Best banks and bank accounts in the UK 2025

Discover the best banks and other account providers in the UK by customer service.

Kate Steere's headshot

By

Kate Steere

Edited by

Liz Edwards

Reviewed by

Katherine Denham

Updated

Fact checked
Voted top by customers See league table
Top by expert analysis See editor's picks

Our experts trawled through the features and fees of accounts from all the big providers and challengers worth considering, including digital-only banking apps. This guide shows our scores as well as scores from the people who matter most – customers. Find out the top accounts for spending abroad, earning interest on your balance, cashback and more, to help you choose the perfect account. You can also earn money when switching your bank account.

Our 2025 customer satisfaction league table

We asked the customers of banking apps and current accounts providers featured in this table whether they’d recommend it to a friend and we’ve ordered the table by the percentage score. Our independent survey was carried out in January 2025. Learn more about how we conducted our research.

BrandLogoCustomers who’d recommendReview
Chase
Starling logo
100%
Chase stands out amongst the crowded current account market by offering its current account holders 1% cashback (up to £15 a month).
Revolut
Revolut logo
93%
Revolut is an app-based banking brand with a range of personal e-money accounts and offers fee-free spending abroad.
Starling
Starling logo
93%
Starling’s easy-to-use app and current account is the perfect way to track your spending habits, and it’s also good for travelling abroad.
Monzo
Monzo logo
90%
Popular digital challenger bank Monzo offers app-based current accounts that are packed with useful money tools.
first direct
first direct logo
90%
Known for its reliability and providing great customer service on the phone 24/7, first direct is loved by customers.
Bank of Scotland
Bank of Scotland logo
90%
Bank of Scotland is a subsidiary of the Lloyds banking group that offers solid benefits and a variety of accounts.
NatWest
NatWest logo
89%
With NatWest, is an established bank with good customer service and a network of branches.
Nationwide
Nationwide logo
89%
Nationwide offers a wide range of current accounts, some of which come with great incentives and perks.
HSBC
HSBC logo
86%
With HSBC,you get the benefits of a global bank such as security, 24/7 customer service and fraud detection.
Lloyds Bank
Lloyds Bank logo
85%
Lloyds comes with the pros of a major UK bank: a network of branches, customer service and top-level security.
Kroo
Lloyds Bank logo
83%
Kroo gives a good interest rate on your current account balance as well as fee-free spending abroad.
Halifax
Halifax logo
81%
Halifax has several current account options, ranging from basic accounts up to reward accounts and has a range of services on offer.
Virgin Money
Virgin Money logo
80%
Virgin Money has developed a comprehensive current account offering, which includes interest on your balance and free overseas card use.
The Co-operative Bank
The Co-operative Bank logo
80%
With The Co-operative Bank‘s current accounts, you can get a range of benefits and features while also supporting their ethical approach.
Barclays
Barclays logo
79%
Current accounts by Barclays offers a full range of current accounts with different sets of perks and rewards.
Santander
Santander logo
78%
High street bank Santander offers a wide range of current accounts, some with cashback and other perks.
RBS
Royal Bank of Scotland logo
77%
Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) offers a selection of current accounts that include cashback at selected retailers and other perks.
Metro Bank
Metro Bank logo
77%
Metro Bank is all about better customer service and transparency. You don’t need an appointment to open a bank account.
TSB
TSB logo
73%
TSB offers a range of account options, including some specifically geared towards students and young people.
Monese
Monese logo
67%
Monese is a digital banking app and card using smartphone technology to improve your banking experience.

Cathy Hudson's headshot
Our expert says: Banking expert Cathy Hudson explains how to pick the best account

"The bank that’s right for you depends on your priorities and your financial situation. If you’re simply looking for a bank with the best customer satisfaction, Starling Bank, Chase, and first direct received the highest scores for overall satisfaction, scoring an impressive 100% ‘would recommend’ score. Two of these are digital-only banks so you would need to make sure this would suit you before choosing one of them.

If it’s interest on your credit balance you’re looking for, Kroo – another digital bank – is currently offering an impressively high rate that is better than some savings accounts. Starling is best if you’re spending money abroad, as it doesn’t charge you fees when you’re paying by card or taking cash out overseas and uses Mastercard’s exchange rates.

For those looking to maximise the return on their savings, first direct is a winning option as by taking out its current account you get access to its top-paying Regular Saver account, which lets you save £25 to £300 a month for 12 months. The interest you’ve earned will be paid to you at the end of this period. If you save the maximum £300 a month, at 7% gross AER, you’ll earn around £136.50 at the end of the 12 months."

Money expert

Finder’s best current accounts by score in the UK 2025

BankBest forFinder score
Starling BankBest all rounder and for overseas spending9.6/10
MonzoBest for extra features & green banking9.8/10
ChaseBest for cashback8.2/10
Lloyds BankBest for payment features8.9/10
RevolutBest all-in-one finance app9.1/10
NationwideBest for linked savings account8.6/10
KrooBest for in-credit interest7.1/10
Starling Current Account - Age 18 and over

Best all rounder and best bank account for overseas spending: Starling Bank

9.6 Excellent
Go to site Read review
Minimum opening balance£0
Account fees£0
Interest (AER)0% AER

Starling's current account is our pick for best all rounder because it has a range of useful features and no monthly fee. It's also our best pick for overseas spending because it has no transaction fees and no monthly overseas ATM withdrawal limits, just a daily limit of £300. As one of the largest digital-only banks, it has built a service which has a variety of payments and budgeting features for customers to use directly through their app. This includes savings spaces, virtual cards, round-up spare change options and all the regular banking payment services. It's a great option if you're looking for fee-free spending when you can pay with your debit card or withdraw cash without being charged.

Representative example: If you use an arranged overdraft of £1,200, you'll be charged interest at 15% EAR variable.

Monzo Free Account

Best for extra features and green banking: Monzo

9.8 Excellent
Go to site Read review
Minimum opening balance£0
Account fees£0
Interest (AER)0% AER

We picked Monzo's current account as the best for extra features because it is designed to help you manage your money better through a range of budgeting tools. It has introduced cashback alongside its existing services like automatic spending categories, spending notifications and Savings Pots. It's our best for green credentials too, scoring well for its ambitious net zero targets and its policy not to invest in or lend to fossil fuel businesses. Also, as a digital bank, its operational emissions benefit from a lack of branches.

Representative example: If you use an arranged overdraft of £1,200, you'll be charged interest at 39% EAR variable.

Revolut Standard Account

Best for all-in-one finance app: Revolut

9.1 Excellent
See dealRead review
Minimum opening balance£0
Account fees£0
Interest (AER)0% AER
Get a £20 welcome bonus when you spend your first £20 (T&Cs apply).

Revolut's our pick as the best all-in-one finance app because it has a range of features on top of what you'd expect from a current account. You're able to invest in shares, commodities and even crypto from the app, which could help simplify someone's finances if they want it all in one place. You can also add travel insurance at the touch of a button, make international payments, hold different currencies and receive your salary early. Oh, and you get a generous welcome bonus when you sign up as well.

Lloyds Classic Account

Best for payment features: Lloyds

8.9 Great
Read review
Minimum opening balance£1
Account fees£0
Interest (AER)0% AER
Everyday Offers - Earn up to 15% cashback from selected retailers when shopping with a Lloyds Bank credit or debit card.

Lloyds is our choice as the best for payment features because it has a strong branch presence where you can make cash and cheque deposits and allows you to make and receive international payments. Making payments is an essential service for a current account but Lloyds does this and much more. It also has its Everyday Offers cashback programme where you can earn up to 15% cashback and comes with no monthly fee. As Lloyds is part of the Lloyds Banking Group, Halifax and Bank of Scotland have many of the same payment features.

Representative example: If you use an arranged overdraft of £1,200, you'll be charged interest at 39.9% EAR variable.

Nationwide FlexAccount

Best bank account for linked savings account: Nationwide

8.6 Great
Read review
Minimum opening balance£0
Account fees£0
Interest (AER)0% AER
£175 cashback for accounts switched using the Current Account Switch Service, including at least 2 direct debits.

Nationwide won our best bank account for linked savings account category for its Flex Regular Saver. At the time of writing, this has one of the highest rates on the market but it's worth knowing you can deposit a maximum of £200 a month (other accounts may have a lower rate but a higher maximum). The account term is 12 months and you'll be able to make up to 3 withdrawals during that period without impacting your interest rate. Just keep in mind that if you make 4 or more withdrawals, your interest rate will be reduced. Account management can all be done via the app or online banking, and you can set a monthly standing order from your Nationwide current account to the Flex Regular Saver. Nationwide's current account stood out for the number of options for accessing its account and receiving support as well as its payment features and linked saver account.

Chase Current Account

Best bank account for cashback: Chase

8.2 Great
See dealRead review
Minimum opening balance£0
Account fees£0
Interest (AER)0% AER
Receive 1% cashback on everyday purchases capped at £15.

We picked Chase as the best bank account for cashback because its cashback offer is head and shoulders above the rest in how much you can earn each month and because it has no monthly fee. New customers can earn 1% cashback on their debit card spending for the first 12 months, but cashback is capped at £15 a month. This applies to a wide range of purchases including groceries, travel, meals out, entertainment, fashion and homewares. As well as no monthly fee and cashback, Chase's account also comes with free spending and cash withdrawals abroad.

Kroo Current Account

Best bank account for in-credit interest: Kroo

7.1 Great
Read review
Minimum opening balance£0
Account fees£0
Interest (AER)3.4% AER

We picked Kroo as the best for in-account interest because it has one of the highest in-credit rates on the market. Its rate is competitive with some easy access savings accounts, but is available on your current account balance, up to £500,000. A fully licensed UK bank, Kroo offers a current account that's free to open, comes with an overdraft subject to availability and has all the useful budgeting features you'd expect from a digital bank including a shared expenses tracker, savings pots and real-time transaction information.

How we score banking accounts

We asked Brits what they care about when choosing a banking account and our scoring reflects what they told us. Our unique system covers 8 key categories that we believe are the most important features to consider when comparing bank accounts:

  • App ratings
  • Transaction fees
  • Customer service
  • Account access
  • Payment features
  • Extra features
  • Monthly fees
  • Overseas fees

There’s more about these in our full methodology.

Our scoring breakdown

We asked UK bank account holders what matters most to them when choosing or switching to a new banking account, and used this when deciding what weight to give different factors in our scoring.

Which bank account should I choose?

Before you answer this question, you should ask “what do I need from my banking account?”.

Work out what you need before comparing the options.

If you’re unhappy with your bank, it makes sense to vote with your feet, especially when there are so many options to choose from.”

– Katherine Denham, award-winning personal finance expert

How many people have a digital-only bank account?

Our recent survey found that 2 in 5 Brits (40%) have a digital-only bank account in 2025. The number of people with a digital-only bank account has increased significantly over the past two years, jumping from 24% at the start of 2023 to 36% at the start of 2024 and then increasing again in 2025.

All the content may be republished with a link to this page. For more information, view the full research page and methodology.
Press enquiries

Bottom line

There are plenty of good deals available if you’re looking to switch account, whatever you want from your bank or banking provider. Just make sure you consider your needs before choosing one. Some of the newer digital-only banks are among the best for customer satisfaction so if you’re happy to only do your banking online or through an app, with no branches offering face-to-face help, these are definitely worth a look.

Frequently asked questions

We show offers we can track - that's not every product on the market...yet. Unless we've said otherwise, products are in no particular order. The terms "best", "top", "cheap" (and variations of these) aren't ratings, though we always explain what's great about a product when we highlight it. This is subject to our terms of use. When you make major financial decisions, consider getting independent financial advice. Always consider your own circumstances when you compare products so you get what's right for you. Most of the data in Finder's comparison tables has the source: Moneyfacts Group PLC. In other cases, Finder has sourced data directly from providers.
Winners | Emails | Unsubscribe | Privacy
Liz Edwards's headshot
Katherine Denham's headshot
To make sure you get accurate and helpful information, this guide has been edited by Liz Edwards and reviewed by Katherine Denham, a member of Finder's Editorial Review Board.
Kate Steere's headshot
Written by

Editor

Kate Steere is an editor at Finder, specialising in fintech, banking and cryptocurrency. She has previously written for The Motley Fool UK and Fitch Solutions, where she covered a wide range of personal finance topics and kept a close eye on market trends. Kate has a Bachelor of Arts in Modern History from the University of East Anglia. When not working, she can usually be found curled up with a good book or heading out for a run. See full bio

Kate's expertise
Kate has written 125 Finder guides across topics including:
  • Fintech
  • Banking
  • Cryptocurrency
  • Mortgages
  • Payments
More resources on Finder

More guides on Finder

Go to site
We use cookies to optimise our site and allow us and 3rd parties to tailor ads you see on sites. By using this site you agree to our cookie policy.