The best mobile banking options can give you access to financial services anytime you want. With banking apps — or a bank website — on your phone or tablet, you can complete many common tasks, including checking your account balance, finding nearby ATMs and depositing a check by snapping a photo.
Here are banks and credit unions with the best mobile banking experiences. To compare a wider range of banks, see our roundup of best banks and credit unions.
Best mobile banking apps
- Ally: Best online banking service (tie)
- Varo: Best online banking service (tie)
- TIAA: Best for mobile focus (tie)
- Capital One: Best for mobile focus (tie)
- Bank of America: Best big bank
- Alliant: Best credit union
Ally
Best online banking service (tie)
Ally’s mobile apps let you pay bills, send money to other people through Zelle, deposit checks and transfer funds between bank accounts. The apps also earn high ratings from reviewers in the iOS and Android app stores.
Ally’s online checking account earns interest and has no monthly fees, while its online savings account lets you organize your savings goals into different categories. The savings account’s attractive rate is higher than what you can expect to find at larger traditional banks.
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Varo
best ONline banking service (tie)
The Varo account has early direct deposit, no monthly fees and the option to qualify for no-fee overdrafts. If you need to get cash, Varo also allows access to over 55,000 Allpoint ATMs.
Customers can open a savings checking account that earns at least 1.21% APY, and up to 2.80% APY if you meet spending, direct deposit and balance requirements. In addition, Varo’s iOS and Android apps receive stellar ratings from customers.
TIAA
best for mobile focus (tie)
With just a few branches, mostly in Florida, TIAA is primarily a mobile-focused bank. But if you need cash, the bank has a generous ATM policy, offering reimbursements of at least $15 in out-of-network ATM fees each month.
TIAA offers standard mobile banking services, including bill pay, money transfer and mobile check deposit, and its apps earn high ratings in the app stores.
Capital One
Best for mobile focus (tie)
Capital One isn’t just home to highly rated checking and savings accounts that earn interest, it also has a robust mobile banking platform, too. The apps have all the standard functions of mobile banking, like mobile check deposit, bill pay and the ability to send money to other people in the U.S. They also add a layer of security with SureSwipe, a custom pattern that you draw with your finger when signing in to the app. Both iOS and Android users give the Capital One app high star ratings.
Bank of America
best big bank
Bank of America’s mobile apps have all the essential features: bill pay, the ability to send and receive money and mobile check deposit. There is also a branch and ATM locator that can help you find one of its 4,300 branches and 16,800 ATMs across the country.
The bank’s apps receive consistently high ratings on both iOS and Android platforms.
Alliant Credit Union
best credit union
Alliant’s apps check all the usual boxes: ATM locator, transaction history and balances on demand, check deposit and bill payments. And the charts and graphs in the money management tool let users analyze their spending habits and keep tabs on budget categories. There’s also an unusually high daily limit of $50,000 for depositing checks through the app.
6 best banks and credit unions for mobile banking
| Bank | Notable characteristics |
|---|---|
| Apps to manage interest checking and savings | |
| High interest rate | |
| Generous ATM reimbursements | |
| Advanced mobile app security | |
| Wide branch access | |
| High daily limit for depositing checks |
Methodology
We took a close look at over 70 financial institutions, including the largest U.S. banks based on assets, debit card volume, Internet search traffic and other factors; the nation’s largest credit unions, based on deposits as well as broad-based membership requirements; and other notable and/or emerging players in the online banking industry. We rated them on criteria including digital experience and ease of mobile apps, as well as annual percentage yields, minimum balances, fees and more. For this roundup, we considered only those services with the highest scores for web and mobile experience within their respective categories that are widely available across the country.
Financial institutions surveyed include: Alaska USA Federal Credit Union, Alliant Credit Union, Ally Bank, America First Credit Union, American Express, Aspiration, Associated Bank, Axos Bank, Bank5 Connect, Bank7, Bank of America, Bank of the West, Barclays, BB&T, BBVA, Boeing Employees Credit Union, BMO Harris, Capital One 360, Charles Schwab Bank, Chase, Chime, CIT, Citibank, Citizens Access, Citizens Bank, Comerica Bank, Commerce Bank, Connexus Credit Union, Consumers Credit Union, Discover Bank, E-Trade, Fidelity, Fifth Third Bank, First National Bank, First Tech Federal Credit Union, GoBank, Golden 1 Credit Union, GS Bank, HSBC Bank USA, Huntington Bank, KeyBank, MetaBank, M&T Bank, Moven, Navy Federal Credit Union, Pentagon Federal Credit Union, PNC, Popular Direct, PurePoint Financial, Radius Bank, Redneck Bank, Regions Bank, Sallie Mae Bank, Santander Bank, SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union, Security Service Federal Credit Union, Service Credit Union, Simple, State Employees’ Credit Union of North Carolina, State Farm Bank, Suncoast Credit Union, SunTrust Bank, Synchrony Bank, TCF Bank, TD Bank, TIAA Bank, Union Bank, UFB Direct, USAA, U.S. Bank, Varo, Wells Fargo and Zions Bank.
