Novo vs Privacy.com
Both Novo and Privacy.com clear the checkouts our readers ask about most. Here is where the two part ways on fees and verification.
Novo issues on Mastercard and Privacy.com on Visa · Mastercard; verification is Business KYC at Novo versus ID only at Privacy.com.
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. Privacy.com is the better fit for power users who need ad spend and AI subscriptions.
Where they split
| Field | Novo | Privacy.com |
|---|---|---|
| Card network | Mastercard | Visa, Mastercard |
| Card type | Digital Bank / Neobank | Fintech Wallet |
| KYC | Business KYC | ID only |
| Card issuance fee | Free | Free |
| Monthly fee | Free ($0 monthly, no minimum balance) | Free (Personal free; Plus $5 / Pro $10 / Premium $25 per mo) |
| Top-up fee | — | — |
| FX fee | — | 3% foreign (min $0.50); $0 on Pro/Premium |
| Crypto funding | No | No |
| AI tool support | — | ChatGPT / Claude / Midjourney |
| Risk level | Low | Low |
| Our rating | 8.3 | 9.2 |
| User reviews | 926 | 74 |
| 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 head to head
- Privacy.com shows up in more of our test scenarios, so it is the safer pick when you juggle several subscriptions.
- Privacy.com has the lighter onboarding; Novo will want more documents from you.
- Privacy.com edged Novo on our composite rating across fees, risk and merchant tests.
The two, compared
Run the numbers against your own usage. Novo runs free to create plus no top-up fee per top-up; Privacy.com runs free plus no top-up fee. For one or two subscriptions the first column wins; for ad-platform billing and AI subscriptions, the second does.
Questions people ask
That depends on what you spend on. Novo scores 8.3/10 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.
Novo works out cheaper: no virtual card issuance fee, free account maintenance, 0% foreign transaction fee. Privacy.com adds a 3% FX fee.
Novo asks for Business KYC 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 3 of the same test scenarios, including PlayStation Network, Minecraft Store, Airbnb. 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 Privacy.com both landed in our top picks for 3 checkouts. Grouped by category so you can jump straight to the one you actually pay for:
🎮 Gaming 2
🧳 Travel & Productivity 1
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: