Novo vs Pikabao
Torn between Novo and Pikabao? The comparison below is built from the same test data we use across the rest of the site.
Novo issues on Mastercard and Pikabao on Visa · Mastercard (20 BIN options:; verification is Business KYC at Novo versus No KYC at Pikabao; only Pikabao takes crypto top-ups.
Novo is the more cost-effective option for everyday spending and travel thanks to its free virtual cards, no monthly fee, 0% foreign transaction fees, no top-up fee. Pikabao is the better fit for power users who need crypto funding and Alipay or WeChat top-ups and ad spend and AI subscriptions.
The head to head
| Field | Novo | Pikabao |
|---|---|---|
| Card network | Mastercard | Visa/Mastercard (20 BIN options: 9 US + 11 HK) |
| Card type | Digital Bank / Neobank | Anonymous VCC |
| KYC | Business KYC | No KYC |
| Card issuance fee | Free | $2-3 (US card); $0.10-$0.50 (US per-card); 10U (HK card) |
| Monthly fee | Free ($0 monthly, no minimum balance) | Free (no monthly fee) |
| Top-up fee | — | 3% (USDT top-up) |
| FX fee | — | $0.10/transaction + 0.5% FX (interbank+$0.5%) |
| Crypto funding | No | Yes (USDT TRC20/BSC; TON) |
| AI tool support | — | ChatGPT / Claude / Midjourney |
| Risk level | Low | High |
| Our rating | 8.3 | 9.0 |
| User reviews | 926 | 627 |
| Best for | App Store / Play · Free issuance | 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
- Budget-led users will lean to Novo: the running cost is the lower of the two.
- Pikabao shows up in more of our test scenarios, so it is the safer pick when you juggle several subscriptions.
- Pikabao asks for less verification up front, which matters if you want a card live the same day.
- Pikabao can sit on a crypto balance; Novo cannot, so the call depends on how you fund it.
- Pikabao edged Novo on our composite rating across fees, risk and merchant tests.
- Novo carries the lower risk flag in our file, which some users prefer for a primary card.
Side by side
Both cards clear the same checkouts in our tests, so the call comes down to cost. Novo is cheaper on issuance (free) and top-ups (no top-up fee), while Pikabao is worth the premium only for crypto funding and Alipay or WeChat top-ups.
Questions people ask
That depends on what you spend on. Novo scores 8.3/10 against Pikabao'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.
Novo works out cheaper: no virtual card issuance fee, free account maintenance, 0% foreign transaction fee, no top-up fee. Pikabao adds about $2 per virtual card, a 0.5% FX fee, a 3% top-up fee.
Novo asks for Business KYC at signup; Pikabao asks for No KYC. If a light sign-up is the priority, the one with the lower KYC label is the faster route.
Both show up in 2 of the same test scenarios, including PlayStation Network, Minecraft Store. 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
Novo and Pikabao both landed in our top picks for 2 checkouts. Grouped by category so you can jump straight to the one you actually pay for:
🎮 Gaming 2
Their BIN ranges
Cards issued in 🇺🇸 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: