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For a UK user in 2021, Monzo and Starling were the strongest app-based banking choices. For connecting accounts you already hold elsewhere, Moneyhub, Yolt and Emma were more natural fits. Revolut sat between those categories as a fintech alternative with linked-account features. There was no single best app: the right choice depended on whether you wanted a replacement current account, a budgeting layer over existing accounts, or both.
What Open Banking apps could do in 2021
Open Banking allowed you to give an authorised app permission to access financial information held by another bank or provider. Depending on the institution, country and plan, an app could combine balances and transaction histories, categorise spending, identify recurring payments, or initiate a bank transfer.
The permission was account-specific and could be withdrawn. Support was not universal: an app might accept current accounts from one bank but not every savings, credit-card or investment account. Check the institutions and account types supported during the connection flow rather than assuming that “Open Banking” means every account will work.
Monzo’s 8 October 2021 explanation described the aim as putting customers in control of their transaction data. It reported more than 1.3 million Monzo users using the company’s Open Banking functionality at that time. Monzo also cited more than 4 million Open Banking payments in 2020, compared with 320,000 in 2018; those figures describe UK Open Banking activity in the cited context, not total app users or a market-share ranking.
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2021 comparison at a glance
| App | Best fit | Primary role | Notable 2021 capabilities | Important qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monzo | One everyday account plus connected accounts | Current-account replacement with aggregation | Balances, transaction history, Trends, easy bank transfers and linked-data affordability checks | Connected-account availability and plan limits applied |
| Starling | Primary banking with practical controls | App-based bank | Bills Manager, card controls and other in-app money-management tools | Its API documentation named Yolt, Moneyhub and TrueLayer as Open Banking users |
| Moneyhub | Detailed aggregation and financial wellness | Dedicated account-aggregation platform | Collects, enriches and contextualises financial data for personalised journeys | Better viewed as a financial-data layer than a replacement current account |
| Revolut | Fintech ecosystem with a consolidated view | Fintech account plus linked external accounts | External-account links, recurring-payment tracking and spending analytics | Feature availability and regional support needed checking |
| Yolt | Historical 2021 budgeting and tracking | Aggregation and budgeting app | Included among notable options in a January 2021 Guardian comparison | Availability, ownership and features were volatile; verify before relying on it |
| Emma | Historical 2021 spending tracking | Budgeting and aggregation app | Included among notable options in the same January 2021 comparison | Verify current availability and account support |
Monzo: strongest all-round app-based bank with aggregation
Monzo was the clearest choice if you wanted a modern current account while still seeing other accounts in one app. Its connected-account tools could display balances and transaction histories, show linked data in Trends, and support easy bank transfers. Monzo also described using linked information for overdraft affordability checks.
That combination made Monzo more than a read-only dashboard: you could use it as your main day-to-day account and bring outside accounts into the same financial picture. The user figure Monzo published—more than 1.3 million people using the functionality on 8 October 2021—shows substantial adoption, but it does not establish that Monzo was the app used by most UK customers.
Starling: best for banking controls and bills
Starling was a strong pick for readers who wanted their main bank and budgeting controls in one place. Its Bills Manager was designed to organise regular payments, while card controls helped manage how a card could be used. Those features sat inside a full app-based banking relationship rather than a separate budgeting service.
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Starling’s Open Banking API documentation identified Yolt, Moneyhub and TrueLayer as examples of companies using its API. That demonstrates Starling’s participation in the Open Banking ecosystem, but it does not mean that every Starling feature or every third-party app had identical account access.
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Moneyhub was the most purpose-built option for people who wanted to bring financial relationships together without replacing their existing bank. Open Banking Limited described it as a platform that “collect[s], enrich[es], and contextualise[s] the data fragments” to create personalised financial journeys.
Choose this model when your priority is a consolidated, enriched view across institutions and you are comfortable keeping your current accounts elsewhere. It is not simply another current-account app. Moneyhub also appeared in Open Banking Expo’s 2021 consumer Open Banking awards listing, although an award listing does not by itself measure suitability for every user.
Rank #3
Revolut: a fintech alternative with linked external accounts
Revolut’s documented linked-account tools were aimed at users who wanted a consolidated financial view inside a broader fintech app. The feature set included external-account connections, recurring-payment tracking and spending analytics.
It made sense for someone already using Revolut’s wider ecosystem and wanting account visibility in the same place. Check the country, account type and plan shown in the app: Open Banking features and supported institutions can vary by region and can change over time.
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A 9 January 2021 Guardian comparison included Yolt and Emma alongside Monzo and Starling as notable budgeting or app-only banking choices. In a 2021 decision, either could appeal to someone whose main need was spending tracking rather than opening a new current account.
App availability, ownership and feature sets are unusually changeable in this category. Treat Yolt and Emma as historical 2021 options and verify that the service is still operating, which institutions it supports and what permissions it requests before connecting an account.
Which app is best to consolidate accounts from multiple institutions?
Moneyhub was the clearest dedicated aggregation choice in this group. It was designed around collecting and enriching data from multiple financial relationships. Monzo was preferable if you also wanted a primary current account, while Revolut suited users who preferred its broader fintech ecosystem. Yolt and Emma were relevant 2021 alternatives, but their later status requires separate verification.
Which is the best budgeting app?
For a primary bank with built-in controls, choose Starling for Bills Manager and card controls, or Monzo for Trends, connected-account views and transfers. For budgeting across accounts that remain at other institutions, Moneyhub was the more aggregation-focused answer. “Best” depended on whether bills, spending categories, account breadth or banking functionality mattered most.
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What app does everyone use to track spending?
No single app had universal use in 2021. Monzo’s published figure of more than 1.3 million users of its Open Banking functionality indicates meaningful adoption, not universal adoption or a definitive market ranking. The Guardian’s comparison shows that UK users were choosing among several app-only banks and budgeting tools.
How to choose safely
- Decide whether you need a bank or an overlay. A current-account replacement points toward Monzo or Starling; an overlay points toward Moneyhub and similar aggregators.
- List the accounts you actually need to connect. Confirm support for each bank, card, savings account or other product before signing up.
- Check the actions, not just the dashboard. Read-only balances, categorisation, recurring-payment detection and payment initiation are different permissions.
- Review the consent screen. Check which accounts, data categories and duration are requested, and revoke access when you no longer need it.
- Recheck plan and regional limits. Pricing, supported providers and features can change; 2021 availability should not be assumed today.
Security and regulatory checks
Use the provider’s own consent screen and privacy information to see exactly what data is requested and why. Prefer a provider whose regulatory status and Open Banking permissions you can verify for your jurisdiction. A successful bank connection does not mean the app can access every product you hold, and withdrawing consent may not erase data already processed under the provider’s retention policy.
Finally, never give an aggregation app your bank password outside the bank’s authorised authentication journey. If the connection flow looks like an app asking you to type credentials directly into an unrelated form, stop and verify the provider before continuing.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
