Comparison

Starling vs Quilter

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

Head to head
About

Starling

A digital banking app offering free personal and business accounts with robust security features and 24/7 UK-based customer support. Manage all your finances, from everyday spending to savings and bills, all from your phone.

Highlights
  • Free personal and business accounts
  • Joint and under-16 accounts
  • Habit-building savings tools (Spaces)
  • 24/7 UK customer support
  • Advanced security controls
  • Fee-free spending abroad
  • Instant transaction notifications
Features
Read full description

Best-in-class banking, designed for your phone and life in the 2020s. Our free, habit-building bank accounts help millions of people be good with money. Apply for a free bank account directly from your phone – in minutes. Industry-leading digital banking security. • 24/7 UK-based customer support from real people. • Manage your account security with simple controls in the app. • FSCS protection up to £120,000. • Verify if it’s us calling you, with call status indicators in the app. One app. Everyday banking. From personal to joint to business banking, bring your finances under one roof: • Personal account: Spend, organise, save with the habit-building bank account. • Joint account: Bills, budgets or just getting brunch: it’s better together. • Business account: Pay no monthly fees, 24/7 UK customer support and free invoicing and accounting tools. • Under 16s: The free debit card for kids, managed from your account. • Student account: Budget with Spaces, spend abroad with no fees and apply for an interest-free overdraft. Easy mobile banking that just works. • Branchless and fully online. • Open and manage your account entirely from your phone. • Spend abroad like a local with no fees from us. • Get an instant notification every time you spend or receive money. Build life-changing habits with game-changing features. • Organise your finances by setting money aside into virtual ‘change jars’, aka Spaces. • Get instant notifications every time you spend. On holiday? Get notifications in both currencies. • Put your bills on autopilot so you only spend what’s actually available. • Make every penny count by rounding up payments to the nearest pound. • Get a clearer picture of your spending with our AI-powered features. 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

Quilter

Manage your investments and financial documents digitally. View account valuations, track transactions, and update personal details. Perform simple actions like ISA top-ups and investment switches securely.

Highlights
  • Go paperless and view documents online
  • View valuations and performance
  • Check transaction status
  • Update personal details
  • Perform simple instructions (switches, top-ups)
Features
Read full description

With the Quilter app, you can: • go paperless and view your documents online • view valuations and performance • check if a transaction has gone through, including money paid in and out • keep your personal details up to date (such as your email address and security information) • carry out simple instructions, such as switches, plus top up your ISA or Collective Investment Account. For customers already registered for Quilter’s online Customer Centre, you can use the same login details you use when accessing the online Customer Centre. We have designed our app using the latest security features to protect your investments and for your peace of mind. This app is for Quilter platform customers only. It is not currently available for Quilter Cheviot, Quilter Investors, Quilter Financial Planning, or Quilter Financial Advisers. The importance of financial advice: We always recommend you seek financial advice before making changes to your investments, for example, when adding or withdrawing money and when changing your investment choice. Your investment may fall or rise in value and you may not get back what you put in.

Screenshots

Starling4 screens
Quilter4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Starling at weekly against Quilter's every 6 weeks. Starling also leads on ratings volume (2.8K vs 27). Quilter's advantage is review sentiment (88% vs 74%). 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 4.9 for Quilter. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Starling has 2.8K ratings behind it against 27, 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 88% of Quilter's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Starling ships an update weekly, Quilter every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 13, 2026 and November 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Starling versus Quilter: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStarlingQuilter
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (2.8K ratings)4.9 (27 ratings) — better
Positive reviews74.5% of reviews87.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2.8K — better27
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 6 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size561 MB72 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSTARLING BANK LIMITEDQuilter Business Services Limited

Customer experience

Starling

All ratings2,808 ratings
Positive97.4%
Neutral0.9%
Negative1.8%
Written reviews1,638 reviews
Positive74.5%
Neutral4.1%
Negative21.4%

Quilter

All ratings26 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews177 reviews
Positive87.6%
Neutral5.6%
Negative6.8%

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

Quilter

From 27 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 🚀 Convenient access to investments
  • 💡 Comprehensive information
  • 🔒 Secure login options
  • 🚀 Quick updates and performance tracking

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Performance data accuracy issues
  • ⚠️ Limited functionality compared to website
  • ⚠️ Inconsistent data display across time periods
  • ⚠️ Slow or unreliable when abroad

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

Quilter

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Login issues with password/username entry
  • Occasional crashes or freezes
  • Valuation data not updating in real-time

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add iPad-optimized version
  • Provide more detailed performance analytics
  • Allow direct fund switching within the app
  • Display initial investment amount and contribution history

In-app purchases

None

Starling

No in-app purchases

None

Quilter

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Starling free?
Starling is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Quilter free?
Quilter is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Starling or Quilter?
Quilter is rated higher. Starling averages 4.9 out of 5 from 2.8K ratings, while Quilter averages 4.9 from 27 ratings.
Do Starling or Quilter have ads?
Neither Starling nor Quilter shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Starling or Quilter?
Starling ships an update weekly, and Quilter every 6 weeks. Most recently, Starling was updated on November 13, 2026 and Quilter on November 11, 2026.

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