One of my preferred banking tools is, unsurprisingly, Starling Bank, a fintech company with over 4 million users in the UK. If you live in Manchester, you probably already have this downloaded on your phone or have had it at some point.

For personal users, like me, this is a top-notch app. It’s easy to use (both the UI and the actual services) and offers joint accounts and personal accounts for adults, teens, and kids.

The zero monthly fees, £300 withdrawal limit, and easy switching from one bank to Starling make it bang on for individuals and SMEs.

I like how tracking your money is a doddle by using Spaces, which is the savings pot. There’s an option to have a virtual card for every account, and dividing the money is easy to do—I did this for my holiday funds.

You don’t get the option of a credit card, though. But it’s reliable when abroad, as long as you prefer Mastercard, since there aren’t spending or withdrawing fees, has a split the bill feature, and provides real-time data.

Great if you’re travelling

“I love starling, it’s such an easy service to set up and use and it’s great if you’re travelling too as you can use your card abroad in some places with no charges. I’ve had a much better experience with starling compared to other high street banks that I’ve had accounts with”

– Lauren Killoran, Trustpilot Review

The process on the app was very simple

“I already have a Starling current account and savings account but recently needed to open a business account. The process on the app was very simple and I got a call back from a very nice lady to check my application. I got my new account very quickly and found the whole thing very smooth.”

– Fiona Hirst, Google Review

Monzo is one of those fintech companies that has actually caught up with the times. The app has solid features, is easy to use, and has a friendly UI.

Although the frequent UI updates are troublesome to get a hang of, I reckon it’s for improved functionality. Everything feels organised on the app, anyway, especially with Pots, which makes managing your bills a breeze.

It’s even one of my most-used on holidays for its Mastercard exchange rate (no Visa, though), which doesn’t have markups. Taking out cash isn’t an issue because of the unlimited, no-fee withdrawals in the EEA.

Borrowing is easy-peasy if you have the Flex Purchase, a credit card that offers a pretty high starting limit of £10,000. Installments won’t break your savings too, since it has zero interest for purchases of £100 or more, to be paid in three months.

The investment options are also decent, with local and international companies. Basically, it’s an all-in-one app.

Everything is so easy to use

“Using this as my spends account has helped me gravely control my spending even though its the first month. Everything so easy to use and access and letting you know when uve spent in it is even better.”

– Martin, Trustpilot Review

Fantastic to use on holiday

“Fantastic to use on holiday, could see straight away what we have paid and also good to keep an eye on the spending. Account was really simple to set up and card was delivered quickly. Will definitely continue to use.”

– KERRY DANGERFIELD, Trustpilot Review

What’s fantastic about Hydr is that it simplifies financial transactions for businesses in Manchester and all of the UK. It targets business owners and accountants—basically those who need to see the incomings and outgoings.

The whole process is quite easy. Signing up is fairly quick, invoices get instant approval, and everything is digital—from setting up the account, adding debtors, and ID checks—so there’s no need to go from one office to another.

Basically, it brings about efficiency for SMEs, so managing your accounts will be straightforward. Plus, it’s easy to connect with the cloud accounting software your business uses, including Xero and QuickBooks.

It’s fantastic that businesses can access payments within 24 hours, instead of waiting weeks, since it will advance you the invoice. However, I’ve heard from a couple of clients that this isn’t guaranteed all the time.

Then again, it has a fixed fee, which doesn’t change once it’s computed, even if the customer is running late with the payment. It essentially results in a steady cash flow.

Straightforward model

“They have a straight forward model with clarity and stability built. For us as a micro business, the quick payment for our stock provides the cash to grow out our business. Most bank invoice financing we have received quotes on don’t come anywhere close to what Hydr provides.”

– Sherri G, Smart Money People Review

Incredibly reactive

“My business has been using since October 2023. From word go the team have been fantastic to deal with. The initial set up was quick and fuss free, no hoop jumping! Hydr are incredibly reactive; a five star review is without question.”

– Claire Walker, Google Review

Revolut is one of the most stable fintech companies I’ve downloaded on my phone, and even my mum had no problems using it.

While it’s not exactly my main savings account, I found that it’s fantastic for international money transfers for various currencies, as it’s available in the EU and other countries. The international transfer fees are competitive, but only if you’re using a paid plan.

The plans offer loads of benefits, but even the Standard, which is free, is enough for personal banking. Individuals can even open a Professional account without setting up a Business account to manage payments.

A fun feature is the physical cards, available for Visa and Mastercard, because you can personalise them. Plus, I’ve had no problems with security when using my card because it’s fast at detecting and blocking suspicious activities.

It’s just a bummer that a paid plan (Plus Plan) has the same no-fee withdrawal limit of £200 as the free plan, which is quite low for something you pay a monthly fee for. The investment options are good, though, as the app supports funds, stocks, and crypto.

So very happy with this app

“So far very happy with this app. Can do all banking from it, manage cards and accounts, transfers, currency exchanges, etc. All in a breeze, clear to use, without waiting times, and with low fees. As a bonus investing is at your fingertips and doesn’t require an extra app. Love the disposable card that just adds this extra security for online shopping. All in all lots of power and options, even within the free plan. This is great example of how your banking app should be done these days.”

– Natalia, Google Play Store Review

User-friendly interface

“App working well with a user-friendly interface. Easy to transfer money in a seconds between family members and friends. Super fast money transfer while paying bills (for apartment lease for instance). Currency’s exchange online in a seconds makes travels much easier. I like to have very clear account statements for different periods, its a very convenient, I see locations, dates, currencies etc.”

– Mykhailo Leus, Trustpilot Review

The solid deals of Zopa are one of the main reasons it’s part of this list. It makes the most out of your savings and spending, with a 4.75% AER bonus, 2% interest on your balance, and 2% cashback—all these come with the free bank account.

I’ve used my card for my holidays (mainly in the EU), and it was very practical, except that Visa is the only one available. But with every spend, it doesn’t add any more fees, since it uses the Visa exchange rate.

If you’re looking for a loan, it’s ideal. It’s pretty solid for personal loans, credit cards, and car financing because it’s easy to set up if you need the cash quickly and aren’t keen on affecting your credit score.

The UI is clear and simple, with no unnecessary trinkets, with easy tracking and instant access to loans. But patience is needed when dealing with customer service, as the process will take a while to get resolved.

Everything is simple and straightforward

“Everything is made so simple and straightforward,it’s easy to put a little money away into different accounts for different needs. Have never enjoyed saving so much , you can see your money straight away no matter what account your saving for and it’s just as easy to transfer money from a different account it them. Just remember if and when you do use your credit,keep on top of it and pay it back as quick as possible. Awesome credit card to have in my wallet,from everyday purchases to having the money for a rainy day or some unexpected problem, big thumbs up to everyone from Zopa”

– Missy 261, Apple App Store Review

Easy to navigate the app

“Easy to navigate the app, which keeps you updated with all matters appertaining to my interest paid etc. Any news is sent direct by email too, so I feel.like I am always in control.”

– Mark J, Smart Money People Review