Mobile banking can give you access to financial services anytime you want them. 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
- Simple: Best mobile-focused bank (tie)
- Chime: Best mobile-focused bank (tie)
- Discover: Best online bank (tie)
- Charles Schwab: Best online bank (tie)
- Chase: Best big bank (tie)
- Capital One: Best big bank (tie)
- Alliant: Best credit union
Simple
Best mobile-focused bank (tie)
Simple gets good user reviews for its Android and iOS apps, which let you track expenses and set money goals. Although it currently offers only a checking account, that account comes with perks, including ways to set up savings goals. And it’s fee-free. It also has a Safe-to-Spend feature that lets you know how much you have left after taking into account your goals, bill payments and scheduled future transactions. That’s a step up from the usual “available balance” provided by other bank apps. Simple also offers a bonus: Earn up to $500 on top of 2.02% annual percentage yield when you open a new Individual and Shared Protected Goals Account with qualifying activities.
» Ready to make a change? Here’s how to switch banks
Chime
best mobile-focused bank (tie)
Chime is a mobile-only bank, so it makes sense that it would have good reviews for its iOS and Android apps. It keeps customers informed with balance updates and real-time spending alerts, and it rounds up each transaction and deposits the difference in your savings account. Your money won’t earn much interest there, but you won’t pay many fees with Chime, either. The bank doesn’t charge overdraft or monthly service fees, and nor are there foreign transaction fees.
Discover
best online bank (tie)
With only one branch, Discover is primarily an online bank. It has an attractive rewards checking account with no monthly fees and cash back on debit card purchases. Its Android and iOS banking apps are also strong. They offer standard mobile banking services, such as bill pay, money transfer and mobile check deposit, and earn high ratings in app stores. The mobile banking apps also give Discover credit card customers the ability to freeze and unfreeze their accounts if their card is misplaced. As a customer, you can use the app to notify Discover when you travel to make sure there are no hiccups with card use.
Charles Schwab
Best online bank (tie)
Schwab is primarily known as a brokerage, but it’s also a low-fee bank with perks for international travelers, including unlimited ATM reimbursements. Its highly rated apps support mobile check deposit and bill pay. You can also use the app to open a new brokerage or bank account, and it can let you monitor all your accounts in one place.
Chase
best big bank (tie)
Chase’s mobile app offers all the essentials: mobile check deposit, a branch and ATM locator and bill pay.
Chase gets consistently high reviews on both iOS and Android platforms and has branch and ATM coverage in nearly 30 states and Washington, D.C.
Capital One
best big bank (tie)
Capital One isn’t just home to highly rated checking and savings accounts that earn interest — it has a robust mobile banking platform, too. The app has 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. It also adds a layer of security with Touch ID or SureSwipe, a custom pattern that you draw with your finger when signing in to the app. Both iOS and Android users give Capital One high star ratings.
Alliant Credit Union
best credit union
Alliant’s app checks all the usual boxes: ATM locator, transaction history, bill payments and balances on demand. But its mobile deposit and money management tools are especially member-friendly. There’s an unusually high daily limit of $50,000 for depositing checks through the app. And the charts and graphs in the money management tool let users analyze their spending habits and keep tabs on budget categories.
7 best banks and credit unions for mobile banking in 2019
| Bank | Notable characteristics |
|---|---|
| Savings and budgeting tools | |
| Automatic and roundup savings options | |
| High ratings and rewards perks | |
| Unlimited ATM reimbursements worldwide | |
| Wide branch access | |
| High APYs and advanced mobile app security | |
| High APYs and 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 industry. We rated them on criteria including annual percentage yields, minimum balances, fees, digital experience and more.
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.
