Comparison · Banking abroad
Revolut vs N26: which is better for living abroad?
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Moving countries, or working from the road? Revolut and N26 are the first two apps everyone names, and it's easy to assume they do the same job. They don't. One is a currency-juggling Swiss-army knife. The other is a proper licensed bank account that happens to live on your phone. Choosing well really comes down to two questions: how many currencies you actually touch, and how much you care about bank-grade deposit protection on your main balance.
Think of this as the version a friend who's already done the move would give you. We take no cut from either provider, and there's no winner to crown here, both are good, just for different people. Fees, plan names and FX caps keep shifting and differ by country, so read every number below as a planning estimate and check the live figure on the provider’s own pricing page.
Side by side
| What | Revolut | N26 |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A licensed bank in the EEA (Revolut Bank UAB) and, since March 2026, in the UK (Revolut Bank UK Ltd); e-money elsewhere | A fully licensed German bank N26 holds a German banking licence (BaFin-regulated), so euro balances sit in a bank account with deposit protection. Revolut's EEA accounts are held by Revolut Bank UAB, a Lithuanian bank, and its UK bank launched in March 2026, though existing UK customers are moved across in batches rather than all at once. |
| Deposit protection | EEA: up to €100,000 (Lithuanian scheme, Revolut Bank UAB). UK: FSCS once your account has moved to Revolut Bank UK Ltd. Elsewhere: safeguarded e-money, not insured | Up to €100,000 per customer (German deposit guarantee) Both now sit behind a €100,000 scheme in the eurozone, but through different regulators: N26 through the German one, Revolut through the Lithuanian one. Safeguarding is the thing to watch, not the licence: where Revolut still operates as e-money your money is held in client accounts, which is not the same as deposit insurance. |
| Where you can open it | The whole EEA, plus the UK, US, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Japan, Switzerland and Brazil | 24 European countries: most of the EU/EEA plus Switzerland For someone moving outside Europe, Revolut’s wider footprint is often the deciding factor. N26 has pulled back from some markets (it exited the US and UK), so check it actually serves your destination before you rely on it. |
| Account currencies | 25 currencies held in-app, plus currency exchange and sub-accounts | A euro account only, no multi-currency holding Revolut is the stronger multi-currency tool: hold balances in many currencies and convert between them. N26 is euro-first, which is clean if you earn and spend mostly in euros but weaker if your income arrives in several currencies. |
| FX / currency exchange | Revolut's own rate, no exchange fee on weekdays within your plan's limit: Standard €1,000 a month then 1%, Plus €3,000 then 0.5%, Premium/Metal/Ultra no limit. Weekend fee on Standard and Plus only | Card spending uses Mastercard rate with no N26 markup on most plans Revolut can be cheaper for active currency conversion if you stay under the free cap, and since April 2025 the weekend markup only bites on Standard and Plus. Note that the rate is Revolut's own, set by Revolut, not a published interbank rate. For simply paying abroad with a card, N26’s no-markup Mastercard spending is very competitive and simpler to reason about. |
| ATM withdrawals abroad | Free up to a per-plan allowance each rolling month (5 withdrawals or €200 on Standard), then 2% with a €1 minimum; bigger allowances on paid plans | 2 free eurozone withdrawals a month on Standard rising to 8 on Metal, then €2 each; the count resets on the 1st Both meter free ATM use on their lower tiers, but they meter differently: Revolut caps an amount over a rolling month and then charges a percentage, N26 counts withdrawals over a calendar month and then charges a flat €2. If you withdraw cash often, compare the exact plan you would choose, not the headline. |
| Plans & monthly cost | Free Standard, then four paid tiers (Plus, Premium, Metal, Ultra) running from about €4 up to €55 a month | Free Standard, then Smart €4.90, Go €9.90 and Metal €16.90 a month Revolut’s prices vary by country, and in some markets by when you signed up. Its premium tiers reach much higher but bundle travel insurance, higher FX/ATM limits and perks. N26’s paid tiers are cheaper and centre on travel insurance and partner offers. |
| IBAN type | Country-local IBANs in several markets; Lithuanian IBAN in others estimate | German IBAN by default, plus local French, Italian and Spanish IBANs in those countries A non-local IBAN can occasionally be rejected by employers, landlords or local direct-debit systems (so-called "IBAN discrimination", which is illegal in the SEPA zone but still happens). N26 has closed that gap in France, Italy and Spain; elsewhere in its 24 markets you get a German one. Check whether you’ll get a local IBAN for your destination. |
| Best fit | Multi-currency earners, frequent country-hoppers, FX-heavy users | Euro-based residents who want a real licensed bank account Neither is universally "better". The right answer depends on how many currencies you touch and whether you want bank-grade deposit protection. |
Cells tagged estimate are not yet confirmed against a primary source. Treat them as indicative and check the provider's own page before you rely on them.
Whichever way you lean, open Revolut’s and N26’s own pricing pages before you sign up. Fees, plan tiers, FX caps and coverage differ by country and change often, and this table reflects what both providers published on our last check.
What the plans actually cost
Here is the tier ladder for each, cheapest to priciest. The N26 figures come straight from N26's own eurozone plan page. Revolut's prices move a lot by country, so instead of quoting a euro number that might be wrong where you live, we point you at the tiers and tell you to confirm the live price on Revolut's pricing page for your country.
N26 runs four personal tiers (prices and free-ATM counts from N26's eurozone plan page, checked July 2026):
- Standard, free: 2 free ATM withdrawals a month in the eurozone.
- Smart, €4.90 a month: 3 free eurozone withdrawals.
- Go (the tier N26 used to call You), €9.90 a month: 5 free eurozone withdrawals, plus free withdrawals abroad in foreign currency.
- Metal, €16.90 a month: 8 free eurozone withdrawals and free foreign-currency withdrawals.
On every N26 tier, card payments abroad use the plain Mastercard rate with no N26 markup. The Standard and Smart tiers add a 1.7% fee on cash withdrawals made in a foreign currency, wherever the machine happens to be, while Go and Metal waive it.
Revolut stacks five personal tiers, from a free Standard up through Plus, Premium, Metal and the top Ultra. The monthly prices genuinely shift by country, the German ones differ from other eurozone markets, so we are not going to pin a euro figure here that could mislead you. Open Revolut's pricing page for the country you live in and read the number there.
Structurally, Revolut's free plan gives you fee-free currency exchange up to a monthly limit and a small number of free ATM withdrawals, then charges a percentage beyond each, and the paid tiers raise or remove those caps. Two catches are worth remembering. First, a weekend and off-hours markup applies to currency conversion on the Standard and Plus tiers, but Revolut removed it from Premium, Metal and Ultra in April 2025, so check which side of that line your plan sits on rather than assuming the worst or the best. Second, once you pass your ATM allowance the fee is percentage-based with a minimum per withdrawal, and the allowance runs on a rolling month rather than resetting on the 1st, so large or badly timed cash withdrawals add up quickly.
Which to pick when
Pick Revolut if you earn or spend in several currencies, or you move around a lot.
Revolut is the stronger travel and multi-currency tool. Hold and convert many currencies in one app, lean on a wider reach outside Europe, and unlock higher FX and ATM limits on the paid tiers. The catch is that your protection depends on which Revolut entity holds your account: EEA customers sit with Revolut Bank UAB and are covered by the Lithuanian deposit scheme, UK customers are being moved across to Revolut Bank UK Ltd and FSCS cover in batches, and further afield the balance is safeguarded e-money rather than insured. Worth confirming before you park a large balance.
Pick N26 if you live in the eurozone and want a real licensed bank account.
N26 is a fully licensed German bank, so euro deposits sit under the German guarantee up to €100,000, and card spending abroad runs at the Mastercard rate with no markup on most plans. It's simpler and euro-first: a solid primary account when your life is mostly in euros. The flip side is its smaller footprint, which means it may not follow you outside Europe.
Don’t make either your only account.
Whichever you pick, most people abroad still keep a local account in their country of residence. App-only providers can freeze accounts during fraud reviews, sometimes hand you a non-local IBAN that a landlord or payroll system rejects, and can pull out of a market with little warning. A second account is cheap insurance against getting locked out of your own money at exactly the wrong moment.
Voymo gives general information to help you organise your move. It is not legal, tax, or immigration advice, always confirm with an official source or a qualified professional before you act.
The Germany angle: N26 is playing at home
Moving to Germany specifically? N26 has a real home advantage. It is a German bank with a full banking licence, so you get a German IBAN that local landlords, employers and direct-debit systems recognise without a second look, and your euro balance sits under the German deposit guarantee up to €100,000. That is exactly the non-local-IBAN friction that trips people up elsewhere, simply gone. N26 is available in 24 European countries, and it now issues local French, Italian and Spanish IBANs alongside the German ones, so the same logic holds if you land in Paris, Milan or Madrid rather than Berlin.
Revolut can still be the better travelling companion even in Germany if your income lands in several currencies. But for a straightforward euro salary paid into a German account, N26 is the more natural primary. Plenty of people abroad run both: N26 or a local bank for the salary and the rent, Revolut for currency juggling and trips.
Compare against the rest, not just these two
Revolut and N26 get the headlines, but they aren’t the only sensible options for life abroad. Wise, bunq, local challengers and your destination’s own banks can all matter, depending on where you land and how you get paid. If Wise is on your shortlist too, our Wise vs Revolut comparison breaks down how those two handle currency conversion and receiving money in different currencies. Run your own situation through our best bank for nomads picker to weigh deposit protection, multi-currency support, fees and country coverage for your case, then decide on your money rather than the marketing.
Frequently asked questions
Is Revolut or N26 a "real" bank? +
Both are, but under different licences, and the licence is not the whole answer. N26 is a fully licensed German bank, so your euro balance sits in a bank account covered by the German deposit guarantee up to €100,000. Revolut serves its EEA customers through Revolut Bank UAB, a Lithuanian bank, and those balances are covered by the Lithuanian deposit insurance scheme to the same €100,000. In the UK, Revolut launched Revolut Bank UK Ltd in March 2026 with FSCS-protected accounts, and it is moving its existing customers over in batches rather than all at once, so a long-standing UK balance may not be under FSCS yet even though new accounts are opened with the bank. Outside the EEA and the UK, Revolut generally still runs as e-money, where your money is safeguarded in client accounts rather than insured. The question worth asking is not "is it a bank" but "which entity holds my account", and the app or your terms will tell you.
Which is cheaper for spending and withdrawing money abroad? +
It depends on how you use it. For everyday card payments in foreign currencies, N26 applies the Mastercard rate with no markup on most plans, simple and competitive. Revolut can work out cheaper when you are actively converting between currencies, as long as you stay within the free monthly FX allowance and, on the two cheapest tiers, steer clear of weekend markups. Both also meter free ATM withdrawals on their lower tiers, then charge a percentage or flat fee beyond that. Compare the exact allowances on the specific plan you would choose, because the free plan and the paid plans behave very differently.
Can I use Revolut or N26 if I move outside Europe? +
Revolut usually travels further: it operates in the UK, US, Australia, Singapore, Japan and other markets, so it is often still usable after a move outside the EU. N26 stays focused on Europe and has pulled out of some markets, including the US and UK, so confirm it actually serves your destination before you depend on it. Plenty of people abroad keep one of these alongside a local account instead of treating it as their only bank.
How much do Revolut and N26 cost per month? +
N26 has four tiers, with the free-ATM count rising as you climb: Standard (free), Smart (€4.90 a month), Go (€9.90) and Metal (€16.90). Those figures come from the N26 eurozone plan page. Revolut runs five personal tiers in the eurozone, from a free Standard up through Plus, Premium, Metal and Ultra, but its monthly prices shift noticeably by country, so we do not quote a euro figure here: check the Revolut pricing page for where you actually live.
Which plan gives free currency exchange or free ATM withdrawals? +
On N26, foreign-currency card payments use the plain Mastercard rate with no N26 markup on every tier, and free eurozone ATM withdrawals run from 2 a month on Standard up to 8 on Metal (Go and Metal also waive the 1.7% fee on cash withdrawals made in a foreign currency). On Revolut, the free plan gives fee-free currency exchange up to a monthly limit and a small ATM allowance, then charges a percentage beyond each, while the paid tiers raise or remove those caps. A weekend exchange markup still applies on Revolut's two cheapest tiers, but Revolut dropped it for Premium, Metal and Ultra in April 2025, so on those plans "unlimited" really does mean seven days a week. The exact allowances and fees vary by country and plan, so confirm them on the live Revolut pricing page.
Last verified:
Sources
- Revolut: launch of Revolut Bank UK Ltd (FSCS-protected deposits, phased migration of existing customers), 11 March 2026
- N26: how N26 protects your money (Compensation Scheme of German Private Banks, up to €100,000)
- Revolut: deposit insurance information (Revolut Bank UAB, insured by the Lithuanian Deposit and Investment Insurance up to €100,000)
- Revolut: where you can sign up (supported countries)
- N26: availability across countries
- Revolut: supported currencies for holding (25 currencies)
- N26: euro bank account (EUR-only, German IBAN)
- Revolut: fees & plans
- N26: using your debit card abroad (Mastercard rate, no N26 markup)
- N26: pricing & plans
- N26: IBAN numbers (N26 IBANs start with DE, FR, IT or ES)
Voymo gives general information to help you organise your move. It is not legal, tax, or immigration advice, always confirm with an official source or a qualified professional before you act.