Monese
Depends
Confidence: Low
Buy if you're an individual living or spending across the UK and EEA who wants multi-currency accounts from £0/month; skip it if you need business banking, lending, or branch service.
Comparison
Monese vs Bunq
Monese and Bunq both land on Depends.
Bunq
Depends
Confidence: Medium
Buy it as a second or travel bank if you're an EU expat, freelancer, or student who wants a free tier and multi-currency accounts in a slick app.
| Compare | Monese | Bunq |
|---|---|---|
| Verdict | Depends | Depends |
| Best for | Expats splitting life between UK and Europe | EU expats and frequent travelers |
| Who it's not for | Businesses needing full business banking or lending | Anyone needing cash deposits or branch banking |
| Privacy | No known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.¹ | No public breaches found; Dutch regulator fined bunq €2.6M for AML failures; fraud-victim complaints are common.16 |
| Support quality | No support evidence in sources | 97% AI-handled; lost-funds complaints common |
| Public sentiment | The few available testimonials praise fast, easy app signup and multi-currency convenience, but independent review volume is nearly absent.¹ | Reviews are polarized: travelers and expats praise the app while many report frozen accounts, lost funds, and weak support.12 |
| Biggest gotcha | ATM withdrawals are free only 'within allowances' . expect fees past the cap² | Account-freeze and lost-money complaints recur on Reddit; keep a backup bank.14 |
Pick Monese when
- Expats splitting life between UK and Europe
- Frequent multi-currency travelers
- People who struggle to open traditional bank accounts
- App-first users wanting fast signup
When Monese is not a fit
- Businesses needing full business banking or lending
- Anyone outside the UK/EEA
- People wanting branch service, overdrafts, or credit products
- Heavy ATM users . free withdrawals are capped
Pick Bunq when
- EU expats and frequent travelers
- Freelancers needing multi-currency accounts
- Students wanting a fee-free account
- Mobile-first personal banking users
When Bunq is not a fit
- Anyone needing cash deposits or branch banking
- Your only bank . freeze complaints make a backup essential
- Anyone expecting fast human help for lost funds
- Large firms needing treasury-grade banking
Sources
- Monese homepagemonese.comofficial
- Monese on Google Playplay.google.comofficial
- Monese on the App Storeapps.apple.comofficial
- Monese LinkedIn post . 3-minute signup claimlinkedin.comnews
- Facebook expat group recommendationfacebook.comreview
- Monese Review (2026) . Pros, Cons & Ratingfactchecktool.comreview
- ScamAdviser check for monese.comscamadviser.comsecurity
security
- Banking made easy with bunqbunq.comofficial
- bunq Free planbunq.comofficial
- What plans are available?help.bunq.comofficial
- Trustpilot reviews of bunq.comie.trustpilot.comreview
- App Store ratings and reviewsapps.apple.comreview
- Review of bunq (Reddit)reddit.comreview
- Bunq 'safety' concerns (Reddit)reddit.comreview
- Dutch Central Bank Fines Bunq €2.6Mflagright.comnews