Best mobile banking apps

If you need to download another app, it had better be a good one. Luckily, most mobile banking apps are free to download and use, but a few among the thousands stand out for their extra features and customer experience. Compare the best mobile banking apps for the top innovations in online and mobile banking.

11 best mobile banking apps

Here are the best mobile banking apps with an average app rating of at least 4 stars and additional mobile banking features beyond typical account management.

Methodology: How we chose the best banking apps

Finder’s experts looked at hundreds of popular banking apps. We only considered apps with:

• at least 100,000 total customer ratings
• an overall average rating of over 4 stars on the Apple App Store and Google Play
• features beyond typical account management

We also required the bank, credit union or fintech to have at least one account with no monthly fees.

Which banking app is the best?

In terms of customer app store ratings, Wells Fargo has the best mobile app, boasting an impressive 4.9 stars on the Apple App Store out of over 9.1 million ratings and 4.8 stars on Google Play out of over 2.47 million ratings.

Wells Fargo also offers tons of deposit account options, wealth management services and lending options. However, it doesn’t have the best reputation with regulators, having paid millions of dollars in fines for shady practices and consumer protection violations in the last few years.

If you’re looking for the most features and a highly rated mobile app, Chase, Discover and SoFi are the top options, offering far more mobile features than the competition.

• Chase’s app is packed with perks, such as FICO credit score viewing, reward management, in-app credit applications, investment management tools and the ability to schedule meetings with bankers and advisors. Chase also has the most physical branch locations in the US, and you can locate ATMs and branches in the app.
• Discover is a top pick for travelers, thanks to its lack of foreign transaction fees, traveling alert feature to avoid travel interruptions, credit score tracker, multiple login options and much more.
• SoFi’s mobile app has tons of management tools because it doesn’t have any physical branches. The SoFi account is a hybrid checking and savings account. You can invest, apply for credit and perform peer-to-peer transfers. However, it’s worth noting that SoFi has significantly higher customer satisfaction among Apple device users based on app store reviews.

Best mobile banking app features to look for

Most bank apps allow you to move funds between your accounts, turn cards on and off, order replacement cards and view bank statements. Even mobile check deposit is now considered a staple app feature.

Here are what we’d consider top-of-the-line mobile banking features:

• AI assistants
• Budgeting tools or the ability to sync with popular budget apps
• Cashback reward management
• Credit applications, such as personal loans and credit cards
• Credit score or report viewing
• In-app customer support
• Instant mobile check deposit fund availability
• Investment options
• Peer-to-peer transfer services
• Tax filing
• Virtual card creation

Bottom line

Most mobile banking apps allow you to view transactions, manage accounts, make mobile check deposits and transfer money. You’re more likely to find the best mobile banking apps with the largest banks, as they’ll have more resources to create top-ranking apps with great functionality.

An alternative to choosing a big bank is opting for a fintech or online bank, such as Chime or SoFi. These online-only banking options typically offer a wide range of mobile banking features since they don’t have to maintain branches and mobile banking is their customers’ primary form of account management.

Compare the best online banks here, or for more specific options, check out the overall best checking accounts.

Frequently asked questions

Are mobile banking apps free?

Nearly all mobile banking apps are free to download and use, typically offered as a complimentary service and companion app for your bank account. In some cases, you can download a mobile banking app before opening an account and apply for one through the app.

Is it better to use a bank app or website?

Both banking portals and mobile apps usually have security measures to keep your information safe, but mobile banking apps often offer an extra layer of security if you enable it. For example, you can set your bank app login to use Apple’s Face ID or a fingerprint scan, so you’re not always using your username and password, making it harder for someone to access your account if they get a hold of your phone.

What is the difference between a banking app and mobile banking?

The terms “mobile banking” and “banking app” can be used interchangeably when referring to a bank’s mobile app for managing accounts. Learn more about online and digital banking.

To make sure you get accurate and helpful information, this guide has been edited by Holly Jennings as part of our fact-checking process.

Written by

Bethany Hickey

Editor, Banking

Bethany Hickey is the banking editor and personal finance expert at Finder, specializing in banking, lending, insurance, and crypto. Bethany’s expertise in personal finance has garnered recognition from esteemed media outlets, such as Nasdaq, MSN, Yahoo Finance, GOBankingRates, SuperMoney, AOL and Newsweek. Her articles offer practical financial strategies to Americans, empowering them to make decisions that meet their financial goals. Her past work includes articles on generational spending and saving habits, lending, budgeting and managing debt. Before joining Finder, she was a content manager where she wrote hundreds of articles and news pieces on auto financing and credit repair for CarsDirect, Auto Credit Express and The Car Connection, among others. Bethany holds a BA in English from the University of Michigan-Flint, and was poetry editor for the university’s Qua Literary and Fine Arts Magazine. See full bio

Bethany's expertise

Bethany has written 446 Finder guides across topics including:

• Personal finance
• Banking
• Auto loans
• Insurance
• Cryptocurrency and NFTs