Bank app comparison
Upgrade vs Varo app
Store facts as of
Short answer
On the App Store, Upgrade has a store rating of 4.9 out of 5 from 83,655 ratings, and Varo has a store rating of 4.9 out of 5 from 233,533 ratings, as of Oct 24, 2026. Upgrade last updated its iPhone app on Oct 16, 2026, and Varo on Oct 22, 2026. Of the 10 app features we look for on each bank's own website, we found 3 stated by Upgrade and 6 by Varo.
Store ratings
These are store ratings from app users on the App Store and Google Play, not a Priceless Tay score.
Upgrade
Google Play rating (Android)
4.4out of 5
29.9K reviews, as shown on Google Play. Updated on Oct 15, 2026.
As of · Google Play listing
Varo
Google Play rating (Android)
4.5out of 5
245K reviews, as shown on Google Play. Updated on Oct 21, 2026.
As of · Google Play listing
Updates and app facts
Upgrade last updated its iPhone app on Oct 16, 2026, 8 days before we checked, and Google Play shows its Android app updated on Oct 15, 2026. Varo last updated its iPhone app on Oct 22, 2026, 2 days before we checked, and Google Play shows its Android app updated on Oct 21, 2026.
Upgrade
- Last App Store update
- Version 1.35.1, released Oct 16, 2026
- App size
- 97.6 MB
- Requires
- iOS 15.1 or later
- Runs on
- iPhone and iPod touch
- Languages
- 2 (English and French)
- Developer
- Upgrade, Inc.
As of · App Store listing
Varo
- Last App Store update
- Version 4.43.0, released Oct 22, 2026
- App size
- 128.2 MB
- Requires
- iOS 16.4 or later
- Runs on
- iPhone, iPad and Apple Vision
- Languages
- 1 (English)
- Developer
- Varo Money inc
As of · App Store listing
Features each bank states
| Feature | Upgrade | Varo |
|---|---|---|
| Mobile check deposit | Stated on the bank's siteSource: upgrade.com/help/deposit-checking-savings/rewards-checking/what-is-mobile-deposit | Not found on the bank's site yet |
| Card lock and unlock | Not found on the bank's site yet | Stated on the bank's siteSource: varomoney.com/security-and-control |
| Send money to people | Not found on the bank's site yet | Stated on the bank's siteVaro to AnyoneSource: varomoney.com/mobile-banking |
| Account alerts | Stated on the bank's siteSource: upgrade.com/rewards-checking | Stated on the bank's siteSource: varomoney.com/mobile-banking |
| Budgeting or spending insights | Not found on the bank's site yet | Not found on the bank's site yet |
| Automatic saving | Not found on the bank's site yet | Stated on the bank's siteSource: varomoney.com/automatic-savings-tools |
| Virtual assistant | Not found on the bank's site yet | Not found on the bank's site yet |
| Face or fingerprint sign-in | Not found on the bank's site yet | Not found on the bank's site yet |
| Credit score in the app | Not found on the bank's site yet | Stated on the bank's siteSource: varomoney.com/credit-builder |
| Apple Pay or Google Pay | Stated on the bank's siteSource: upgrade.com/rewards-checking | Stated on the bank's siteSource: varomoney.com/debit-card |
| Stated on the bank's site | 3 of 10 | 6 of 10 |
✓ means the bank's own website states it, with the quote and page shown. ? means we did not find it stated on the bank's site, not that the app lacks it. We never mark a feature as missing unless the bank says so. Each ✓ links to the page it came from; the quotes are on each app's own page.
Screen by screen
Pick a task to see what each app shows for it. App Store, Google Play and bank website images are the bank's own marketing, so names and balances are sample data. Help center images come from the bank's support pages. See every bank app's screens.
Home and accounts
Upgrade
Google Play marketing imageAn Android Upgrade menu listing Personal Loans, Credit Cards, Rewards Checking Preferred, Premier Savings, Home Improvement, Auto Finance and Flexpay.Google Play listing, as of
Varo
App Store marketing imageA Bank account screen with All, Money out and Money in filters, a $2,340.04 available balance and transactions, partly covered by a You saved $10.95 this month in fees banner.App Store listing, as of 
App Store marketing imageA Savings account screen showing a $1,987.00 available balance, interest earned and a posted transfer of $75.00, partly covered by an Earn more with 3.75% APY banner.App Store listing, as of 
App Store marketing imageAll, Money out and Money in filter chips above an available balance of $2,340.04.App Store listing, as of
Card controls
Upgrade
Google Play marketing imageA OneCard Essentials screen showing $2,500.00 available credit and a $250.00 current balance, with a Rewards card showing $3.28 available and an Activity list.Google Play listing, as of 
App Store marketing imageAn Upgrade Card screen showing $2,500.00 available credit, a Rewards and Benefits card with a $3.28 available rewards balance and a Redeem button, and an Autopay row.App Store listing, as of 
App Store marketing imageA green Upgrade Card tile showing $2,500.00 available credit.App Store listing, as of 
App Store marketing imageA Rewards and Benefits card showing a $3.28 available rewards balance with a Redeem button.App Store listing, as of
Varo
App Store marketing imageThree settings rows with switches turned on for locking a card, real-time transaction alerts and Face ID and fingerprint privacy.App Store listing, as of
Reports and insights
Upgrade
No official screen found yet
Varo
App Store marketing imageA Varo Bank Account screen showing $1,450.38 total spent so far this month and a Spending by category section, partly covered by a You just got paid banner.App Store listing, as of 
From Varo's websiteA Varo Bank Account screen with Money out selected showing $1,450.38 total spend so far this month on a line chart, with a note that spending is $152.97 lower than at this time last month.varomoney.com, as of 
App Store marketing imageA note saying so far your spending is $545.76 lower than it was at this time last month.App Store listing, as of
Privacy labels
Apple's privacy labels are what each developer reports to Apple. Apple says it does not verify them. We copy the category names exactly as the App Store lists them.
Upgrade
Data Used to Track You
- Identifiers
Data Linked to You
- Financial Info
- Contact Info
- Identifiers
Data Not Linked to You
- Usage Data
- Diagnostics
As of · App Store listing
Varo
Data Used to Track You
Not listed on the App Store page.
Data Linked to You
- Financial Info
- Location
- Contact Info
- Identifiers
- Usage Data
- Diagnostics
Data Not Linked to You
- Contacts
As of · App Store listing
Accessibility labels
Varo
The App Store listing shows no accessibility labels for this app (checked Oct 24, 2026). That means the developer hasn't listed them, not that the app has no accessibility support.
FAQ
What are the App Store ratings for Upgrade and Varo?
Upgrade has a store rating of 4.9 out of 5 from 83,655 ratings. Varo has a store rating of 4.9 out of 5 from 233,533 ratings. These are App Store ratings from users, not a Priceless Tay score.
What are the Google Play ratings for Upgrade and Varo?
Upgrade shows 4.4 out of 5 (29.9K reviews) on Google Play, and Varo shows 4.5 out of 5 (245K reviews).
When were the Upgrade and Varo iPhone apps last updated?
Upgrade released version 1.35.1 on Oct 16, 2026. Varo released version 4.43.0 on Oct 22, 2026.
Which Apple devices do the Upgrade and Varo apps run on?
The App Store lists iPhone and iPod touch for Upgrade, and iPhone, iPad and Apple Vision for Varo.
Which app features does Upgrade state that we did not find for Varo?
Upgrade's own website states mobile check deposit. We did not find that stated on Varo's website, which does not mean the Varo app lacks it.
Which app features does Varo state that we did not find for Upgrade?
Varo's own website states card lock and unlock, send money to people, automatic saving and credit score in the app. We did not find those stated on Upgrade's website, which does not mean the Upgrade app lacks them.
Keep comparing
- See every fact on the Upgrade app page, with all four screenshots.
- See every fact on the Varo app page, with all four screenshots.
- Compare other bank apps, or read how we compare bank apps.
Sources and dates
Upgrade
- App Store facts, privacy and accessibility labels, screenshots and icon: App Store listing and Apple's iTunes Lookup API, checked Oct 24, 2026.
- Google Play rating and update date: Google Play listing, checked Oct 24, 2026.
- Features, from Upgrade's own website: upgrade.com/help/deposit-checking-savings/rewards-checking/what-is-mobile-deposit, upgrade.com/rewards-checking.
- Upgrade's help center says Rewards Checking Preferred customers use the Upgrade mobile app (help page 'Does Rewards Checking Preferred have a mobile app?').
Varo
- App Store facts, privacy and accessibility labels, screenshots and icon: App Store listing and Apple's iTunes Lookup API, checked Oct 24, 2026.
- Google Play rating and update date: Google Play listing, checked Oct 24, 2026.
- Features, from Varo's own website: varomoney.com/security-and-control, varomoney.com/mobile-banking, varomoney.com/automatic-savings-tools, varomoney.com/credit-builder, varomoney.com/debit-card.
This is education, not financial advice.
