Comparison

Starling vs a verification app

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

a verification app

Easily verify the authenticity of protected products and currency with guided instructions and automatic recognition. Get fast verification status or opt for manual assistance for added peace of mind.

Highlights
  • Guided verification process
  • Automatic product recognition
  • Fast verification results
  • Manual verification option
  • Supports Euro banknotes
  • Verifies specific activated products
Read full description

One platform. Many ways to prove authenticity. 'a verification app – ava' is the innovative platform to check the authenticity of your product. To do this, ava combines our leading protection technologies into a single, user-friendly interface. The app can verify registered products in seconds. No matter what you want to protect – from simple packaging to banknotes – it offers exactly the user interface you need. * Guided process: Clear on-screen instructions walk you through each step. * Automatic recognition: The app automatically identifies supported products. * Fast results: Receive a clear verification status within seconds. * Manual support: An optional manual verification feature provides additional assistance. Please Note: This app verifies EURO banknotes and specific products that have been activated for use with ‘a verification app – ava’. To find out if a particular product is supported, please check with the manufacturer.

Screenshots

Starling4 screens
a verification app4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Starling at 4.9 against a verification app's 4.0. Starling also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months) and review sentiment (74% vs 44%). 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 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Starling has 2.8K ratings behind it against 4, 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 44% of a verification app's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Starling ships an update weekly, a verification app every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Starling versus a verification app: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStarlinga verification app
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (2.8K ratings) — better4.0 (4 ratings)
Positive reviews73.8% of reviews — better43.9% of reviews
Number of ratings2.8K — better4
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size529 MB115 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSTARLING BANK LIMITEDKoenig & Bauer Vision & Protection

Customer experience

Starling

All ratings2,789 ratings
Positive97.3%
Neutral0.9%
Negative1.8%
Written reviews1,537 reviews
Positive73.8%
Neutral4.2%
Negative22.1%

a verification app

All ratings4 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%
Written reviews57 reviews
Positive43.9%
Neutral8.8%
Negative47.4%

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

a verification app

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Starling

No in-app purchases

None

a verification app

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Starling free?
Starling is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is a verification app free?
a verification app is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Starling or a verification app?
Starling is rated higher. Starling averages 4.9 out of 5 from 2.8K ratings, while a verification app averages 4.0 from 4 ratings.
Do Starling or a verification app have ads?
Neither Starling nor a verification app shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Starling or a verification app?
Starling ships an update weekly, and a verification app every 2 months. Most recently, Starling was updated on October 25, 2026 and a verification app on October 19, 2026.

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