Comparison

Starling vs B4B Payments

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

B4B Payments

Manage your B4B Payments card from your mobile device. Submit receipts in real-time, track spending, and control card features like blocking transactions and ATM access. Streamline expense management on the go.

Highlights
  • Real-time receipt submission
  • Expense classification on the go
  • Secure login (Face ID/fingerprint)
  • Check available balance
  • View card transactions
  • Block/unblock transactions
  • Manage ATM and online spending
Features
Read full description

With the B4B Payments app installed on your mobile device, you can manage your B4B Payments card on the go. Save time by getting your expenses done at the point of spend. Send your receipts to your accounts team in real time. - Securely log in using Face ID or fingerprint - Check your available balance - View your card transactions - Get alerted when you spend money, and capture your receipt immediately - Save time by classifying your expenses on the go - Get your PIN number - Instantly block transactions on your card. Unblock again whenever you like - Switch ATM access on and off - Enable or disable online spending - Report your card lost or stolen

Screenshots

Starling4 screens
B4B Payments4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Starling at 74% against B4B Payments's 17%. Starling also leads on rating (4.9 vs 4.6) and ratings volume (2.8K vs 220). 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.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Starling holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Starling has 2.8K ratings behind it against 220, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 74% of Starling's written reviews are positive against 17% of B4B Payments's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Starling ships an update weekly, B4B Payments fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Starling versus B4B Payments: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStarlingB4B Payments
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (2.8K ratings) — better4.6 (220 ratings)
Positive reviews73.8% of reviews — better17.2% of reviews
Number of ratings2.8K — better220
Update frequencyWeekly — betterFortnightly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size529 MB91 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSTARLING BANK LIMITEDB4B Payments LTD

Customer experience

Starling

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

B4B Payments

All ratings209 ratings
Positive90.4%
Neutral1.9%
Negative7.7%
Written reviews29 reviews
Positive17.2%
Neutral10.3%
Negative72.4%

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

B4B Payments

From 220 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 👍 Great customer service
  • 👍 Love the app
  • 👍 New updates offer more features

Room to improve

  • 😞 Terrible app experience
  • 😞 Login issues
  • 😞 App is unusable
  • 😞 App is buggy
  • 😞 App crashes

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

B4B Payments

Reported bugs

15 issues
  • Cannot log in
  • App does not react
  • Login freezes
  • Cannot add another card
  • Does not allow adding a new card when the old one expires
Show 10 more
  • New card not recognized by the app
  • Face ID is not available after an update
  • SMS verification loop
  • Update sends text message but doesn't allow sign in
  • Cannot see remaining balance
  • Biometric login does not work
  • Login details are wiped each time the app is closed
  • App crashes when trying to classify receipts
  • Cannot register, says wrong password after reset
  • Cannot add birthday to register

Requested features

2 requests
  • Add option for a four-digit code for easier login
  • Allow adding money to cash app or Venmo

In-app purchases

None

Starling

No in-app purchases

None

B4B Payments

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Starling free?
Starling is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is B4B Payments free?
B4B Payments is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Starling or B4B Payments?
Starling is rated higher. Starling averages 4.9 out of 5 from 2.8K ratings, while B4B Payments averages 4.6 from 220 ratings.
Do Starling or B4B Payments have ads?
Neither Starling nor B4B Payments shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Starling or B4B Payments?
Starling ships an update weekly, and B4B Payments fortnightly. Most recently, Starling was updated on October 30, 2026 and B4B Payments on October 29, 2026.

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