Genome vs Privacy.com
Both Genome and Privacy.com clear the checkouts our readers ask about most. Here is where the two part ways on fees and verification.
Genome issues on Visa and Privacy.com on Visa · Mastercard; verification is ID + proof at Genome versus ID only at Privacy.com.
Privacy.com is the more cost-effective option for everyday spending and travel thanks to its free virtual cards, no monthly fee, no top-up fee. Genome still clears the same checkouts in our tests, so match the table to the services you actually pay for.
Two cards, one decision
| Field | Genome | Privacy.com |
|---|---|---|
| Card network | Visa | Visa, Mastercard |
| Card type | Digital Bank / Neobank | Fintech Wallet |
| KYC | ID + proof | ID only |
| Card issuance fee | Virtual card 1 EUR (first 10); 10 EUR from 11th | Free |
| Monthly fee | Free EUR (card monthly fee); non-EEA personal account 20 EUR/mo or 200 EUR/yr | Free (Personal free; Plus $5 / Pro $10 / Premium $25 per mo) |
| Top-up fee | Non-Genome card top-up 3% (externally initiated 1%) | — |
| FX fee | Non-card currency transactions 2%; EUR/USD/GBP conversion 1% | 3% foreign (min $0.50); $0 on Pro/Premium |
| Crypto funding | No | No |
| AI tool support | ChatGPT | ChatGPT / Claude / Midjourney |
| Risk level | Medium | Low |
| Our rating | 9.3 | 9.2 |
| User reviews | 159 | 74 |
| Best for | Ad spend · AI subscriptions | All-rounder · Ad spend |
A green left edge marks the side that holds the advantage on that row, where the data gives one.
The short version of the matchup
- Privacy.com costs less to keep open, so it is the one to reach for if you are watching your budget.
- Privacy.com covers a wider spread of use cases; Genome is more of a single-purpose tool.
- Privacy.com asks for less verification up front, which matters if you want a card live the same day.
- If risk rating weights your choice, Privacy.com is the calmer of the two.
What sets them apart
Run the numbers against your own usage. Privacy.com runs free to create plus no top-up fee per top-up; Genome runs about $1.09 plus a 3% top-up. For one or two subscriptions the first column wins; for the rows where it leads in the table, the second does.
Questions people ask
That depends on what you spend on. Genome scores 9.3/10 against Privacy.com's 9.2/10 in our tests, but the two split on fees, KYC and crypto funding. Read the table above, then match it to the checkouts you actually run.
Privacy.com works out cheaper: no virtual card issuance fee, free account maintenance, no top-up fee. Genome adds about $1.09 per virtual card, a 2% FX fee, a 3% top-up fee.
Genome asks for ID + proof at signup; Privacy.com asks for ID only. If a light sign-up is the priority, the one with the lower KYC label is the faster route.
Both show up in 33 of the same test scenarios, including ChatGPT Plus, OpenAI API, ElevenLabs. They overlap on a good share of checkouts, so the choice between them matters most on those pages. Where one is accepted and the other is not usually comes down to the billing country and 3-D Secure handling.
Where both show up
Genome and Privacy.com both landed in our top picks for 33 checkouts. Grouped by category so you can jump straight to the one you actually pay for:
📈 Ad Platforms 8
📺 Streaming & Entertainment 7
🛍️ Cross-border Shopping 6
🤖 AI Tools & Developer Tools 5
🎮 Gaming 2
Their BIN ranges
Cards issued in 🇦🇺 Australia · 🇺🇸 US — the country guides group every range we track from there.
What our charge log shows
Every count here is a real charge attempt we placed on that range, renewals included, with the gateway response recorded. Weeks tracked is how long the range has been in the programme: