Starling vs. Wise: Which is best for you? (UK guide)

If you travel often or you live or work abroad, having an affordable way to spend and withdraw cash is important. With a variety of options available, choosing the right one for you could be a challenge.

In this guide we’ll compare Starling and Wise, both popular options for managing money. Starling Bank was established in 2014 and it’s known as one of the most innovative neobanks offering a range of banking services. Founded in 2011, Wise is a money services provider that offers personal and business accounts, and international money transfer services.

But which is the best option for you? Read on for a full Starling vs. Wise comparison of fees, exchange rates, supported currencies, money transfers, cards and more.

Starling vs. Wise: An overview

We’ll begin with a brief overview of Starling vs. Wise and their main fees and features.

Feature	Starling	Wise
Accounts	Personal account Joint account Teen account Euro account Business account Sole trader account Multi-currency business account	Personal accounts Business accounts
Subscription fees	None¹	None
Money transfer fees	No fee when transferring money inside the UK From 0.30 to 5.50 when sending money outside the UK 2% when receiving money in a foreign currency from outside the UK1	From 0.33%*
Exchange rates	Mastercard exchange rate2	Mid-market exchange rate, with no mark-ups
Large transfers	Up to £1,000,000 via Faster payments More than £1,000,000 via CHAPS (£20 fee applies)3	Limits can vary Sending from UK - limit is £1,000,000 Sending GBP, up to £20,000,000 per transfer
Supported currencies	Send to 34 countries in 17 currencies4	Manage money in 40+ currencies Spend in 150+ countries with the Wise card
Transfer times	Usually within 2 hours Up to 4 days5	Some transfers arrive in seconds 95% of transfers arrive in less than 24 hours
Debit card	Fee-free debit card6 Virtual cards available7 Kite debit card for kids8	One time fee of £7 Digital card available No subscription fees
ATM withdrawals	No ATM fees1	2 free-free withdrawals up to £200 a month 1.75% + fixed £0.50 after that
Security	Biometric identification 3D secure Confirmation of Payee Card controls Faster payment monitoring9	24/7 anti-fraud team 2FA account protection Money is safeguarded Biometrics and encryption

Note: Wise transaction speed claims depend on individual circumstances and may not be available for all transactions. See latest Q1 2025 speed report here. See more details on how Wise keeps you money safe.

Starling vs. Wise - Accounts

Starling offers both personal and business accounts. Besides their basic personal account, they also have a joint account, a teen account and even a euro account. You can apply for the personal account in-app and enjoy various money tools, such as Round Ups, Nearby Payments and Spaces.¹⁰

The Spaces feature allows you to organise your money into different jars and Starling’s Spending Insights track your spending across 50+ categories.¹⁰

Wise also offers both personal and business accounts. A Wise personal account allows you to hold 40+ currencies, send and receive money domestically and internationally, convert between currencies and track your transfers. You can also use the Wise card in 150+ countries and manage it all online or through the Wise app.

There’s also Wise Interest, which allows you to earn variable returns on GBP, EUR and USD. With Wise Interest, your funds are invested in a fund that holds government-guaranteed assets, but your money remains accessible. Capital at risk.

Capital at risk. Growth not guaranteed. Wise Assets UK Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority with registration number 839689. When facilitating access to Wise investment products, Wise Payments Ltd acts as an Introducer Appointed Representative of Wise Assets UK Ltd. Please be aware that we do not offer investment advice, and you may be liable for taxes on any earnings. If you’re uncertain, we urge you to seek professional advice. To find out more about the Funds, visit our website.

Wise vs. Starling - Money transfer

Both Wise and Starling offer money transfer services.

With the Wise personal account, you can send money worldwide - hold, convert, send and receive in 40+ currencies. After entering the details of your transfer, you’ll see the exact fees* and exchange rates right away, as well as transfer times. You can track your transfer online or in the Wise app.

Starling offers transfers to 34 countries in 17 currencies, including US dollar, rand and zloty. You can choose between SWIFT payments and low-cost payments. Similar to Wise, Starling is transparent, so you’ll see the transaction details and the fees Starling includes before pressing send.⁴

Transfer fees

When you’re sending money within the UK via Starling, there are no fees except for CHAPS payments, which incur a fixed £20 charge.¹ When it comes to international transfers, there’s a 0.4% transfer fee, along with a delivery fee that varies based on the transfer type. SWIFT payments are charged £5.50, while low-cost payments have a £0.30 delivery fee.⁴

When sending money with Wise, the fees can vary depending on the currency and payment method (i.e. bank transfer, debit or credit card) but fees start at 0.33%* and will always be shown upfront, before you hit send.

Exchange rates

The exchange rate is an important factor in money transfers, as it can significantly impact the total cost.

Wise always uses the mid-market rate, without any added margin or mark-up.

Starling uses the Mastercard exchange rate.²

Large transfers

For large purchases, such as buying property in another country, you’ll likely need to send a large amount of money overseas. In these cases, it’s important to consider the security of the transfer and check whether there are any transfer limits in place.

Starling has a £1,000,000 limit for transfers via Faster payments. It’s possible to go over this limit by using CHAPS payments, but a £20 fee will apply. Starling also has international transfer limits, but you’ll need to contact customer support through the in-app chat to find out what they are.³

Wise limits vary depending on which currencies you send to and from, and how you choose to pay. However, if you’re sending from the UK this limit is £1,000,000. However, if you’re sending GBP, you send up to £20,000,000 per transfer. To do this, you’ll need to add both the source currency and GBP to your Wise account.

You can also get dedicated support from the large transfer team to guide you through the process, and there’s a discount when transferring more than £20,000.

Quick comparison - fees

Let’s look at a quick example to show you how exchange rates and transfer fees can affect the cost of your transfer.

Imagine you’ve moved to France and need £2,000 to cover rent and other upfront costs for a month. Here’s a breakdown of what it would cost to send that money from the UK to France using both Starling and Wise:

Provider	Transfer cost	Exchange rate	Recipient gets
Starling4	£13.50 (£8 transfer fee + £5.50 delivery fee)	1.18936	€2,362.90
Wise10	£7.17	1.18962	€2,370.69

Note: Above fees and rates correct for SWIFT transfer as of 13 May 2025

Check out our live conversion comparison below. If your transfer with Starling is cheaper, which can sometimes happen, we’ll always let you know.

Currencies

Starling is available in 34 countries and it supports transfers in 17 currencies.⁴

Wise is available in 160 countries and you can send, receive and spend in 40+ currencies.

Wise vs. Starling: Transfer times

Starling transfers usually take up to two hours, though some banks may hold and review a payment for up to 4 days.⁵

Wise transfer time depends on where you send to and your chosen payment method. Sometimes it takes seconds, while other transfers need 2 working days to complete. During January to March 2025, 95% of transfers were completed in under 24 hours. For more details, check out the latest Wise speed update.

Wise vs. Starling - Cards

Starling’s personal debit card could be a good choice for travel, since it doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees or ATM fees. However, it’s worth noting that Starling uses the Mastercard exchange rate for currency conversions, which might result in additional costs.⁶

The Wise card lets you spend worldwide in 150+, always using the mid-market exchange rate and for a small, transparent fee*. It’s available for a one-time fee of £7 and you can use it in digital form as well as via Google or Apply Pay.

ATM withdrawals and limits

Starling’s debit card has a £300 daily withdrawal limit, with up to six withdrawals allowed.¹¹ There are no ATM fees, whether you’re in the UK or abroad.¹

The Wise card has a £200 daily withdrawal limit, but this includes 2 fee-free withdrawals per calendar month. After that, a fee of 1.75% + £0.50 per transaction applies.

💡Tip: A handy way to save money on ATM withdrawals with any provider is to always choose to withdraw cash in local currency only, this avoids ATM providers adding their own currency conversion fee on top.

When using ATMs abroad, it’s always good to check whether the ATM operator charges its own additional fees too. That way, you can weigh up the costs and avoid surprise fees.

Starling vs. Wise - Security

Starling’s security measures include confirming the identity of all account applicants and using 24/7 transaction monitoring. Additionally, they offer multi-factor authentication and payee confirmation for added protection.⁹

Wise maintains security standards with the help of a dedicated anti-fraud team, 24/7 transaction monitoring and two-factor authentication (2FA) for account protection. It also verifies the identity of anyone who signs up for an account.

So which is best for you - Wise or Starling?

Choosing between Starling and Wise depends on your individual preferences and requirements.

Starling allows you to send and receive money securely and even open an account for your children, enabling you to limit and manage their spending. It also offers high limits for large amount transfers.

On the other hand, Wise offers an international debit card that guarantees the mid-market exchange rate with no mark-up and charges transparent, low fees for conversion starting from 0.33%*.

Both Starling and Wise offer great features, but if the guaranteed mid-market exchange rate is important to you, Wise could be the better option.

^{Sources used:}

<sup>1. Starling Bank - personal account fees
2. Starling Bank - currency converter
3. Starling Help - large amount transfer limit
4. Starling Bank - international money transfer
5. Starling Help - transfer times
6. Starling Bank - travel money card
7. Starling Bank - virtual cards
8. Starling Bank - Starling Kite
9. Starling Bank - fraud prevention
10. Wise - compare Starling vs. Wise
11. Starling Help - ATM limits</sup>

^{Sources last checked on date: 13-May-2025}