Starling vs KEEP by Fast FX
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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.
KEEP by Fast FX
Easily send and request money with instant, secure transactions. This app offers a user-friendly interface for managing all your financial exchanges, with multi-currency support and detailed transaction history.
- Instant money transfers
- Request money easily
- Secure transactions
- User-friendly interface
- Transaction history tracking
- Multi-currency support
- Integration with contacts
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Keep: Send and Request Money with Ease Welcome to Keep, the ultimate solution for seamless money transfers and requests. Whether you're splitting a dinner bill, paying rent, or sending a gift, Keep makes financial transactions simple, secure, and fast. Key Features: Instant Transfers: Send money to friends and family instantly. With Keep, your transactions are processed in real-time, ensuring that your funds reach their destination without delay. Request Money: Easily request money from others. Whether it's for shared expenses or a group gift, Keep allows you to send a request with just a few taps. Secure Transactions: Your security is our top priority. Keep uses advanced encryption and security protocols to protect your financial information and ensure that your transactions are safe. User-Friendly Interface: Navigate through the app with ease. Keep's intuitive design makes it simple for anyone to send or request money, regardless of their tech-savviness. Transaction History: Keep track of all your transactions in one place. View your complete transaction history to manage your finances better and ensure transparency. Multi-Currency Support: Send and receive money in multiple currencies. Keep supports a wide range of currencies, making it ideal for international transactions. Personalized Notifications: Stay informed with real-time notifications. Get alerts for incoming and outgoing transactions, so you're always in the loop. Integration with Contacts: Easily find and connect with friends and family. Keep integrates with your phone's contacts, making it simple to send or request money from people you know. Why Choose Keep? - Reliability: Count on Keep for consistent and dependable service. Our robust infrastructure ensures that your transactions are processed smoothly every time. - Customer Support: Our dedicated support team is here to help. Whether you have a question or need assistance, we're just a message away. Keep@fastfx.co.uk - No Hidden Fees: Enjoy transparent pricing with no hidden charges. Keep offers competitive rates and clear transaction fees, so you know exactly what you're paying. Join the Keep community today and experience the future of money transfers. Download Keep now and start sending and requesting money with ease!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Starling at none against KEEP by Fast FX's shown. Starling also leads on monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and ratings volume (2.8K vs 3). On price, review sentiment, update cadence 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Starling holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Starling has 2.8K ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 74% of Starling's written reviews are positive against 77% of KEEP by Fast FX's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Starling ships an update weekly, KEEP by Fast FX every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Starling | KEEP by Fast FX |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (2.8K ratings) — better | 4.7 (3 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 73.8% of reviews | 77.3% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 2.8K — better | 3 |
| Update frequency | Weekly — better | Every 10 days |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 15.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 529 MB | 47 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | STARLING BANK LIMITED | Fast FX |
Customer experience
Starling
KEEP by Fast FX
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
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- Daily balance history view
- Ability to split transactions into categories
KEEP by Fast FX
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Starling
No in-app purchases
KEEP by Fast FX
No in-app purchases









