth. 3. Immediate updating of fund selection, strategy & contributions. But that’s not all... It can also be used to: • Access to Smart Rewards for discounts across thousands of shops & websites • Access live chat with our dedicated customer service team • Read your notifications and letters • Manage your membership, update your personal details & your beneficiary's details • Change your security preferences Note: Currently, you must be a member of a Smart Pension workplace pension scheme to use this App.

Screenshots

Starling4 screens
Smart Pension4 screens

Verdict

The call

Starling and Smart Pension both sit at 4.9 stars, but that hides the real split: 74% of Starling's written reviews are positive against 29% of Smart Pension's. Starling also leads on ratings volume (2.8K vs 6) and update cadence (weekly vs every 5 weeks). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Starling against 5.0 for Smart Pension. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Starling has 2.8K ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 74% of Starling's written reviews are positive against 29% of Smart Pension's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Starling ships an update weekly, Smart Pension every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Starling versus Smart Pension: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStarlingSmart Pension
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (2.8K ratings)5.0 (6 ratings) — better
Positive reviews73.8% of reviews — better28.9% of reviews
Number of ratings2.8K — better6
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 5 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size529 MB88 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSTARLING BANK LIMITEDSmart Pension Limited

Customer experience

Starling

All ratings2,792 ratings
Positive97.3%
Neutral0.9%
Negative1.8%
Written reviews1,538 reviews
Positive73.8%
Neutral4.2%
Negative22.0%

Smart Pension

All ratings6 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews76 reviews
Positive28.9%
Neutral6.6%
Negative64.5%

User reviews

Starling

From 2.8K App Store ratings

What 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

Smart Pension

From 6 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 💡 Pension calculator helpful
  • 📈 Up-to-date values
  • 📱 Convenient mobile access
  • 💻 Can do same as computer

Room to improve

  • 🐛 App crashes frequently
  • 🐛 App not loading
  • 🐛 Login issues
  • 🐛 App freezes
  • 🐛 Basic functionalities not working

Bugs and requests

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
Show 2 more
  • Daily balance history view
  • Ability to split transactions into categories

Smart Pension

Reported bugs

47 issues
  • App crashes shortly after launch
  • App never lets you update details
  • Cannot log into the app after recent update
  • App or website will not load
  • Stuck on loading screen
Show 42 more
  • Transaction or growth details not showing
  • Redirected to transaction tab and stuck on loading wheel
  • Cannot edit beneficiaries
  • App opens website via browser embed and is glitchy
  • Unable to access the App, stuck on Smart logo
  • Takes forever to log in and stuck on login screen
  • App hasn’t been able to pass the 1st screen
  • Worked OK for a few months, now won’t open
  • Not able to access account through the app for days
  • Doesn’t function any longer
  • Latest version doesn’t load up
  • App is not loading
  • App no longer works
  • Won’t open beyond the company logo
  • Stuck on the opening screen after update
  • App literally “blue screens”
  • App frequently freezes on a dark blue screen
  • App freezes on opening screen
  • App closes as soon as I try to open
  • App freezes when it first opens or when using features
  • App doesn’t fit properly on screen
  • Have to close and reopen app to get back to main screen
  • Back arrow at the top of screen, cannot press it
  • Crashes out on load
  • Crash upon first launch after install
  • Takes ages to load and sometimes can’t log in
  • Dashboard UI is like from 90’s
  • Information missing, cannot update fund value
  • Cannot find option to message customer service
  • App stuck on a message with no back button
  • Login with Google account not supported, app stuck on Google Developers website
  • Hasn’t worked since getting iPhone 11
  • Takes a long time to login
  • Keeps logging out
  • Error when logging in with normal details
  • After updating, have to re-enter biometrics
  • Login keeps asking for biometric and then password
  • Can’t open app
  • Cannot see beyond the front page
  • App stops working
  • Unable to login after upgrading
  • App is slow

Requested features

5 requests
  • Show profit or loss on investment
  • Receive notification for new contribution
  • Improve app design and UI
  • Implement in-app form for pension transfers
  • Add dark mode

In-app purchases

None

Starling

No in-app purchases

None

Smart Pension

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Starling free?
Starling is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Smart Pension free?
Smart Pension is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Starling or Smart Pension?
Smart Pension is rated higher. Starling averages 4.9 out of 5 from 2.8K ratings, while Smart Pension averages 5.0 from 6 ratings.
Do Starling or Smart Pension have ads?
Neither Starling nor Smart Pension shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Starling or Smart Pension?
Starling ships an update weekly, and Smart Pension every 5 weeks. Most recently, Starling was updated on October 28, 2026 and Smart Pension on October 26, 2026.

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