Novo vs Starling Bank
Both Novo and Starling Bank clear the checkouts our readers ask about most. Here is where the two part ways on fees and verification.
Both issue on Mastercard; verification is Business KYC at Novo versus ID + proof at Starling Bank.
Novo is the more cost-effective option for everyday spending and travel thanks to its free virtual cards, no monthly fee. Starling Bank is the better fit for power users who need ad spend and AI subscriptions.
The two, compared
| Field | Novo | Starling Bank |
|---|---|---|
| Card network | Mastercard | Mastercard |
| Card type | Digital Bank / Neobank | Digital Bank / Neobank |
| KYC | Business KYC | ID + proof |
| Card issuance fee | Free | Free |
| Monthly fee | Free ($0 monthly, no minimum balance) | Free |
| Top-up fee | — | — |
| FX fee | — | 0% (no foreign transaction fee) |
| Crypto funding | No | No |
| AI tool support | — | ChatGPT / Claude / Midjourney |
| Risk level | Low | Low-Medium |
| Our rating | 8.3 | 9.1 |
| User reviews | 926 | 437 |
| 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.
Where they split
- Multi-task users get more from Starling Bank — it clears more of the checkouts we run through our test suite.
- Starling Bank 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.
Two cards, one decision
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 Starling Bank is worth the premium only for ad-platform billing and AI subscriptions.
Questions people ask
That depends on what you spend on. Novo scores 8.3/10 against Starling Bank's 9.1/10 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 is the cheaper card to run. Both Novo and Starling Bank issue virtual cards for free.
Novo asks for Business KYC at signup; Starling Bank asks for ID + proof. If a light sign-up is the priority, the one with the lower KYC label is the faster route.
Both show up in 1 of the same test scenarios, including 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 Starling Bank both landed in our top picks for 1 checkouts. Grouped by category so you can jump straight to the one you actually pay for:
🧳 Travel & Productivity 1
Their BIN ranges
Cards issued in 🇺🇸 US · 🇬🇧 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: