Personal Finance Insider writes about products, strategies, and tips to help you make smart decisions with your money. We may receive a small commission from our partners, like American Express, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.
*Chime is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services provided by, and debit card issued by, The Bancorp Bank or Stride Bank, N.A.; Members FDIC.
Choosing the right bank is a big decision. And if you frequently bank from your phone, you want to choose a bank with a strong app.
The best banking apps have easy-to-use interfaces that make it easy to do the basics: view your account balances, deposit checks, and contact customer support. With some apps, you can also do things like see your balance without logging in or track your credit score.
To choose our favorite banking apps, we only looked at apps with at least 5,000 reviews in both the Apple and Google Play stores. Then we narrowed it down to apps with strong average ratings in both stores.
We selected apps for banks that are available in a large chunk of the US. This could mean that a bank has branches in multiple US states, or that it operates online.
Our top picks have competitive products that set them apart from other institutions. For example, a bank may pay high interest rates, have tools to help you save money, or let you receive paychecks early.
Where applicable, we also looked at customer satisfaction ratings on J.D. Power surveys. The BB&T app had the highest customer satisfaction of all banking apps surveyed, and Huntington's app was the highest-ranking app for regional banks.
Frequently asked questions
What is a banking app?
Most big banking institutions have apps you can download in the Apple or Google Play store. You'll create a username or password. If you've already used online banking on your web browser, the login information is probably the same. The app layout should be similar to the browser layout.
With a banking app, you should be able to do basic things you'd normally at a bank – deposit checks, speak with a representative, and see your account balances.
Are banking apps free?
Most banking apps are free when you have an account with the bank. But keep in mind that the accounts themselves could come with some fees.
At the very least, you should be able to use your banking app to check you account balances, transfer money between your own bank accounts, deposit paper checks with the app's camera, and find customer service contact information.
Our top banking apps include even more robust features. When thinking about which features you need, think about your banking habits.
Do you like to see all your financial information in one place? You might like to bank, invest, and open a credit card with the same company, and track them all in one app. You also may want an app that displays your credit score.
Do you have an unconventional work schedule or busy life? Maybe you want an app with 24/7 live customer support.
Do you want help saving for your goals? Find an app with automatic savings tools, or with savings buckets that let you organize your different goals.
