A plethora of banking fintechs have emerged in recent years on the French market, having the advantage of offering exclusively dematerialized offers, at competitive prices. Among them, N26 and Revolut stand out for their accessibility and innovative services. But which of these nobanks is right for you?
N26 is a German fintech, marketing bank accounts with a Mastercard via 4 formulas for individuals (Standard, Smart, You and Metal). For its part, Revolut is a British establishment, also offering 4 account offers for individuals (Standard, Plus, Premium, Metal), also associated with a Mastercard bank card. Having many points in common, they nevertheless remain different on certain services.
Two 100% mobile nobanks
N26 and Revolut are both fully dematerialized banks. Accessible only to adults, they do not condition access to their bank account on criteria of income, savings, or bank domiciliation. The bank account is fully manageable from their respective mobile applications, making it possible to follow its operations in real time, but also to increase its ceilings. Another point in common: the two nobanks offer advantageous formulas when traveling abroad. Indeed, all N26 and Revolut offers allow you to carry out free payments worldwide. They also give access (depending on the offers) to customer service available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
The offers marketed are just as similar: they each offer 4 account offers, associated with a Mastercard bank card, including 3 paid formulas. So far, they both follow the same pattern: a free offer, two premium plans and a top-of-the-range plan. The names of their cards are just as similar: N26 Standard versus Standard for Revolut on the classic side, Metal for their top-of-the-range offer, both associated with a real metal bank card.
The credit card personalization is also available in both fintechs: N26 Smart, for example, includes a Mastercard available in 5 colors (ocean, rhubarb, sand, mint and slate). Revolut Premium is available in 3 colors (Space Grey, Silver or Rose Gold). The N26 Metal card is also available in several colors, carbon black, pearl gray or coral sand.
Price differences
Despite the many similarities between the two nobanks, they do have some differences. First of all, at the level of price of paid formulas:
- Revolut Plus costs 2.99 euros, compared to 4.90 euros for N26 Smart,
- 7.99 euros for Revolut Premium, against 9.90 euros for N26 You,
- 13.99 euros for the Revolut Metal card, against 16.90 euros for that of N26.
Discover the best free bank cards thanks our comparison
Revolut is therefore generally less expensive. The pricing of certain operations are also not identical, N26 having chosen to limit cash withdrawals in number, while Revolut limits them in euros. For example, on the side of the free formulas, N26 Standard allows its beneficiary to make up to 3 free withdrawals per month (2 euros per additional withdrawal) in the euro zone. A commission of 1.70% applies to withdrawals outside the euro zone. The standard Revolut formula allows you to withdraw up to 200 euros per month free of charge, a commission of 2% of the amount withdrawn beyond that, regardless of the currency.
different services
N26 allows all its customers to access unique innovative services, such as sharing a bill, or accessing a tool called Statistics, allowing an overview of the monthly budget, thanks to an automatic categorization of expenses and income. Revolut, for its part, allows the beneficiaries of its metal bank cards to take advantage of cash back, a service not offered by its competitor. This can also be seen in the insurance included with bank cards. Revolut includes in its offers an insurance protecting the holder of a card in the event of a dispute related to a purchase made on the internet, but also useful insurance in the event of travel abroad, in particular from its Plus formula. N26, for its part, offers extensive travel insurance (for example in the event of flight delay, baggage, medical cover, self-service vehicles, etc.), based on its N26 You formula.
The differences continue into the Bank card, even if the two nobanks have chosen Mastercard. N26 Standard, for example, makes it possible to obtain a virtual card, free of charge, in its classic formula. At Revolut, they are only available with a paid offer, its classic Standard offer necessarily involving a free physical card, but the sending of which is invoiced 5.50 euros.
So which one is for you? You got it, the two nobanks are close level credit card and services. Revolut is however more attractive in terms of price, since its offers are always cheaper than those offered by N26. Revolut also allows its individual customers to benefit from cashback, unlike N26. The latter nevertheless remains interesting thanks to its innovative services and its extensive insurance, in particular for its Metal offer. It should also be noted that the two nobanks offer formulas intended for professionals.
Our comparison of nobanks