Comparison

Starling vs Access PayWise+

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

Access PayWise+

Access earned wages before your payday with this financial wellbeing app. It offers smart money management tools, personalized AI coaching, and savings features to help you build financial resilience and manage your money confidently.

Highlights
  • Earned wage access
  • Real-time accrued wages
  • AI financial coach
  • Savings pots
  • Money management tools
Features
Read full description

PayWise+ Financial Wellbeing Made Simple The free PayWise+ app helps you take control of your finances with earned wage access, smart money management tools, and AI-powered support. Access wages you've already earned ahead of your normal pay date and send the money straight to your bank account. The app shows you real-time accrued wages, how much is available to withdraw, and a history of previous transactions. Plus, get personalised guidance from Penny, our AI financial coach, use savings pots to build financial resilience, and access tools to help you manage your money with confidence. Amounts withdrawn will be deducted from your next pay cheque along with any applicable fees.

Screenshots

Starling4 screens
Access PayWise+4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Starling at weekly against Access PayWise+'s every 3 weeks. Access PayWise+'s advantage is review sentiment (86% vs 74%) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, ads, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Starling ships an update weekly, Access PayWise+ every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on September 28, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Starling versus Access PayWise+: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStarlingAccess PayWise+
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (2.8K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews74.1% of reviews86.4% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2.8K — better—
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size545 MB39 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSTARLING BANK LIMITEDAccess UK Ltd

Customer experience

Starling

All ratings2,770 ratings
Positive97.3%
Neutral0.8%
Negative1.8%
Written reviews1,445 reviews
Positive74.1%
Neutral3.9%
Negative21.9%

Access PayWise+

Written reviews22 reviews
Positive86.4%
Neutral4.5%
Negative9.1%

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

Access PayWise+

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Starling

No in-app purchases

None

Access PayWise+

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Starling free?
Starling is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Access PayWise+ free?
Access PayWise+ is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Starling or Access PayWise+ have ads?
Neither Starling nor Access PayWise+ shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Starling or Access PayWise+?
Starling ships an update weekly, and Access PayWise+ every 3 weeks. Most recently, Starling was updated on September 28, 2026 and Access PayWise+ on September 28, 2026.

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