Genome vs Revolut
Both Genome and Revolut clear the checkouts our readers ask about most. Here is where the two part ways on fees and verification.
Genome issues on Visa and Revolut on Visa · Mastercard; verification is ID + proof at Genome versus ID only at Revolut; only Revolut takes crypto top-ups.
Revolut 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.
Side by side
| Field | Genome | Revolut |
|---|---|---|
| Card network | Visa | Visa, Mastercard |
| Card type | Digital Bank / Neobank | Digital Bank / Neobank |
| 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 (Standard); Plus £3.99; Premium £7.99; Metal £14.99; Ultra £55 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% | 0.5% |
| Crypto funding | No | Yes |
| AI tool support | ChatGPT | ChatGPT / Claude / Midjourney |
| Risk level | Medium | Low-Medium |
| Our rating | 9.3 | 9.0 |
| User reviews | 159 | 80 |
| 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.
Two cards, one decision
- Revolut costs less to keep open, so it is the one to reach for if you are watching your budget.
- If you wear several hats, Revolut is the more flexible of the pair.
- Revolut has the lighter onboarding; Genome will want more documents from you.
- Only Revolut takes crypto top-ups in our data — worth knowing before you decide.
- Genome edged Revolut on our composite rating across fees, risk and merchant tests.
- Revolut carries the lower risk flag in our file, which some users prefer for a primary card.
The two, compared
Run the numbers against your own usage. Revolut 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 Revolut's 9.0/10 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.
Revolut 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; Revolut 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 35 of the same test scenarios, including OpenAI API, RunwayML, Perplexity AI. 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 Revolut both landed in our top picks for 35 checkouts. Grouped by category so you can jump straight to the one you actually pay for:
📺 Streaming & Entertainment 9
🤖 AI Tools & Developer Tools 7
📈 Ad Platforms 7
🛍️ Cross-border Shopping 3
🎮 Gaming 3
Their BIN ranges
Cards issued in 🇦🇺 Australia · 🇬🇧 UK — 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: