Revolut Vs N26
About Author: Hi, I’m Quinn Askeland. In 2014, I started Transumo after experiencing expensive, slow, and frustrating international money transfers and payments through banks. Once I discovered how to manage my own international currencies much better, I became driven to help others improve their transfers and payments. Fortunately, today, there are many excellent options. See My Full Bio.
Revolut and N26 offer fully digital accounts with prepaid debit cards.
Both can make managing money easy and save you a lot of money.
But there are some big differences.
In the next few minutes or less, you’ll discover the good, bad and the ugly – especially when we look deeply in their negative reviews!
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links and savings on transfers if you use some of the links! For more information, see my disclosures here. This comparison is for general information purposes only and does not constitute financial advice.
Quick Comparison
On Trustpilot, Revolut has a rating of 4.3/5 based on 142k+ reviews, while N26 has a rating of 3.1/5 from 28k+ reviews. N26 is a solid choice for the convenient banking experience, while Revolut is an amazing option for travellers and open-banking enthusiasts.
Revolut (review) and N26 (review) offer mobile digital accounts that you can use as your main working account in your home country or while travelling abroad.
They also come with MasterCard debit cards which can be used for spending online, ATM withdrawals (at home and abroad), and contactless payments in-store.
This means: getting paid, paying others, easy bill splitting, and budget tracking – all handled easily and inexpensively.
The Big Differences
- N26 is only available if you are in Europe whereas Revolut is available in Europe as well as the UK, USA, Australia, Singapore, Switzerland and Japan (with plans to open in Canada and NZ)
- Revolut has a multi-currency account that makes it easy (and inexpensive) to get paid and pay others. This could be especially useful if you earn or spend in British Pounds
For Revolut – see the options and pricing available in your country (opens a new tab so you can keep reading).
For N26 – see if the options are available in your country (opens a new tab so you can keep reading)
But there are Pros and Cons to both:
Revolut
Revolut Pros:
- Has a Lithuania based European specialised banking licence
- Deposit protection up to €100,000 EUR (in the 10 EU countries they operate)
- Available for both personal and business
- Multi-currency account for businesses
- Available in EEA, Australia, Singapore, Switzerland, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States
- Both no-fee and paid options
- Instant Revolut to Revolut transfers
- International transfers supported
- Receive your salary and split bills
- Savings pots
- Accounts for kids
- MasterCard debit card for local and international use
- Open banking – add and track all 3rd party bank accounts on the Revolut app
Revolut Cons:
- Has a banking licence but not a real bank (except in Europe)
- Many features (with limitations)
- Rate mark up on weekends for international transfers
N26
N26 Pros:
- A full banking license by the European Central Bank
- Deposit protection up to €100,000 EUR
- Available for both personal and business
- Both free and paid options (4 tiers)
- Instant N26 to N26 transfers
- International transfers via Wise
- Receive salary, split bills, track your budget
- Savings pots
- MasterCard debit card can be used at home and abroad
N26 Cons:
- No investing options
- No multi-currency account
- International transfers via a third party add an extra step and can be expensive
- Not available outside the EEA (was available in the US until recently and also pulled out of the UK)
1. Features & Real Fees (Including Hidden Costs)
Please Note: Fees can change without notice and the ones shown may not be up to date.
Revolut Personal
1) Revolut Standard (No-Fee)
- No-fee UK account
- Euro IBAN account
- Spend in over 150 currencies at Revolut exchange rate
- Exchange in 29 fiat currencies up to £5,000 per month
- 5 no-fee ATM withdrawals up to £200 per month
- Revolut Junior account (1)
2) Revolut Plus (£2.99/month)
- All features available on Standard (No-fee)
- Revolut Junior Account (2)
- Complimentary card delivery
- No-Fee ATM withdrawals up to £200 per month
- 24×7 Priority customer support
- Theft and accident coverage
- Refund protection
- Safer online shopping
3) Revolut Premium (£6.99/month)
- All features available on Plus account
- No limit on exchange in 29 fiat currencies
- No-fee ATM withdrawals up to £400 per month
- Overseas medical insurance
- Global express delivery
- Delayed baggage and delayed flight insurance
- Priority customer support
- Premium card with exclusive designs
- LoungeKey Pass access
- Disposable virtual cards
4) Revolut Metal (£12.99/month)
- All features available on Premium account
- No-fee ATM withdrawals up to £600 per month
- 1% cashback within Europe and 1% outside Europe on all card payments (Up to specific amounts. T&Cs apply)
- Exclusive Revolut Metal card
- Get access to a concierge to help you manage your lifestyle
Exchange Fees:
– Standard + Plus: Fair usage limits apply
– Premium + Metal: unlimited and fee-free in 30+ currencies (as exotic currency mark-ups apply, and only fee-free on weekends)
– All plans: Weekend mark-ups apply
N26 Personal
1) N26 Standard – Free
- Digital bank account with deposit protection
- Mobile payments
- Contactless payments
- Virtual debit card
- 3 Free ATM withdrawals in EUR
- Ability to make international payments with Wise
- Chatbot support
- Live chat
- 3D secure and two-factor authentication for online payments
2) N26 Smart – €4.90/month
- Everything in Standard
- Optional extra card
- N26 Spaces sub-accounts (up to 10)
- Shared sub-accounts
- Round-ups for savings
- Premium partner offers
- 5 ATM withdrawals
3) N26 You – €9.90/month
- Everything in Smart
- 5 ATM withdrawals in the Eurozone
- Unlimited free withdrawals in any currency
- Medical travel insurance
- Trip insurance
- Pandemic travel coverage
- Flight insurance
- Luggage coverage
- Mobility insurance
- Winter sport insurance
- Phone support
4) N26 Metal – €16.90/month
- Everything in You
- 8 free ATM withdrawals in the Eurozone
- Unlimited free withdrawals in any currency
- 18-gram metal card
- Car insurance
- Priority support
Please Note: Fees can change without notice and the ones shown may not be up to date.
Revolut Business
1) Revolut Standard (£0/month)
- Personal accounts for online sellers and freelancers
- 2 cards and limited access for an accountant
- 52 no-fee local transfers
2) Revolut Grow (£25/month)
- Corporate cards and 10 users access
- Foreign currency transfer up to £10k at midmarket rate
- 100 no-fee local transfers
- 10 no-fee international transfers
3) Revolut Scale (£100/month)
- Corporate cards and 30 users access
- Foreign currency transfer up to £50k at midmarket rate
- 1000 no-fee local transfers
- 50 international transfers
4) Revolut Enterprise (£1000/month)
- Corporate cards and unlimited users access
- Unlimited foreign exchange transfer at midmarket rate
- Unlimited local transfers
- Unlimited international transfers
N26 Business
1) N26 Business Standard – Free
- Business account with deposit protection
- Virtual debit card
- Mobile payments
- 0.1% cash back on all card purchases
- Transaction list in CSV or PDF
- Spending insight
- 3 Free ATM withdrawals in the Eurozone
- International payments with Wise (review)
2) N26 Business Smart – €4.90/month
- Everything in Standard
- MasterCard or Maestro debit card
- Optional Extra card
- 5 free ATM withdrawals in the Eurozone
- N26 Spaces sub-accounts (up to 10)
- Shared sub-accounts
- Round-ups for savings
- Premium partner offers
- Chatbot Support
- In-app live support
- Phone support
3) N26 Business You – €9.90/month
- Everything in Smart
- Unlimited ATM Withdrawals in any currency
- Medical travel insurance
- Trip insurance
- Pandem travel coverage
- Flight insurance
- Luggage coverage
- Mobility insurance
- Winter sport insurance
- Phone support
4) N26 Metal – €16.90/month
- Everything in You
- 18-gram metal card
- Car insurance
- Phone insurance
- Priority support
Please Note: Fees can change without notice and the ones shown may not be up to date.
Revolut Other Costs
- International transfers fees include a variable transfer fee and a 0.5% fee on exchanges above your plan’s monthly allowance.
- Mark-up of 0.5-2.0% on the exchange rate on weekends when using the card (depends on currencies).
- Delivery fees apply for cards standard or express delivery. These can range from $10AUD
- £6/€6 for replacement cards + delivery
- For out of network ATM withdrawals a 2% fair usage fee applies on amounts over $1,200 (third party providers may change a withdrawal fee and weekend fees may apply)
N26 Other Costs
- €10 EUR fee to issue a new card or replace the card (free for premium members)
- Higher fees for issuing an N26 Metal card (€45 EUR)
- MasterCard withdrawals in EUR worldwide charged at €2.00 EUR per withdrawal
- MaestroCard withdrawal in EUR worldwide charge at €2.00 per withdrawal + 1.7% of the amount drawn
- Free CASH26 withdrawals in supported countries
- Withdrawal fees applicable for foreign currencies as well: €2.00 per cash withdrawal at ATM + 1.7% of the amount drawn
- Fee applicable for incoming international transfers (€12.50 EUR + 0. 1 % of transaction amount)
- Overdraft fee at 8.9% p.a
Winner: Tie
Because Revolut is widely available and offers more features, you might think they would be the clear winner – however, more isn’t always better. Check out the negative reviews they get (below) but keep in mind they score “Excellent” overall.
N26’s users are drawn to their streamlined services and are reassured by the fact that they have a European Central Bank licence with deposit protection.
For personal accounts, it depends on your specific preferences and needs.
For business accounts, N26 is better for freelancers only, while Revolut has accounts for both freelancers and enterprises. You can also get a multi-currency account with Revolut.
2. Both Safe?
Revolut
Revolut is not a full-fledged bank in all countries, so in the UK it is not protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme FSCS but in Europe money is protected by the Bank of Lithuania which offers protection up to €100,000 EUR.
However, they have many measures in place to protect your money:
- Users’ money is held separately from operating funds
- Freeze and unfreeze your card instantly from the app
- Full control over contactless payments and ATM withdrawals
- Safer online shopping with refund protection (paid services)
- GPS protection – if card is used in a different location from your smartphone, it will be blocked to prevent theft and fraud
N26
- A full banking license by the European Central Bank
- Offers deposit protection up to €100,000 EUR
- Complete control over your account from the app: set and change daily limits, reset your pin, lock the card if it is stolen or lost (no calling up the bank) and enable or disable foreign or online payments
- Mastercard SecureCode provides an added layer of security for fraud prevention.
- Fingerprint log in
- Instant notifications of all account actions
Winner: N26
As a licensed digital bank, N26 offers deposit protection, which can be the deciding factor for many EEA users.
Other than that, both Revolut and N26 offer many options to have complete control over your money and personal data from their app.
3. Ease of Use
Revolut
- Open banking – track all your 3rd party bank accounts from the Revolut app
- Complete control over your card and account – enable or disable cards and features easily
- In-app international transfers in 30+ fiat currencies
N26
- Complete control over account and features from the app
- International transfers in 70+ currencies via Wise integration
Winner: Tie
Both services offer excellent control over their accounts from their apps – something we all want from our high street bank accounts!
However, while they both offer international transfers, this is not their strongest feature.
Revolut only offers international transfers in 30 currencies (with possible rate markups), while N26 offers international transfers by integrating with Wise (adds an extra step + some extra costs).
We recommend processing your international transfers directly through Wise (review) for ease and affordability. Wise also offers a multi-currency account (review) and a debit card (review) for both personal and business.
4. Reviews (inc. Negative Ones)
Revolut
Revolut is rated 4.4/5 on Trustpilot with over 100,000 reviews, which is considered “Excellent”.
Positives
- Easy-to-use interface
- Great for travelling
“The best solution for international jetsetters. easy all the way from applying to using to customer service. Exchange rate is unbeatable. I love my black metal card.
Well done Revolut 5stars++”
– David Sharpley
“I really love the smoothness with which you can do you transactions… It so reliable and easy to use. Will Definitely recommend to anyone.”
– N Jenny
Negatives
- Features
A large percentage of issues people faced related to the many features Revolut offers (like rewards, money transfers, travel insurance).
It seems complexity is the enemy of satisfaction.
- Customer service
Customer service seems slow to respond when Revolut users faced issues with their accounts. This can be especially concerning when someone loses access to their accounts due to regulations.
- Unexpected account freezes
As a licensed financial institution Revolut needs to work within many regulations. As such Revolut routinely investigates accounts designed to keep their user community safe.
N26
N26 is rated 3.4/5 on Trustpilot with over 20,000 reviews, which is considered “Average.”
Positives
- Efficient modern banking services
- Very secure
“N26 is by far the best online bank out there. It’s easy and comfortable to use with no unneccessary fees and (almost) all the features I’m looking for in modern banking.
I really hope the bank manages to stay ahead of the curve and that it continues to expand, invest and innovate, because the user experience is unbeatable.
I have been using N26 as my main bank account since 2019 and haven’t had any issues.”
– Amy
“Excellent bank. They protect you from fraudsters. Bitdefender automatically charged me 80 euros for fraud. I explained the problem to N26. They forwarded my dispute to Mastercard. They refunded my money back.”
– Iyad Awwad
Negatives
- Blocked accounts
Like Revolut, N26 also audits their user accounts for compliance, which can leave users stranded if they’ve been using N26 as their only bank account.
- Customer service
Paid N26 users have priority phone support, while some tiers only have chat and email support. However, it can be difficult to get support from a real human at N26.
Winner: Revolut
When it comes to reviews, both Revolut and N26 are clear leaders in the digital banking space. On Trustpilot Revolut scores 4.4/5 which is considered “Excellent” while N26 scores 3.4/5 which is “Average”.
5. Real Speeds
Revolut
- You can get real Revolut account up and running in a few minutes, but the card may take up to 10 days to be delivered (Option to get your card in 2-3 days with Express delivery for a fee)
- Revolut to Revolut transfers are instant
- Local transfers to other bank accounts can take 2-3 days.
- For international transfers, payment methods and the currency selected can make a big difference. Transfers funded by cards are completed in 30 minutes, while other methods may take 3-5 days
N26
- You can get an N26 account in under 10 mins, however it can take up to a week to get you verified.
- Standard card delivery speed is 15 days, 2-3 days with the Express option.
- N26 to N26 transfers are instant
- N26 to another local bank account in your home country can take 2-3 days.
- Incoming SEPA instant transfers to N26 accounts are instant, as long as they are sent from a bank that supports instant credit transfers.
- Incoming SWIFT transfers take up to 4 working days to arrive.
- International transfers with Wise can take up to 4 days, but this also varies by currency pair
Winner: Tie
Revolut and N26 offer easy and fast sign ups and the card delivery for your account can also be accelerated if required,
Both offer instant payments among their users, and local bank transfer speeds are also speedy.
However, international transfer speeds especially for small amounts can be improved with specialised money transfer services like Wise (review).
6. Customer Service and Support
Revolut
- In-app live chat (for no-fee users)
- Email, chat, and phone support for paid users
- Extensive FAQs
N26
- Live chat and email support for free users
- Paid users get phone support – 24×7 support for N26 Metal users
- FAQs for troubleshooting
Winner: Tie
We really like that N26 has phone support even if you have to pay extra for it.
However affordable support like email and chat can keep their services accessible but it does affect the user experience.
In some cases, Revolut has better customer support than N26.
The complaints were different for each service.
Revolut customers complained about a chatbot that was unable to help, and the inability to speak with a live person. This may be why their services are so inexpensive, but it appears it can leave customers in a tight spot.
N26 customers complained about customer service not being able to fix problems. However, most of these reviews were from customers seemed to be those with a no-fee account. Paid accounts have dedicated customer service teams.
7. Cool Extras
Revolut
- Open banking – save and track all 3rd party bank accounts from the Revolut app
- Savings vaults can earn interest
- Accounts for kids
- Payment gateways and Payment QR codes for businesses
- Travel and Lifestyle insurance
- Multi-currency account for businesses (hold, manage, and convert between 30+ currencies)
N26
- Overdraft facility (has fees)
- Savings earn interest
- Various lifestyle and travel insurance
Winner: Revolut
Revolut wins this round because they definitely offer more features than N26 – so if a feature-rich money management account is what you’re looking for, Revolut is ideal for you. They also offer a multi-currency account for businesses.
That said N26 is simple and unleveling the digital banking experience.
Verdict
If you’re looking for a digital bank in Europe (EEA), N26 is a solid choice.
Their services are streamlined, and their account is very helpful if you travel frequently among EEA countries or have a freelance business.
Apart from bank-like features, they offer many cool extras. While these extras are somewhat limited, for most people they work very well.
Revolut also offers a multi-currency account for businesses as well as payment gateways for online sellers, making them great for online businesses of all sizes: from freelancing to global enterprises.
So which option is right for you depends on your specific needs.
The opinions expressed within the content are solely the author’s and do not reflect the opinions and beliefs of Revolut. However, please be aware that a commission may be earned through affiliate links.