Atom Bank vs Starling: which app has fewer problems?
We compared 500 recent App Store reviews of Atom Bank and 300 recent App Store reviews of Starling, each classified by AI into 7 complaint themes (latest review 2026-10-22). Overall the two UK banking apps are close: Atom Bank 18%, Starling 18% of recent reviews contain a complaint.
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Ratings at a glance
| App | All-time rating (storefront) | Ratings | Avg in our sample | Reviews analysed | Reviews with a complaint | Sample dates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atom Bank | 4.8★ (UK) | 71k | 4.26★ | 500 | 18% | 2022-11-24 – 2026-10-21 (1428 d) |
| Starling | 4.9★ (US) | 3k | 4.08★ | 300 | 18% | 2019-03-04 – 2026-10-22 (2790 d) |
Complaint themes side by side
| Theme | Atom Bank | Starling |
|---|---|---|
| Bugs | 13% (64) | 7% (20) |
| Crashes / freezes | 1% (7) | 1% (2) |
| Performance | 1% (7) | 1% (4) |
| UX / design | 4% (22) | 7% (20) |
| Pricing / subscription | 1% (5) | 2% (5) |
| Ads | 0% (0) | 0% (1) |
| Feature requests | 6% (31) | 8% (24) |
Verdict: which one has fewer problems?
Across the latest 800 App Store reviews we collected, the two apps have a similar share of reviews with a complaint (Atom Bank 18%, Starling 18%). The biggest single difference is in bug complaints: 13% of Atom Bank reviews mention them, vs 7% for Starling. Each app's own biggest complaint theme: Atom Bank, bugs (64 reviews); Starling, feature requests (24 reviews). Average star rating in the samples: 4.26★ (Atom Bank) vs 4.08★ (Starling). Time span of each sample: Atom Bank 1428 days (2022-11-24 to 2026-10-21); Starling 2790 days (2019-03-04 to 2026-10-22). The samples cover comparable periods, so the comparison is reasonably like-for-like.
- Fewer bug problems: Starling, 7% of its reviews vs 13% for Atom Bank.
- Crash and freeze complaints: roughly tied (Atom Bank 1%, Starling 1% of reviews).
- Performance (slowness, battery, storage) complaints: roughly tied (Atom Bank 1%, Starling 1% of reviews).
- UX / design complaints: roughly tied (Atom Bank 4%, Starling 7% of reviews).
- Pricing and subscription complaints: roughly tied (Atom Bank 1%, Starling 2% of reviews).
- Ad complaints: roughly tied (Atom Bank 0%, Starling 0% of reviews).
- Feature-request complaints: roughly tied (Atom Bank 6%, Starling 8% of reviews).
Top 3 specific issues for each app
Atom Bank
- Fix login / account access (54 reviews, severity 2.3/3)
- Answer support requests (9 reviews, severity 2.5/3)
- Simplify navigation (8 reviews, severity 2.1/3)
Starling
- Ship the most requested feature (16 reviews, severity 1.6/3)
- Simplify navigation (12 reviews, severity 2.0/3)
- Fix login / account access (10 reviews, severity 2.3/3)
FAQ
Which has fewer problems overall: Atom Bank or Starling?
In the most recent App Store reviews we analysed, Atom Bank had the lower share of reviews with a complaint (18% of 500) and Starling the higher (18% of 300).
Which has fewer bug complaints: Atom Bank or Starling?
Starling. Atom Bank: 64 of 500 recent reviews (13%); Starling: 20 of 300 recent reviews (7%).
Which has fewer crash and freeze complaints: Atom Bank or Starling?
In our samples they are roughly tied: Atom Bank: 7 of 500 recent reviews (1%); Starling: 2 of 300 recent reviews (1%).
Which has fewer pricing and subscription complaints: Atom Bank or Starling?
In our samples they are roughly tied: Atom Bank: 5 of 500 recent reviews (1%); Starling: 5 of 300 recent reviews (2%).
Which has fewer ad complaints: Atom Bank or Starling?
In our samples they are roughly tied: Atom Bank: 0 of 500 recent reviews (0%); Starling: 1 of 300 recent reviews (0%).
Which is rated higher on the App Store: Atom Bank or Starling?
All-time App Store ratings in each app's storefront: Atom Bank 4.8★ from 71k ratings (UK); Starling 4.9★ from 3k ratings (US). Starling is higher, but all-time ratings move slowly; the recent-review samples above show current problems.
What is the most common complaint about Atom Bank and Starling?
Atom Bank: bugs (64 of 500 reviews), top-ranked fix: “fix login / account access”; Starling: feature requests (24 of 300 reviews), top-ranked fix: “ship the most requested feature”.
Full reports
- Atom Bank reviews: top complaints and what users want fixed
- Starling reviews: top complaints and what users want fixed
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