Revolut vs bunq

 Revolut vs bunq

🏦 Basic Overviews

Bank Founded Licensing / Regulation

bunq Dutch fintech bank (established ~2015) Fully licensed bank in the Netherlands. Deposits insured under Dutch Deposit Guarantee Scheme (up to ~€100,000 per user). 

Revolut UK-founded fintech, global expansion Operates under e‑money licences in many regions; in some jurisdictions with banking licences; regulatory protections vary. 

🔍 Key Feature Comparison

Here are how they stack up in various categories:

Feature bunq Revolut

Account Plans / Pricing Has multiple plans: free (“bunq Free”) and paid tiers like Core, Pro, Elite, etc. Also free basic plans, plus multiple premium plans (e.g. “Premium,” “Metal,” “Ultra” in some markets) with added benefits. 

IBANs / Multiple Accounts bunq allows multiple IBANs (e.g. up to 25 for some plans) which is helpful for separating finances. Revolut has fewer IBANs or local bank details depending on country. Also uses “Pockets” or sub‑accounts to organize money. 

Currency & International Usage Good for Europe; supports multiple currencies / cross‑border use. Transparent fees vary depending on plan. Some features like foreign exchange may have charges. Strong in foreign currency / travel use. Competitive with FX rates (especially on weekdays); may have extra charges or less favorable rates on weekends. Good card options abroad. 

Savings, Interest, Investments bunq offers savings options (interest) and has lately added stock trading (“bunq Stocks” in certain regions). Revolut offers a broader range of investments: stocks, ETFs, crypto, etc., depending on your country. Also some savings / interest‑bearing options. 

User Interface, Tools & Organization bunq emphasizes organization, letting users create multiple pots/accounts, auto‑sort salary or payments, etc. Good for people who like separating their finances. Also features around sustainability (like tracking carbon footprint, planting trees per transaction). Revolut has many extra features (budgeting tools, rewards/cashback in some plans, travel insurance, special perks depending on tier). More comprehensive “extras.” 

Customer Support & Feedback Mixed feedback: strengths in features and innovation; some complaints about slow human support or reliance on bots. Some users prefer its organization tools and local‑bank feel. Also mixed: customers praise its feature set, global reach, speed; criticisms around support delays, account issues, or unexpected limitations in certain jurisdictions. 

⚠️ Pros & Cons Summary

bunq — What’s Better, and What’s Challenging

Pros:

Multiple IBANs → Good for managing finances in separate “buckets” (e.g. savings, bills).

Strong organizational features and clean design.

Focus on sustainability and optional “green” features.

Full bank licence, so deposit protections under a traditional guarantee scheme.

Cons:

Premium features cost more; free plans are more limited.

Customer support sometimes criticized for delays.

Less breadth in investment/extra‑services than Revolut in many regions (but catching up).

Some regulatory / compliance hiccups (e.g. money‑laundering control issues; bunq was fined in the Netherlands for failures in AML controls). 

Revolut — What Works Well, and What’s Weaker

Pros:

Very feature‑rich: investment, crypto, rewards, travel perks depending on plan.

Good for international / multi‑currency use, travel, etc.

Free plan often has sufficient features for casual users.

Large user base, maturity in many markets.

Cons:

In some countries, account / IBAN limitations or restrictions.

Fees for premium features, exchange rates (especially outside weekday business hours) can add up.

Support issues in some cases.

Regulatory/licensing differences by country → protection / guarantees may vary.