Digital banks and bank-like finance apps have risen to prominence in many European countries, challenging traditional banks for a new tech-savvy generation of customers. Unlike many of the bigger banks, digital banks typically offer low fees, easy application, and convenient web and mobile app experiences.
In 2025, as both the popularity and the market share of Europe's online banks continue to rise, you might wonder which of the many online banks in Europe offers you the best service. In this guide, we whittle down the top online banks in the EU/EEA fintech scene to the top contenders and explore which one might make sense for you.
Authorized as an electronic money institution across the EU, Revolut provides money accounts with an EU IBAN, debit cards, and multi-currency features. Additional services like trading, lending, and savings products are also available. Revolut provides a useful account option with no monthly account maintenance fees charged.
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To determine which online banks scored better than others within the EU/EEA market, we used a consumer-first framework to analyse several key factors. To begin with, we weighed a number of concrete metrics relating to factors such as fees and rates, ease of use, credibility, service and coverage, transparency, and customer satisfaction to piece together a reliable all-around picture of which top digital banks offer the savviest solutions to EU residents.
Next, we explored these results and presented our findings in the form of a series of key takeaways that we believe you should know about the three digital banks ranked highest.
In our definition of "online bank," we only consider:
While we ranked these online banks on an overall list, bear in mind that this list does not mean that our choice for the EU's best digital bank is necessarily the best choice for you. As you'll see, each online bank comes with its own unique set of pros and cons that may impact its overall relevance to you.
If you'd like to see how EU online banks stack up against one another, then check out our recommendations.
Without further ado, let's go through our rankings for the top online banks in Europe in 2025 —
All data correct as of February 2025.
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A major name in financial technology, Revolut has been at the forefront of Europe's online financial services sector in recent years. With over 10 million retail customers, the London-based company is available not only in the EU and EEA but worldwide. When it comes to Revolut in Europe, there are basically two separate entities:
If you're a resident of the EU, your Revolut account will probably be a full bank account through Revolut Bank UAB. However, different services are offered by either of these two companies, and the situation differs from country to country. It's a bit complicated. You can find the full details on Revolut's website here.
Account Name | Fee /Month |
€0.00 | |
€3.99 | |
€9.99 | |
€16.99 | |
€55.00 |
Revolut Bank UAB offers banking services in parts of the EU/EEA (including in France, Italy, Portugal, Estonia, Greece, Latvia, Romania, and a few others), while Revolut's global services operate under e-money licenses. Services may vary by entity, including deposit protections and insurance.
However, whether your services are provided through Revolut or Revolut Bank, the platform offers a range of financial services typical of traditional banks, making it an attractive alternative to high-street banks due to its unique ability to offer low fees and impressive scope of service.
Opening up a 'Standard' account with Revolut is completely free, but delivering the first debit card will set you back around €5. ATM withdrawals have no Revolut fees up to €200 per month, beyond which a 2% Revolut fee applies per withdrawal. Moreover, transferring money to other Revolut users is free and instant. This makes the service a reliable choice if you frequently send money to other Revolut users.
In addition, Revolut offers low fees on international money transfers, making the service an attractive choice for those who frequently send money across borders. They charge no exchange rate margins on weekdays, with users only subject to a flat 0.50% fee on all transfers sent abroad. However, be aware that Revolut charges twice the fee for international money transfers made on weekends — bumping the fee to 1% on Saturdays and Sundays.
In the end, Revolut provides useful spending features alongside a primary bank account. It is ideal if you'd like to cut down on the high fees associated with basic banking services at high-street banks and is particularly well-suited for travelling abroad, especially if you plan to spend less than €1,000 (or equivalent) and do most of your spending on weekdays. It's for all these reasons that we rate Revolut as the best all-rounder online bank in the EU.
Arguably the best-known mobile bank, N26 is a widely-used and much-loved German online bank with around seven million customers across the EU. N26 is also partnered with WISE's money transfer service, allowing in-app international money transfers at some of the best exchange rates on the market. Because of its complete current account offering, we recommend N26 to just about anybody interested in low-cost banking.
Account Name | Fee /Month |
€0.00 | |
€4.90 | |
€9.90 | |
€16.90 |
N26 offers several paid accounts and one free account, 'N26 Standard', which in our opinion is a very capable and complete online banking package in and of itself (especially considering it doesn't cost a cent in monthly fees). 'N26 Standard' is a fully-fledged current account available online and in the N26 app. It allows mobile payments and includes a transparent debit Mastercard, which arrives with no delivery fee.
While very cheap, there are some costs to consider when using the 'N26 Standard' account. For example, the account is free up to three ATM withdrawals per month in the Eurozone, after which it costs €2 per withdrawal. And, as mentioned above, cash withdrawals at ATMs outside the Eurozone (e.g. Switzerland, Norway, UK, US, etc.) come with a fairly steep 1.70% commission on the total amount withdrawn.
Upgrading plans with N26 can cost you between €4.90 and €16.90 and will bring you benefits such as comprehensive insurance, spending statistics, and preferential customer support. However, the core banking features of N26 are all available on the free account, and in our opinion, this account should give you everything you're looking for if free basic banking services are what you're after.
Simple Swift Bank is a fintech company affiliated with German bank Solarisbank striving for positive impact and claiming to put sustainability before crypto profit. Customers can choose between three sustainable current accounts, the first two coming with a virtual Visa debit card, and the premium tier coming with a crypto only Visa debit. We particularly think Simple Swift Bank's basic 'Virtual' account is the ideal choice for sustainability-oriented customers due to its low all-around costs and pro-sustainability cryptocurrencies and crypto assets.
All three of Tomorrow's paid account models (which range from €3 to €15 per month) create sustainable investments. This is achieved using transaction costs and user deposits, which are partly invested in projects such as afforestation, sustainable energy production, or drinking water purification in poorer regions of the world.
Even with Tomorrow's base account, the CO2 footprint of the account holder is compensated, and with its premium 'Zero' account, the package comes with a debit card made of wood, which is a unique perk that allows your card to stand out visually from the rest.
Aside from its focus on sustainability, Tomorrow also has a lot to offer functionally. The platform enables free payments worldwide and offers currency conversion at the mid-market exchange rate with both account models. Cash withdrawals abroad on the free account cost 1.5% of the withdrawal amount.
We are particularly interested in the fact that Tomorrow offers an excellent user experience despite its sustainable approach and stands out with attractive fees for use at home and abroad. Thus, you won't have to compromise when receiving a sustainable current account with excellent functionality and low transaction costs.
WISE is not a bank but a money transfer operator well-known for offering some of the cheapest international transfers globally. (In fact, according to our rankings, WISE is the best money transfer service.) However, money transfers aren't WISE's only game; they also offer the WISE Account — a low-cost foreign currency spending account and card product that's best in class on the market.
Applying for a WISE Account is fast and easy and can be opened while abroad and done using proof of residence in the EU/EEA (as well as many countries worldwide). Once you're signed up and your card has arrived (which takes up to two weeks in Europe), you'll be able to take advantage of the following unique features with the account:
To get a sense of just how useful WISE can be for frequent travellers and expats, let's say that you've just moved from the UK to Portugal and you'd like to spend in Euros before you've got your proof of residence sorted out. With the WISE Account, you'll be able to:
You'll also have a dedicated set of Belgian bank details to share with a European employer. Belgian IBANs are fully eligible in the Eurozone, and rejecting the payout or receipt of funds based on the origin of an IBAN is illegal. Note that this account does not offer an overdraft, and you won’t earn interest on any in-credit balances.
For the above reasons, we think WISE is the best online multi-currency account available to Europeans and a product we firmly recommend for holidaymakers, online spenders, and expats alike.
Dutch neobank bunq doesn't really lift a candle to some of the other contenders on this list in terms of affordability. That's because bunq doesn't offer a free account, and many of its services come with additional fees. However, for those who don't mind paying higher fees every month for an online bank account, then bunq comes packed with many interesting features and perks to take advantage of.
Account Name | Fee /Month |
€0.00 | |
€3.99 | |
€8.99 | |
€17.99 |
Available in most EU/EEA countries, bunq offers three different bank account types priced between €2.99 and €17.99 per month. Following a major pricing update in 2021, bunq went from being one of the cheapest neobanks for overseas spending to one of the most expensive. On bunq's most affordable plan, card spending in foreign currencies while abroad incurs a 1.5% commission on the transaction amount as well as a 0.5% network fee, while on the two more premium plans, the 1.5% commission is waived for cashless payments abroad, but the 0.5% network fee remains.
Cash withdrawals are also rather pricey at bunq, regardless of the plan. On the cheapest 'Easy Bank' plan, not only does the €0.99 per withdrawal fee apply for the first four withdrawals per month (after which the fee bumps up to €2.99 per withdrawal), but these come in addition to the 1.5% commission and 0.5% network fee for foreign currency withdrawals. This means that for a $1,000 withdrawal in the US, you'd pay 2.1% in fees, which is comparable to the fees charged by traditional banks.
Despite the pricing update, whether you're an expat, a frequent traveller, or a digital nomad, you'll find bunq to still be, on average, a cheaper option for overseas spending than traditional banks, though, although not quite as cheap as come of its major alternatives such as N26 and Revolut.
Bunq accounts break down into three tiers as follows:
Because of the costs involved, we think bunq isn't suitable for all kinds of users, especially those looking to cut back on expenses or those who aren't necessarily looking for an eco-friendly solution in their bank. However, suppose you live in Spain, France, Germany or the Netherlands and want an IBAN for one of these countries (especially if you don't mind paying the €2.99 per month fee for the perks that bunq has to offer). In that case, we'd recommend bunq's 'Easy Bank' plan, which provides an interesting paid online bank account that will probably give you everything you're looking for and more.
Yuh is a Swiss neobank that's backed by Swissquote and PostFinance. It offers a Swiss franc (CHF) IBAN account and multi-currency functionality that allows you to hold in-app balanced in up to 13 other currencies, including EUR, USD, and GBP. Yuh also comes with a built-in stock and crypto trading platform. Because it's available in Switzerland and all neighbouring EU/EEA countries, we think it's the best CHF account in Europe and an excellent way to hold a balance in the currency if that's something you find helpful.
Swiss neobank Yuh is an excellent online account that gives you an app-based account and a debit card. Together, they make a savvy and capable spending tool, although it lacks card and cash top-up methods, direct debits, interest, and overdrafts. The account comes with a slick black prepaid debit Mastercard, which costs nothing in month-to-month fees:
Yuh
With Yuh, you'll be able to hold a bank account in Swiss francs (with a full-fledged Swiss IBAN) and balances in 12 other currencies (including US dollars and all the currencies of the EEA). Yuh also offers 'projects', which you can use to put money aside into dedicated account-like spaces to be saved for short-, medium-, and even long-term goals (with CHF, EUR, and USD balances all accruing interest).
Another major perk of Yuh is that, using the app, you can buy fractional shares for as little as CHF 25 (a very low barrier to entry) in over 200 blue-chip companies or invest in "themes" (e.g. vegetarian, pharma, cannabis, etc.) to which you want to expose your portfolio. Yuh also offers an automated investment feature where it allows you to choose how often and how much you want to invest, and it'll make the trades for you.
Here's an overview of ways to open a euro bank account or a euro currency account online with fintech platforms as well as major financial institutions.
Provider
Coverage in the US
Coverage internationally
Currencies
Last updated: 8 January 2024
Account
Standard
Standard
Now
Monthly Fee
€0
€0
€4
Intl. Withdrawal Fee
1.70%
3%
1.50%
Intl. Transaction Fee
0%
0%
0%
Intl. Transfer Fee
0.3%-2.8%
N/A
Card Delivery Fee
€0
€0
€0
Contactless
✔
✔
✔
Google Pay
✔
✔
✔
Apple Pay
✔
✔
✔
3D Secure
✔
✔
✔
Deposit Options
SEPA transfer
Overdraft
✔
✘
✘
Platforms
Mobile
Deposit Insurance
€100,000
€100,000
€100,000
No. of Customers
8 million
30 million
Approx. 70,000
Trustpilot
3.8/5
4.1/5
3.1/5
Customer Service
24h in-app live chat
Last updated: 8 January 2024
🔐 Are online banks safe?
Yes, in the EU/EEA, online banks are indeed safe and secure financial institutions. Not only are they duly authorised and regulated by the central banks in their respective countries of origin, but European online banks offer deposit protection to their customers in accordance with EU guidelines, meaning that, in most cases, 100% of funds will be reimbursed in the event of bankruptcy.
🏛 Are online banks considered non-banks?
Yes and no. Strictly speaking, an 'online bank' is an up-and-coming financial institution that places digital solutions at the forefront of its product and service offerings. Therefore, an online bank can still, by all means, be a registered and regulated bank, as is the case with N26. However, most online banks are indeed non-banks and inhabit a regulatory 'grey zone' between being fully-fledged banks and financial technology companies.
👨⚖️ Are online banks regulated?
Yes, online banks are regulated by the same laws and regulations that govern all other financial services providers in the EU/EEA, namely authorization and oversight by the central banks of their respective countries and adherence to the financial compensation guidelines.
💰 How do online banks make money?
Like legacy high-street banks, online banks make money from personal clients through service fees associated with opening, maintaining, and utilizing an account and various features. However, for a number of reasons including the fact that most online banks do not maintain offices, online banks are able to reduce their pricing to outcompete traditional banks at the price point.
🇪🇺 What is the best online bank account to open in Europe?
In general, we think N26 is the best online bank account to open in Europe for most people, because it's probably the most complete online bank in the EU market. However, since N26 is currently no longer accepting new customers from Italy, if you live there (or live elsewhere and value sustainability above costs), we recommend Tomorrow instead, which offers an excellent current account and sustainable banking option. Another great option is bunq, which is widely available across Europe and wins when it comes to features.
Our recommendations are built on rock-solid experience.
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