{"id":541659,"date":"2024-09-18T16:52:52","date_gmt":"2024-09-18T15:52:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.finder.com\/uk\/?p=541659"},"modified":"2026-04-23T14:58:21","modified_gmt":"2026-04-23T13:58:21","slug":"kroo-vs-starling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.finder.com\/uk\/current-accounts\/kroo-vs-starling","title":{"rendered":"Kroo vs Starling: Which is the best?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kroo<\/a> and Starling<\/a> are both popular digital banks, with Starling having been around since 2014 and Kroo being established in 2016.<\/p>

Both banks operate a free personal current account, and while there are plenty of similarities between them, there are also some key differences. Let\u2019s take a closer look.<\/p>

Kroo vs Starling: Vital statistics<\/h3>
\n \n
<\/th>\"Kroo<\/a><\/td>\"Starling<\/a><\/td><\/tr>
Finder score<\/th>7.1<\/span><\/span>Great<\/span><\/span><\/td>9.6<\/span><\/span>Excellent<\/span><\/span><\/td><\/tr>
Customer satisfaction survey<\/th>4.1 <\/span>
\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605<\/div><\/td>
4.4 <\/span>
\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605<\/div><\/td><\/tr>
Free spending abroad<\/th><\/use><\/svg><\/td><\/use><\/svg><\/td><\/tr>
Arranged overdraft<\/th>N\/A<\/td>15%, 25% or 35% EAR<\/td><\/tr>
Representative example<\/th>N\/A<\/td>If you use an arranged overdraft of \u00a31,200, you'll be charged interest at 15% EAR variable.<\/td><\/tr>
Interest when you're in credit<\/th>3.65%<\/td>0%<\/td><\/tr>
Branch access<\/th><\/use><\/svg><\/td><\/use><\/svg><\/td><\/tr>
FSCS protected<\/th><\/use><\/svg><\/td><\/use><\/svg><\/td><\/tr>
Sign-up bonus<\/th><\/use><\/svg><\/td><\/use><\/svg><\/td><\/tr>
Amount<\/th>N\/A<\/td>N\/A<\/td><\/tr>
Product image<\/th>
\"Kroo\"<\/td>		\"Starling\"<\/td><\/tr>
Find out more<\/th>
Read review<\/a><\/div><\/td>
See account<\/a>
Read review<\/a><\/div><\/td><\/tr>\n <\/tbody>\n <\/table><\/div>

Kroo\u2019s current account comes with black contactless card, while you\u2019ll get a teal-coloured vertical card with Starling.<\/p>

Neither bank has branches, but you can withdraw or deposit money into your Starling account at Post Office counters. <\/p>

You can apply for an overdraft with both the Kroo and Starling accounts, but while Kroo charges 24.9% EAR, the rate you get with Starling depends on your credit score and personal circumstances and ranges from 15% to 35% EAR. <\/p>

Kroo pays interest on your credit balances, at a rate of 3.65%.<\/p>

Both received positive feedback in our most recent Finder Current Account Customer Satisfaction Awards 2025<\/a> results, with Starling doing slightly better than Kroo. For Starling, 93% of customers said they\u2019d recommend it to a friend, compared to 83% for Kroo. <\/p>

Kroo and Starling both have a UK banking licence which means your funds are protected up to \u00a3120,000 under the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) if your bank ceases trading.<\/p>

Round 1: App features<\/h3>
\n \n
<\/th>\"Kroo<\/a><\/td>\"Starling<\/a><\/td><\/tr>
Visual breakdown of spending<\/th><\/use><\/svg><\/td><\/use><\/svg><\/td><\/tr>
Spending categories<\/th>12<\/td>53<\/td><\/tr>
Set spending budgets<\/th><\/use><\/svg><\/td><\/use><\/svg><\/td><\/tr>
Set up direct debits in the app<\/th><\/use><\/svg><\/td><\/use><\/svg><\/td><\/tr>
Top up via bank transfer<\/th><\/use><\/svg><\/td><\/use><\/svg><\/td><\/tr>
Have salary paid in<\/th><\/use><\/svg><\/td><\/use><\/svg><\/td><\/tr>
Separate savings accounts<\/th><\/use><\/svg><\/td><\/use><\/svg><\/td><\/tr>
Round-ups<\/th><\/use><\/svg><\/td><\/use><\/svg><\/td><\/tr>
Customer service via the app<\/th><\/use><\/svg><\/td><\/use><\/svg><\/td><\/tr>
Customer service via a telephone line<\/th><\/use><\/svg><\/td><\/use><\/svg><\/td><\/tr>
Cheque scanning<\/th><\/use><\/svg><\/td><\/use><\/svg><\/td><\/tr>
Freeze\/unfreeze card in app<\/th><\/use><\/svg><\/td><\/use><\/svg><\/td><\/tr>
Send money abroad<\/th><\/use><\/svg><\/td><\/use><\/svg><\/td><\/tr>
Fee for sending money abroad<\/th>N\/A<\/td>Local network fee + 0.4% Starling fee<\/td><\/tr>
Find out more<\/th>
Read review<\/a><\/div><\/td>
See account<\/a>
Read review<\/a><\/div><\/td><\/tr>\n <\/tbody>\n <\/table><\/div>

It\u2019s easy to monitor your banking transactions with Kroo and Starling\u2019s mobile banking apps. Both have spending categories, where your transactions are automatically placed into pre-set categories such as eating out or groceries. However, while Kroo offers 12 categories, Starling has an impressive 53. <\/p>

Starling\u2019s app is slightly more comprehensive as you\u2019ll be able to set spending budgets and take advantage of its round ups feature. This rounds up your transactions and deposits the spare change into a savings pot. Starling also lets users send money abroad and scan in cheques through the app.<\/p>

You can pay your salary into either your Kroo or Starling account through the app, freeze or unfreeze your card and contact the customer services teams through the in-app chats.<\/p>