Revolut vs N26 (2026): Fees, FX, Licence and Which to Pick

Revolut or N26? Pick Revolut if you travel, hold several currencies or want investing in the same app; pick N26 if you want a simple, fully licensed German bank account with strong budgeting. Both are licensed banks for EEA customers with deposits protected up to €100,000 — Revolut through Revolut Bank UAB in Lithuania, N26 through N26 Bank SE in Germany. N26's card payments in foreign currencies carry no N26 markup on any plan; Revolut's exchange is limited by a monthly fair-usage allowance that depends on your plan. This comparison is for Europeans choosing a primary or secondary digital account — particularly anyone weighing Revolut's feature-packed super-app against N26's clean, fully licensed simplicity. The one-line verdict: pick Revolut if you travel, hold multiple currencies, or want investing built in; pick N26 if you want a focused, beautifully simple bank account with a full EU banking licence.

Revolut vs N26 at a Glance

Every row below is drawn from the sections that follow. Where this comparison does not establish a figure, the cell says so rather than guessing.

How We Compared Them

We assessed both on the criteria that actually determine day-to-day value: pricing and what each tier unlocks, foreign-exchange cost and limits, the quality of AI-driven budgeting and insights, the strength and clarity of their banking licences and deposit protection, and the overall app experience. We also weighed who each bank is genuinely built for, because "better" depends entirely on how you bank. These are the same dimensions we apply across our reviews, including our wider best banks in Europe guide.

Account Types & Pricing

Revolut offers a free Standard plan and paid plans — Plus, Premium, Metal and Ultra — each unlocking higher limits and more perks. Prices differ by country, so check Revolut's own plan page for yours.

N26 offers four tiers, not three: Standard (free), Smart (€4.90/mo), Go (€9.90/mo), and Metal (€16.90/mo), per N26's own plan comparison read on 11 August 2026. The structure is simpler than Revolut's, but Go is the tier most comparisons omit and it is the one that changes the travel maths below.

Foreign Exchange

Revolut's strength is multi-currency: you can hold and exchange many currencies in the app, which suits travellers and expats. Its pricing is plan-based. Revolut uses its own variable exchange rate, may add an exchange fee, and applies a fair usage fee once you pass your plan's monthly exchange limit. On Revolut's UK Standard fees page, for example, the limit is £1,000 a month with a 1% fee above it; Plus allows £3,000 with 0.5% above it; Premium, Metal and Ultra have no limit. EEA customers should check the limits on Revolut's fee page for their country rather than assuming "free FX" is unconditional.

N26's fees here are routinely reported wrongly, including in an earlier version of this article. Card payments in a foreign currency are free on every N26 plan, at Mastercard's exchange rate, with no N26 markup. The frequently-quoted 1.7% is not a card fee — it is a fee on cash withdrawals outside the eurozone, charged on Standard and Smart and waived on Go and Metal. Free ATM withdrawals in euros are capped per month and rise with the plan: two on Standard, three on Smart, five on Go, eight on Metal.

AI Features

Both apps categorise your spending and show where your money goes. The practical difference is what you can do next: Revolut lets you move money into savings or investments in the same app, while N26 focuses on budgeting with Spaces. For how banks use AI more broadly, see what AI actually does inside your bank.

Banking License

N26 Bank SE is a licensed German bank and deposits are protected up to €100,000. That protection comes from the German statutory deposit guarantee scheme implementing the EU deposit guarantee directive — not from a "European Deposit Insurance Scheme", which has been proposed at EU level for years but does not exist as an operating scheme. An earlier version of this article named EDIS and was wrong.

For customers in the European Economic Area, Revolut's account is provided by Revolut Bank UAB, authorised by the European Central Bank and the Bank of Lithuania, with deposits insured up to €100,000 by the Lithuanian state deposit-insurance company. Revolut states that virtual currencies, commodities and investments are not covered by that scheme, so crypto and stocks held in the same app as your salary do not carry the protection the salary does. Both are therefore licensed banks at the same €100,000 statutory ceiling; the difference is which country's scheme would pay out.

Savings, Sub-Accounts, and Budgeting

Both banks help you organise money, but in different styles. N26's Spaces let you carve your balance into labelled pots for goals and bills, with a clean, almost minimalist feel that makes budgeting approachable for people who find money admin tedious. Revolut offers Vaults and sub-accounts alongside savings features and round-ups, plus deeper analytics and the option to push spare cash toward investments. If your goal is calm, visual budgeting, N26 is delightful; if you want budgeting plus the ability to act on insights — moving money into savings or investments in the same app — Revolut gives you more levers to pull.

It's worth being honest about temperament here. Some people are energised by a feature-rich app and will genuinely use Revolut's breadth; others feel friction every time an app shows them ten things when they wanted one. Neither is wrong, and matching the tool to your temperament matters more than any single feature comparison.

Security and Deposit Protection in Depth

N26's full German banking licence is its clearest selling point for the safety-conscious: deposits are protected up to €100,000 under the German scheme, and the regulatory picture is simple to understand. Revolut operates through different entities in different regions, so the exact protection that applies to you depends on which entity holds your account and where you live. Neither approach is unsafe, but if you value being able to state your deposit protection in one sentence, N26 has the edge. Whichever you choose, confirm the specific scheme and limit for your country, and read our neobank safety guide for the full framework.

App Experience and Everyday Use

Revolut's app is dense with features — currency exchange, stock and crypto trading, budgeting, sub-accounts, savings, insurance — which is either a strength or a distraction depending on what you want. If you'll use the breadth, it's a genuine financial super-app. N26 takes the opposite philosophy: a clean, focused interface centred on a great current account with excellent budgeting via Spaces. Neither is objectively better; they're built for different temperaments. Power users gravitate to Revolut; people who want their banking app to be calm and uncluttered prefer N26.

Investing, Crypto, and the Super-App Question

This is where the two banks diverge most sharply. Revolut bundles stock trading, crypto, commodities, and savings products into the same app as your current account, which appeals to people who want one place for spending, saving, and investing. N26 deliberately stays out of investing, betting that most users want a focused bank account rather than a financial everything-store. Whether Revolut's breadth is an asset or a distraction depends on you: if you'd genuinely use the investing tools, the integration is convenient; if you'd never touch them, they're just extra screens. A sensible rule is to choose based on the features you'll actually use weekly, not the longest feature list — paying attention to, or paying for, capabilities you'll ignore is the most common way people overspend on a bank.

Who Should Choose Revolut

Revolut suits frequent travellers, multi-currency users, and anyone who wants investing and crypto alongside banking. The free tier already delivers strong FX value for occasional travellers, while the paid tiers add insurance, lounge access, and higher limits for heavy users. If your life crosses borders or you want one app to handle spending, saving, and investing, Revolut is the more capable tool — and it pairs naturally with the use cases in our best digital banks for travel and best multi-currency accounts guides.

Who Should Choose N26

N26 suits people who want a straightforward, fully licensed German bank account with first-class budgeting and a clean interface. Its full EU banking licence and clear deposit protection appeal to those who value regulatory simplicity, and its Spaces feature makes everyday budgeting intuitive. If you don't need crypto, stock trading, or extensive multi-currency tools, N26 gives you the essentials done beautifully without the feature overload.

Pros and Cons at a Glance

Revolut pros: strong multi-currency support, investing and crypto built in, deep feature set, strong travel perks on paid tiers.

Revolut cons: pricing varies by tier and usage, feature density can overwhelm, free-tier FX is capped by monthly limits.

N26 pros: full EU banking licence, clean and focused app, excellent budgeting, clear deposit protection.

N26 cons: weaker FX value on the free tier, fewer features, no crypto or stock trading.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

The most common mistake is paying for a tier whose perks you won't use — add up the cash value of the insurance, lounge access, or higher limits before subscribing to Revolut's premium plans or N26 Metal. Another is treating either as your only account when many Europeans get the best result by combining them: N26 (or a domestic bank) as the licensed primary account, Revolut as the travel and multi-currency layer. Finally, don't ignore your plan's monthly exchange limit — exceed it and the effective cost rises, so heavy spenders abroad should price the paid tiers honestly. For the cheapest pure transfers specifically, also compare our Wise vs Revolut transfers analysis.

The Verdict

Choose Revolut if: You travel frequently, need multi-currency support, or want an all-in-one financial super-app with crypto and stock trading.

Choose N26 if: You want a clean, simple banking experience with a full EU banking license and excellent budgeting tools.

Still undecided? Our free bank finder suggests a match, and our N26 review covers N26 on its own.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Revolut or N26 cheaper?

Both have free tiers. N26's free account is simpler and its card payments in foreign currencies carry no N26 markup; Revolut's free tier offers more multi-currency features but applies a fair usage fee above a monthly exchange limit. The cheapest choice depends on whether you'll use Revolut's extras or only need a clean current account.

Which has better deposit protection?

Both protect eligible deposits up to €100,000 for EEA customers: N26 through the German scheme, Revolut Bank UAB through the Lithuanian scheme. Revolut's crypto, commodities and investments are not covered. Outside the EEA, check which Revolut entity serves you.

Which is better for travelling abroad?

Revolut suits travellers who hold several currencies; N26 is also competitive for card spending abroad because it adds no markup to Mastercard's rate. Check N26's cash withdrawal fee outside the eurozone and Revolut's monthly exchange limit.

Can I invest with N26?

N26 focuses on banking and budgeting rather than investing. Revolut offers stock and crypto trading within the app, so choose Revolut if built-in investing matters to you.

Should I use both?

Many Europeans do — keeping a fully licensed primary account (N26 or a domestic bank) and using Revolut as a travel and multi-currency layer. It's a common, effective setup.

Does Revolut or N26 have better budgeting tools?

Both are strong. N26's Spaces are clean and ideal for goal-based budgeting; Revolut offers Vaults, round-ups, and deeper analytics plus the ability to move money into savings or investments in the same app. Choose N26 for calm simplicity, Revolut for more levers to act on.

Which should I pick if I only want one account?

If you rarely travel and value a fully licensed, simple bank account, pick N26. If you travel, hold multiple currencies, or want investing built in, pick Revolut. Match the choice to the features you'll use weekly rather than the longest feature list.

This is general information, not financial advice. Deposit protection differs between N26's German banking licence and Revolut's mix of licences — confirm the scheme and limit that applies to your account and country. If you use Revolut's investing or crypto features, remember that capital is at risk there separately from any protected cash balance.