Updated September 29, 2026 · VaultCue Editorial Team
Monese vs ZEN.COM
Monese
ZEN.COM
Higher score in this comparison
Monese vs ZEN.COM: the differences
| Compare | MoneseReviewSee alternativesSee alternatives | ZEN.COMReviewSee alternativesSee alternatives |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly fee | £0 | €0 |
| Deposit protection | FSCS up to GBP 85,000 | EU DGS up to EUR 100,000 |
| Currency conversion fee | 3% | 0%Lower |
| Currencies | 3 | 35Higher |
| Local account details | IBAN, UK sort codeCovers more | IBAN |
| Free ATM withdrawals | £0 | €0 |
| Transfer fee | GBP 1.29 per outgoing domestic transfer; real-time Monese-to-Monese transfers free | Currently free (standard fee 0.25 EUR) |
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Key differences
- ZEN.COM scores higher overall: 9.3 vs 8.7.
- ZEN.COM is available in 1 more country.
- Currency conversion fee is lower at ZEN.COM: 0% vs 3%.
- Currencies is higher at ZEN.COM: 35 vs 3.
- Local account details: only Monese offers UK sort code.
- Audience: only Monese offers Freelancer.
- Features: only Monese offers Joint account, Digital only, No credit check.
- Features: only ZEN.COM offers Free ATM.
Our verdict on each
Monese
Monese suits expats, frequent travellers and freelancers who want a digital everyday account with nothing to pay each month. Costs stay low with a monthly fee of £0, while the limits on 3 currencies and a 3% conversion charge keep it simple rather than cheap for heavy currency use.
ZEN.COM
ZEN.COM suits expats and travellers who want a euro account that spends across borders without a monthly charge. Currency conversion runs at 0% and the monthly fee is €0, so the saving sits in how often you change money rather than in account upkeep. EU deposits sit under EU DGS up to EUR 100,000.
Score breakdown
| Area | Monese | ZEN.COM |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | 8.7A monthly fee of £0 and a £20 charge on outgoing domestic transfers, against a 3% conversion fee. | 9.4HigherMonthly fee of €0, currency conversion fee of 0% and transfer fees of Currently free (standard fee 0.25 EUR). |
| Offer | 9.1Local details in iban and uk sort code formats, Instant transfers and a 3 currency account for expats, travelers and freelancer. | 9.2HigherHolds 35 currencies, hands out local IBANs and pays a free ATM allowance of €0. |
| Trust | 8.4 | Not confirmed |
Pick Monese if, pick ZEN.COM if
Pick Monese if local account details matter most.
Pick ZEN.COM if cost, currency conversion fee, and currencies matter most.
What we checked
Monese
- monese.com: 14 facts, checked September 26, 2026
ZEN.COM
- ask.zen.com: 7 facts, checked September 26, 2026
- zen.com: 6 facts, checked September 26, 2026
How they place
| Ranking | Monese | ZEN.COM |
|---|---|---|
| Money transfer services | 395 of 1564 | 131 of 1564 |
| Multi-currency accounts | 217 of 348 | 69 of 348 |
Every fact side by side
| Fact | Monese | ZEN.COM |
|---|---|---|
| Audience | Expats, Travelers, FreelancerCovers more | Expats, Travelers |
| Pricing model | No monthly fee, Low FX | No monthly fee, Low FX |
| Features | Joint account, Digital only, No credit check | Free ATM |
| Legal entity | Monese Ltd | UAB ZEN.COM |
| Headquarters | United Kingdom | Lithuania |
| Founded | 2015 | Not confirmed |
| Support channels | Chat, Email, Help centre | Email, Chat, Help centre |
Money transfer
| Fact | Monese | ZEN.COM |
|---|---|---|
| Exchange rate markup | 2% | Not confirmed |
| Delivery time | Instant | Not confirmed |
| Payout methods | Bank, Wallet | Not confirmed |
| Fee to send 1,000 | £20 | Not confirmed |
Where each stands against the rest
| Fact | Monese | ZEN.COM | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Currency conversion fee | 3%highest quarter | 0%below the median | 0.5% |
| Currencies | 3below the median | 35highest quarter | 5 |
Median across 536 listed accounts.
Pros and cons
Monese
Pros
- Personal accounts carry a monthly fee of £0
- Outgoing domestic transfers cost £20 and transfers between Monese accounts are free
- Transfers land in Instant
Cons
- Converting money costs 3% on top of a 2% exchange rate margin
- A fee of £20 applies to outgoing domestic transfers
- Support runs on chat, email and help centre only, with no phone line listed
ZEN.COM
Pros
- Monthly fee of €0 keeps the account free to hold
- Currency conversion fee of 0% beats the 0.5% site median
- Local account details in the form of iban let you get paid like a local
Cons
- Support runs on email, chat and help centre only, with no phone line
- Standard transfer fee is higher than the current free transfer, at Currently free (standard fee 0.25 EUR)
- Currencies count of 35 trails brands near the top of our multi-currency list
Who each suits
Monese
Who it suits
- Expats and freelancers who send money across borders and are paid in expats, travelers and freelancer setups
- Travellers who want local account details in iban and uk sort code formats
- Anyone who wants a joint account opened with no credit check, since the account is digital only
Who should look elsewhere
- Skrill if you need a much wider range of currencies than 3
- PayPal Colombia if you want a wallet for online payments rather than local account details
- Plazo ES if you would rather reach support by phone than on chat, email and help centre
ZEN.COM
Who it suits
- Expats and travellers named as the audience for the account
- Anyone paid in euros who wants local account details
- People who change currency often and mind conversion cost more than the account type
Who should look elsewhere
- Skrill, if you compare conversion cost and its fee sits well above the site median of 0.5%
- eToro, if you want a broader account rather than a euro card first
- PayPal Colombia, if you need local details outside the euro area rather than iban
Current offers
Monese
Current offer
Bonus
Free contactless debit card with a GBP 100 first deposit: Card delivery free (otherwise GBP 4.95) with a GBP 100 first deposit
First physical contactless Monese debit card; otherwise GBP 4.95 delivery fee; available on all plans
Source, checked September 26, 2026
ZEN.COM
Current offer
Free trial
Try ZEN.COM free for 30 days: 30 days free
Source, checked September 26, 2026
Country by country
| Country | Monese | ZEN.COM |
|---|---|---|
| Singapore | No | Yes |
| Austria | Yes | Yes |
| Belgium | Yes | Yes |
| Bulgaria | Yes | Yes |
| Croatia | Yes | Yes |
| Cyprus | Yes | Yes |
| Czechia | Yes | Yes |
| Denmark | Yes | Yes |
8 of 32 countries where either is available.
Questions about each
Monese
Does Monese charge a monthly fee?+
The personal account carries a monthly fee of £0, which is the cheapest end of the accounts compared here. Plazo ES and Skrill also sit on €0 and €0, so you can compare like for like. Nothing is deducted from the balance each month for keeping the account open.
What does it cost to send money out?+
Each outgoing domestic transfer costs £20. Real time transfers from one Monese account to another are free, and the money arrives in Instant. For sending abroad, the cost comes from the 3% conversion charge rather than a transfer fee.
ZEN.COM
What does ZEN.COM cost to keep open?+
The monthly fee is €0, so holding the account costs nothing. That sits at the site median of €0 and matches the pattern across our listings, where most free accounts cluster at the lower quartile of €0.
How much does it cost to change currency?+
The currency conversion fee is 0%, which ranks ZEN.COM at 1 of 312 brands. For comparison, the site median is 0.5% and the upper quartile reaches 2.08%, so most rivals charge more.
Other options to compare
Other matchups
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Monese
ZEN.COM