Best Banking Apps

By existing online only, Ally Bank can offer higher rates and lower fees than other traditional financial institutions. You'll have access to over 43,000 ATMs in the U.S. that you can use for free as well. Ally is currently one of the top-rated banks offering interest checking accounts, which is not a common product. It also provides a high-yield savings account with a competitive APY that stacks up well against all banks. 

With the Ally app, you can pay bills, find an ATM, make mobile check deposits, and review your transaction history. You can also open the app with your fingerprint rather than a password. The format of the app itself is fresh and easy to use, and it allows you to link additional Ally accounts like a CD or IRA for a more straightforward review.

As a bonus perk, you can read up on stock market news directly from the app. Also, Ally uses Zelle, which allows you to transfer money within your Ally accounts or between your Ally and non-Ally accounts.

However, customer reviews show Android users are less satisfied than iPhone users. While it's not a con of the app per se, there's no way to deposit cash into your Ally account, despite robust ATM access. 

A large national bank with about 16,000 ATMs across the country, Bank of America is a trusted name in finance. Its financial services are basic, and you're not going to get any crazy high rates on your savings accounts. But it offers great technology and savings tools to its customers.

If Bank of America notices a suspicious transaction, it will send you a notification right away so that you can verify or decline it. You will then have up to 60 days to do so. You can easily link your Merrill Lynch brokerage account to the mobile app and even view that info directly from the accounts tab. In the AmeriDeals section, you'll find local cash-back opportunities, which can be a fun way to earn rewards while en route, such as during your morning or evening commute. 

While the app is useful, its appearance is nothing to write home about. Make sure to mind your balance, too, as you need to maintain a monthly account minimum if you want to avoid the monthly maintenance fee of $14; plus, you can be hit with a $35 overdraft fee up to four times a day if you're not careful.

If Capital One is in your wallet, then you have access to a slightly quirky, but highly-rated, banking app. Customer reviews show Android and iPhone users are close to equally satisfied. Capital One as a bank consistently ranks high in customer satisfaction and offers a high-yield savings account with a very competitive APY.

If you have other Capital One accounts, like loans or credit cards, you can view and manage them all in the app. You can use your accrued reward points to pay yourself back with a statement credit and if you temporarily can't find your credit card, you can lock access directly from the app. You can undo the move if you end up finding it, which saves you the hassle of canceling your card only to have it show up a few days later. 

With so many features, sometimes it can feel like information overload if all you want to do is check your balance. 

You may not have heard of Huntington Bank, but it is the only banking app to receive top marks in the 2021 J.D. Power survey for all of the categories: overall satisfaction, ease of navigation, appearance, availability of key information, range of services, and clarity of information. The bank is based in the Midwest and consistently delivers excellent customer service.

In addition to standard features, you can set up push notifications that inform you when transactions have occurred in your account. You also don't need to log in to see your account balance. And if you accidentally overdraft money from your account, the 24-Hour Grace feature gives you 24 hours to deposit money before facing the fee.

There isn't much not to love about the app itself. However, customers in some regions might have trouble finding ATM access—Huntington only has branches and ATMs in 11 states.

Wells Fargo is another large financial institution with a vast network of ATMs and locations. It offers low fees on checking accounts that are easily waived if you have a $500 minimum daily balance, direct deposits of $500 or more per month, a linked Wells Fargo Campus Card, or are between 17 and 24 years old.

Wells Fargo also has over 12,000 ATMs and more than 4,900 branches nationwide, making it easy to access your money.

Paying your bills is easy through the Wells Fargo app, and you can set up Touch ID or Face ID to access it without your username or password. For the technophobes who would rather go old school (or just don't want to be bothered to open the actual app), you can use text banking commands. For example, type in BAL to get your account balance, ACT to see recent account activity, and DUE to look at your credit card account information.

Wells Fargo has pretty low rates on savings accounts. Even though its app is top-of-the-line, you may want to look elsewhere for your savings needs.