Comparison

Starling vs Cuvva

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

Cuvva

Get temporary car, van, or learner insurance for as little as one hour up to 28 days. Easily borrow or lend vehicles, insure your own car short-term, or get cover to practice driving. Manage your policies entirely through the app.

Highlights
  • Temporary car insurance
  • Van insurance
  • Learner driver insurance
  • Borrow or lend vehicles
  • Flexible policy durations (1 hour to 28 days)
  • In-app policy management
Features
Read full description

Join the 1 million+ drivers enjoying quick and easy, temporary car, van and learner insurance with Cuvva. Download the Cuvva app, get a quote and be covered in minutes. Lend or borrow a car whenever you need to, or insure your own car until you sort out longer-term cover. Our fully comprehensive policies last from 1 hour to 28 days, so you can: - Drive your new wheels home from the dealership - Share the drive with friends on your next road trip - Borrow a car from your family or friends - Save on a removals van when you’re moving house by borrowing one yourself - Learn to drive for up to 6 hours a day with a provisional licence Whenever you need to get behind the wheel, we’ve got you covered. Once you’re insured, you can manage everything within the app. So, whether you need to book a policy in advance or extend your cover, you can sort it all from your phone. The best part is you don’t have to own a car to drive one. With Cuvva, it’s just as easy to get affordable insurance on someone else’s car as it is to insure your own. That’s why we’ve sold over 10m policies (and counting). Cuvva is authorised and regulated by the UK Financial Conduct Authority. Our FCA reference number is 690273. You can check our details on register.fca.org.uk.

Screenshots

Starling4 screens
Cuvva4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Starling at 74% against Cuvva's 50%. Starling also leads on ratings volume (2.8K vs 52) and rating (4.9 vs 4.7). On price, update cadence, 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

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 52, 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 50% of Cuvva's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Starling versus Cuvva: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStarlingCuvva
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (2.8K ratings) — better4.7 (52 ratings)
Positive reviews74.1% of reviews — better50.5% of reviews
Number of ratings2.8K — better52
Update frequencyWeeklyWeekly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterAd-supported
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size545 MB123 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSTARLING BANK LIMITEDCuvva Limited

Customer experience

Starling

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

Cuvva

All ratings52 ratings
Positive90.4%
Neutral5.8%
Negative3.8%
Written reviews206 reviews
Positive50.5%
Neutral3.9%
Negative45.6%

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

Cuvva

From 52 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💯 Excellent service
  • ⚡ Quick and easy to use
  • 💰 Affordable prices
  • 🤝 Great customer support
  • 🚗 Convenient for temporary insurance needs

Room to improve

  • 🚫 Difficulty getting insured
  • 💰 Expensive pricing
  • 📢 Excessive notifications/ads
  • 🤖 Issues with AI/facial recognition
  • 🔒 Concerns about legitimacy and coverage

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

Cuvva

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • App freezing or crashing
  • Issues with photo uploads and verification
  • Inconsistent or incorrect quotes

Requested features

3 requests
  • Expand coverage to more vehicle types
  • Improve account management and cancellation options
  • Provide more transparency on pricing and policies

In-app purchases

None

Starling

No in-app purchases

None

Cuvva

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Starling free?
Starling is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Cuvva free?
Cuvva is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Starling or Cuvva?
Starling is rated higher. Starling averages 4.9 out of 5 from 2.8K ratings, while Cuvva averages 4.7 from 52 ratings.
Do Starling or Cuvva have ads?
Neither Starling nor Cuvva shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Starling or Cuvva?
Starling ships an update weekly, and Cuvva weekly. Most recently, Starling was updated on September 25, 2026 and Cuvva on September 21, 2026.

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