Compare UK banks and apps side by side
Most bank comparison articles still rank providers on features every account now offers. Our head-to-head reviews focus on the differences that actually change your monthly cost: FSCS protection, FX markups, overdraft pricing, salary perks and the real cost of paid tiers.
How we compare
The five lenses we look through
Every head-to-head review on this page is structured the same way. Skip features two providers both offer, focus on what actually changes your money.
FSCS and licence
Is the provider a fully UK-licensed bank? £120,000 deposit cover applies only to those that are.
Real fees
Not the headline price, but FX markups, weekend surcharges, overseas ATM caps and overdraft EARs.
Lending
Overdraft availability, rates, personal loans, BNPL products. A free account is not free if you ever dip into the red.
Customer service
Phone vs in-app chat, Trustpilot, response times. Where you reach a human when something breaks.
Travel and FX
Free overseas ATM allowance, currencies held in app, multi-currency IBANs, weekend behaviour.
Live comparisons
Head-to-head reviews
Each comparison is updated against the providers' published pricing pages every quarter.
More head-to-heads in the pipeline:
Comparison FAQ
The Selectra expert answers your questions
We start with the two providers a typical UK reader is genuinely torn between: a high-street incumbent and a challenger, or two challengers with overlapping promises. We then test each against the five lenses at the top of this page: FSCS protection, real fees, lending, customer service and travel/FX. If a feature is identical on both, it does not appear in our reviews.
Yes, once they hold a full UK banking licence. Monzo Bank Ltd has been a UK-licensed bank since 2017. Revolut Bank UK Ltd received its full licence in September 2025 and exited mobilisation in March 2026. Both now offer £120,000 FSCS deposit protection per person, the same ceiling as HSBC, Barclays or NatWest.
Yes. In May 2026 HSBC offered £500, NatWest £200, Barclays £200, Santander £180 plus a £30 Amazon voucher and First Direct £175 for switching under the Current Account Switch Service (CASS). The switch itself is free, takes 7 working days and redirects your salary and direct debits automatically. See our best UK current accounts guide for the live shortlist.
Yes, and most UK adults now do. Holding multiple current accounts does not affect your credit score (the providers run soft checks, not hard ones). A common Selectra pattern: keep your salary in one main bank, hold a digital bank as a travel wallet, and run a third account at a CASS-bonus provider for the cashback.
Every quarter against the providers' own published pricing pages and at least once a year against full terms and conditions. Pricing on Revolut and Monzo paid tiers changes roughly every nine months; CASS switching bonuses change every few weeks.
No clear winner?
See the best UK current accounts of 2026
Our shortlist ranks every account by switching bonus, rewards, overdraft cost and service score so you can skip the duel and pick the leader.