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Banks like Varo

Close alternatives to Varo include Chime, SoFi®, Revolut, Current, Juno and more.

Varo is an online FDIC-insured bank offering a checking and savings account with a ton of features, including cashback rewards, a high APY and barely any fees. It also offers a secured credit card called Varo Believe that doesn’t have an APR or annual fees and allows you to set the spending limit. But Varo doesn’t offer joint accounts or wire transfers, and to earn the highest APY on savings, you must meet deposit requirements.

As more fintechs and online banks enter the space, competition is fierce. Here are eight alternative online banks like Varo with their own unique strengths.

9 banks like Varo

Alternative for free checking

Chime® Checking Account

9.6 Excellent

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on Chime's secure site
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When it comes to hassle-free checking, Chime takes the cake. It's a fintech company with banking services backed by its bank partners. Chime offers one checking account, a savings account and a secured credit card. Its checking account has no monthly fees, no opening deposit requirement, no foreign transaction fees, and fee-free overdraft. In addition, with direct deposit set up, you may qualify for Chime SpotMe, its unique overdraft service that covers purchases up to $200 with no fees. However, similar to Varo, it doesn't offer cashback rewards, accept cash deposits or allow joint owners.
Fee$0 per month
Minimum deposit to open$0

Alternative for all-in-one banking

SoFi Checking and Savings

9 Excellent

Get up to $300 cash bonus with qualifying direct deposit. Terms apply. This offer is available until January 31, 2026.
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on SoFi's secure site
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Just like Varo, SoFi is an online bank that's directly FDIC-insured. SoFi has a long list of products and services, including its all-in-one Checking and Savings account with no monthly fees, opening deposit requirement, overdraft fees or foreign transaction fees. If you set up direct deposit, you can earn up to 3.80% APY on your savings balance and up to 0.50% on your checking. You can also enjoy high FDIC insurance of up to $2 million. Alongside its banking products, SoFi offers personal loans, mortgages, student loan refinancing, credit cards, investing and much more. Similar to Varo, SoFi accepts cash deposits at Green Dot locations for a $4.95 fee.
APYUp to 3.80%
Fee$0 per month
Minimum deposit to open$0

Alternative for credit building

Current

9.2 Excellent

Get a $50 referral bonus by inviting your friends to join Current. Once the person receives the invite link and makes qualifying deposits of at least $200 within 45 days of opening the account, you and the referred friend each earn $50
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on Current's secure site
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Current is a fintech company that offers an all-in-one checking and savings account with no monthly fees, overdraft fees or opening deposit requirement. You can create three savings pods to keep your goals separate and earn up to 4% bonus on up to $2,000 within each pod. You can also earn cashback points with select merchants, and eligible users can apply for paycheck advances with no credit check or fees. On top of that, Current offers a secured card that's very similar card to Varo's Believe card — the Current Build card has no interest charges, annual fees or credit check, and it's backed by your Current account which sets the spending limit. However, both Varo and Current don't offer joint accounts.
APY4.00%
Fee$0 per month
Minimum deposit to open$0

Alternative for young adults

Fizz debit card

9.4 Excellent

Earn 1,000 points ($10 value) when you download the Fizz app and enter code FINDER.
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on Fizz's secure site
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Designed for college students but available to anyone 18 and up, Fizz offers a unique card that can build credit. With no credit check, no APR or monthly fees, and reporting to all three credit bureaus, it can help young adults start building a better credit history. Fizz requires users to have an external account with at least $150 in it and be at least 18 years old. Fizz's card offers very high cashback rewards from 25% to 100%, with merchants frequently found around college campuses, such as Starbucks, Chick-fil-A and Einstein Bros. Bagels. Varo has a similar product, but Varo's Believe card requires you to have the Varo account to qualify and for you to manually add funds to the Believe card to use it. But unlike Varo, you can't earn any APY with Fizz, since it's not a deposit account.
APYN/A
FeeFrom $5.99 per month
Minimum deposit to open$150

Alternative for high-interest checking

Dave

9.2 Excellent

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Dave is a mobile banking app chock full of great features, including its very high 4% APY available on its Spend account — as long as you meet direct deposit requirements. It's just barely lower than Varo's 5% APY. Dave also offers cash advances, credit monitoring, budgeting features and cashback rewards of up to 15%. However, Dave costs $0 per month, while Varo doesn't have a monthly fee. Like Varo, Dave doesn't offer joint accounts but accepts cash deposits at Walgreens and CVS locations for a $4.95 fee.
APY4.00%
FeeFrom $0 per month
Minimum deposit to open$0

Alternative for savings

OnePay Cash

9.6 Excellent

Earn 10% cash back at Walmart on your first purchase made within your first month, on up to $200 spent. Limited time offer. Earn 3% cash back at Walmart on up to $150 spent per month, with eligible deposits.
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on OnePay's secure site
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Varo and One are very similar digital banking options, though One is a fintech with banking partners. Just like Varo, One Cash offers a 3.75% APY on savings by meeting direct deposit or balance requirements. However, One Cash's requirements are slightly easier to meet, only requiring direct deposit of $500 per month, or an average balance of $5,000. Varo requires a balance of at least $5,000 and direct deposit of at least $1,000 per month. Neither account has monthly fees or opening deposit requirements, and One Cash also offers cashback rewards, though they're not as robust as Varo's 6%. Both Varo and One Cash lack the ability to support joint accounts.
APYUp to 3.75%
Fee$0 per month
Minimum deposit to open$0

Alternative for travelers

Revolut

9.6 Excellent

Get a $10 cash reward when you first use your card on a qualifying $1+ transaction. Terms & Conditions apply.
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Based in the UK, Revolut is a fintech company with banking services. Revolut is designed for globetrotters as it's a multi-currency account. You can in spend over 150 currencies and enjoy free exchange for over 25 currencies with monthly allowances. You can also earn between 3.25% and 4.25% APY on your savings balance, depending on your membership tier. Revolut is free to open, but its paid plans called Premium and Metal offer more international perks and cost between $9.99 to $16.99 per month. Revolut supports wire transfers, a perk Varo lacks, and the paid plans offer discounts on international wire transfers. However, just watch out for withdrawal limitations at out-of-network ATMs, as that can lead to extra fees.
APYUp to 3.50%
FeeFrom $0 per month
Minimum deposit to open$0

Alternative for rewards

MUST READ: New account creation paused
Juno is experiencing issues with its banking service provider, and has paused new account creation for the time being
Juno

9.6 Excellent

Finder Award

Spend with the Juno debit card and earn 5% back on your favorite brands. Be it shopping on Amazon or ordering with Doordash, you decide.
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Varo and Juno are neck-in-neck when it comes to rewards. With Juno's checking account, you can earn up to 5% cash back at five merchants you choose from its list of partners up to $500 to $6,000 per year, depending on your membership tier: Basic or Metal. Both tiers offer 3% to 5% savings rewards on your balance, ATM reimbursements and access to the Allpoint and MoneyPass ATM networks, which means a network of over 85,000 ATMs nationwide. However, like Varo, Juno doesn't support joint accounts or wire transfers.
APYUp to 5.00%
Fee$0 per month
Minimum deposit to open$0

Alternative for joint checking

Honeydue

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Honeydue is a fintech company with a banking app specially designed for couples. The Honeydue app allows you to link external bank accounts and create a separate joint account called the Joint Cash account. You and your partner can customize the visibility of balances and transactions and even choose to hide certain transactions — such as that anniversary gift you don't want your partner to know you got. But besides its transparency feature, you can't earn APY on your balance or get cashback rewards like you can with Varo.
APYN/A
Fee$0 per month
Minimum deposit to open$0

How Varo compares

Varo is a top banking option, and unlike many other online accounts, Varo is directly insured by the FDIC. You’ll find most online accounts such as Chime, Current and Honeydue all have banking partners that insure and back the accounts, which can limit what products they offer, though insurance coverage is typically the same.

Overall, Varo’s account has a strong cashback rewards program and a 5% high APY on the savings account when you meet direct deposit requirements. For balances under $5,000, you can earn 5% APY, and for those over $5,000, you’ll earn 2.5% if you direct deposit at least $1,000 per month. The Visa Varo Believe card is a debit-credit card that can build credit history, but you’ll need a Varo account and must manually transfer money to the Varo Believe card to use it. Overall, Varo is a competitive product but not the best choice if you need a joint account or a bank with physical locations.

Pros

  • Directly insured online bank
  • No monthly fees
  • Up to 6% cashback rewards with select brands
  • Up to 5% APY on savings

Cons

  • Requires Varo account for secured card
  • No joint accounts
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To make sure you get accurate and helpful information, this guide has been edited by Holly Jennings as part of our fact-checking process.
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Written by

Banking editor

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

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