Savings comparison
Chime vs PocketGuard
Updated
Priceless Tay may earn a commission from some links on this page, and that never changes how we compare apps.
Full disclosure: Taylor Price, who runs Priceless Tay, owns Fifecta, so keep that in mind as you read this comparison.
Short answer
Chime is a banking app and PocketGuard is a budgeting app. Chime says its savings account has no fees, and you need an active Chime Checking Account to open one, while PocketGuard Premium costs $12.99 a month, $74.99 a year billed yearly, or $149.99 once for lifetime access. We checked both on Oct 24, 2026, and the official sources differ on 3 of the 9 rows in the table below.
Chime vs PocketGuard at a glance
Chime is a banking app and PocketGuard is a budgeting app. This page puts what each company's official pages and app store listings say side by side, with the date we checked every fact. The sources differ on 3 of the 9 rows in the table below.
Price and fees
Chime says its savings account has no fees, and you need an active Chime Checking Account to open one. PocketGuard Premium costs $12.99 a month, $74.99 a year billed yearly, or $149.99 once for lifetime access. We checked both on Oct 24, 2026.
Free trial
PocketGuard offers a 7-day free trial. We haven't verified this for Chime yet, so check the official site for Chime before you decide. We checked PocketGuard on Oct 24, 2026.
APY or rate
Chime lists 1.00% APY for standard members, 3.00% APY for Chime Plus and 4.00% APY for Chime Prime, in rates effective Oct 6, 2026. Chime says the rate is variable. Chime says there is no minimum balance, but you need $0.01 in savings to earn interest. The higher rates depend on Chime Plus or Chime Prime status, which ties to qualifying direct deposits. We haven't verified this for PocketGuard yet, so check the official site for PocketGuard before you decide. We checked Chime on Oct 24, 2026.
Opening and balance minimums
Chime says its savings account has no minimum balance requirement. We haven't verified this for PocketGuard yet, so check the official site for PocketGuard before you decide. We checked Chime on Oct 24, 2026.
Protection
Chime is not a bank. Banking services come from The Bancorp Bank, N.A. or Stride Bank, N.A., Members FDIC, and pass-through deposit insurance applies only when certain conditions are met. We haven't verified this for PocketGuard yet, so check the official site for PocketGuard before you decide. We checked Chime on Oct 24, 2026.
Platforms
PocketGuard lists Web, iOS, Apple Watch and Android. We haven't verified this for Chime yet, so check the official site for Chime before you decide. We checked PocketGuard on Oct 24, 2026.
Bank syncing
PocketGuard says it connects to more than 20,000 institutions in the US, Canada and the UK through Plaid, Finicity and Salt Edge. We haven't verified this for Chime yet, so check the official site for Chime before you decide. We checked PocketGuard on Oct 24, 2026.
Features
Both Chime and PocketGuard list goals. PocketGuard lists AI features and data export, which the sources we checked don't confirm for Chime. We checked both on Oct 24, 2026.
App store rating
Chime has 4.8 out of 5 on the App Store from 1,629,130 ratings. PocketGuard has 4.6 out of 5 on the App Store from 7,681 ratings. We checked both on Oct 24, 2026. Store ratings are a dated snapshot from each listing, not our score.
What it costs
- Chime
Chime says its savings account has no fees, and you need an active Chime Checking Account to open one.
PocketGuard$12.99a month
PocketGuard Premium costs $12.99 a month, $74.99 a year billed yearly, or $149.99 once for lifetime access.
Cost over 1 and 3 years: $74.99 and $224.97, at the yearly list price before tax.
As of · pocketguard.com/pricing
Bars show only when every app here lists a yearly price, so these prices sit side by side without them. Prices are list prices from each app's own page, before tax and any offer.
At a glance
APY
- Chime
- 1.00% to 4.00% APY
- PocketGuard
- Not verified yet
Source
- Chime lists 1.00% APY for standard members, 3.00% APY for Chime Plus and 4.00% APY for Chime Prime, in rates effective Oct 6, 2026. The rate is variable. Chime says there is no minimum balance, but you need $0.01 in savings to earn interest. The higher rates depend on Chime Plus or Chime Prime status, which ties to qualifying direct deposits. help.chime.com/what-is-annual-percentage-yield-apy-dfafd381, as of Oct 24, 2026.
- PocketGuard: Not verified yet.
Free trial
- Chime
- Not verified yet
- PocketGuard
- 7 days
Source
- Chime: Not verified yet.
- PocketGuard offers a 7-day free trial. pocketguard.com/pricing, as of Oct 24, 2026.
App Store rating
- Chime
- 4.81,629,130 ratings
- PocketGuard
- 4.67,681 ratings
Source
- Chime has 4.8 out of 5 on the App Store from 1,629,130 ratings. App Store listing, as of Oct 24, 2026.
- PocketGuard has 4.6 out of 5 on the App Store from 7,681 ratings. App Store listing, as of Oct 24, 2026.
Platforms
- Chime
- Not verified yet
- PocketGuard
- Web
- iOS
- Apple Watch
- Android
Source
- Chime: Not verified yet.
- PocketGuard lists Web, iOS, Apple Watch and Android. pocketguard.com, as of Oct 24, 2026.
Bank syncing
- Chime
- Not verified yet
- PocketGuard
- Yes
Source
- Chime: Not verified yet.
- Yes. PocketGuard says it connects to more than 20,000 institutions in the US, Canada and the UK through Plaid, Finicity and Salt Edge. pocketguard.com, as of Oct 24, 2026.
Minimums
- Chime
- Chime says its savings account has no minimum balance requirement.
- PocketGuard
- Not verified yet
Source
- Chime says its savings account has no minimum balance requirement. help.chime.com/what-is-the-chime-savings-account-f189355c, as of Oct 24, 2026.
- PocketGuard: Not verified yet.
Protection
- Chime
- Chime is not a bank. Banking services come from The Bancorp Bank, N.A. or Stride Bank, N.A., Members FDIC, and pass-through deposit insurance applies only when certain conditions are met.
- PocketGuard
- Not verified yet
Source
- Chime is not a bank. Banking services come from The Bancorp Bank, N.A. or Stride Bank, N.A., Members FDIC, and pass-through deposit insurance applies only when certain conditions are met. help.chime.com/what-is-the-chime-savings-account-f189355c, as of Oct 24, 2026.
- PocketGuard: Not verified yet.
Features
| Feature | Chime | PocketGuard |
|---|---|---|
| AI features | Not verified yet | Listed by the source |
| Savings goals | Listed by the source | Listed by the source |
| Data export | Not verified yet | Listed by the source |
✓ means the official site lists it. ? means we haven't verified it yet, not that the app lacks it. Chime: help.chime.com/what-are-chime-savings-goals-4aef8222, as of Oct 24, 2026. PocketGuard: pocketguard.com/pricing, as of Oct 24, 2026.
What the apps look like
Chime
From the App Store listing, Oct 24, 2026 
From the App Store listing, Oct 24, 2026 
From the App Store listing, Oct 24, 2026 
From the App Store listing, Oct 24, 2026
Screenshots: Chime on the App Store, as of Oct 24, 2026.
PocketGuard
From the App Store listing, Oct 24, 2026 
From the App Store listing, Oct 24, 2026 
From the App Store listing, Oct 24, 2026 
From the App Store listing, Oct 24, 2026
Screenshots: PocketGuard on the App Store, as of Oct 24, 2026.
Chime and PocketGuard, side by side
Rows marked “Differs” are where the official sources say different things, and 3 rows do here.
Swipe the table sideways to see both apps.
| Field | ChimeBanking appChime is a financial technology company, not a bank, that offers checking and savings accounts through partner banks.Visit Chime's site | PocketGuardBudgeting appPocketGuard is a paid budgeting app that tracks your accounts, bills and budgets and shows what is safe to spend.Visit PocketGuard's site |
|---|---|---|
| Price and feesDiffers | Chime says its savings account has no fees, and you need an active Chime Checking Account to open one.As of Oct 24, 2026. Source: help.chime.com/what-is-the-chime-savings-account-f189355c | PocketGuard Premium costs $12.99 a month, $74.99 a year billed yearly, or $149.99 once for lifetime access.As of Oct 24, 2026. Source: pocketguard.com/pricing |
| Free trial | Not verified yet. | PocketGuard offers a 7-day free trial.As of Oct 24, 2026. Source: pocketguard.com/pricing |
| APY or rate | Chime lists 1.00% APY for standard members, 3.00% APY for Chime Plus and 4.00% APY for Chime Prime, in rates effective Oct 6, 2026. The rate is variable.Chime says there is no minimum balance, but you need $0.01 in savings to earn interest. The higher rates depend on Chime Plus or Chime Prime status, which ties to qualifying direct deposits.As of Oct 24, 2026. Source: help.chime.com/what-is-annual-percentage-yield-apy-dfafd381 | Not verified yet. |
| Opening and balance minimums | Chime says its savings account has no minimum balance requirement.As of Oct 24, 2026. Source: help.chime.com/what-is-the-chime-savings-account-f189355c | Not verified yet. |
| Protection | Chime is not a bank. Banking services come from The Bancorp Bank, N.A. or Stride Bank, N.A., Members FDIC, and pass-through deposit insurance applies only when certain conditions are met.As of Oct 24, 2026. Source: help.chime.com/what-is-the-chime-savings-account-f189355c | Not verified yet. |
| Platforms | Not verified yet. | PocketGuard lists Web, iOS, Apple Watch and Android.As of Oct 24, 2026. Source: pocketguard.com |
| Bank syncing | Not verified yet. | Yes. PocketGuard says it connects to more than 20,000 institutions in the US, Canada and the UK through Plaid, Finicity and Salt Edge.As of Oct 24, 2026. Source: pocketguard.com |
| FeaturesDiffers |
|
|
| App store ratingDiffers | Chime has 4.8 out of 5 on the App Store from 1,629,130 ratings.As of Oct 24, 2026. Source: App Store listing | PocketGuard has 4.6 out of 5 on the App Store from 7,681 ratings.As of Oct 24, 2026. Source: App Store listing |
App store ratings are a dated snapshot from each store listing, not our score. “Not verified yet” means we don't have a current official source for that line. How we source and date this data. Spotted a change? Tell us if something changed.
Weighing a third option? Add up to two more apps to this table and compare up to four side by side.
Which fits your Money Type?
There are four Money Types: Strategist, Spender, Saver and Scrambler. Each card matches one type to what the sources say about these two apps.
StrategistNeither app's sources confirm a feature we match to this type yet, so the quiz is the better place to start.
First fix: Save the Raise.
SpenderBoth Chime and PocketGuard list goals. A goal gives a Spender a reason to pause before buying, which is the Sleep on It fix.
First fix: Sleep on It.
SaverChime lists an APY on deposits. That fits a Saver, whose first fix is putting saved money to work.
First fix: Put It to Work.
ScramblerPocketGuard lists bank syncing. Seeing every account in one place helps a Scrambler pay bills first.
First fix: Bills First.
Not sure which one you are? Take the free Money Types quiz. It takes about two minutes.
Full disclosure: Taylor Price, who runs Priceless Tay, owns Fifecta, so keep that in mind as you read this comparison.
Another option: Fifecta
If neither Chime nor PocketGuard feels right, here is one more option to look at. Fifecta gives every paycheck a plan with FUNDS, and it starts from your Money Type, so the plan matches how you already handle money.
What real users say
These are other people's opinions, not Priceless Tay's. We quote public reviews and posts word for word, link each one and show its date, but we haven't checked the claims in them. A post counts toward a theme when it uses one of that theme's keywords, so a mention can be praise or a complaint.
What Chime users say
Based on 500 App Store reviews, 7 Reddit posts, 1 YouTube video and 2 Hacker News posts dated May 2026 to Oct 2026, read Oct 2026. We collected the Reddit and YouTube data with Apify, a scraping service, on Oct 24, 2026.
- Of the 510 reviews, posts and videos we read, 83 mention deposits, transfers or getting paid.
- Of the 510 reviews, posts and videos we read, 45 mention how easy or hard the app is to use.
- Of the 510 reviews, posts and videos we read, 40 mention customer service or support.
Positive
“It’s the best banking app out there in my opinion. You can get paid two days earlier than your paycheck...”
Critical
“Worst customer service and dispute resolution it takes over 3 months so they can tell you your dispute was denied...”
Mixed
“I've had chime for 3 years and for the most part it's been a great experience.”
Where these come from
- Chime reviews on the App Store, read Oct 24, 2026. The public feed returns the 500 most recent US reviews. We kept every one dated inside the window.
- Hacker News search for Chime, read Oct 24, 2026. Public search of comments and posts. 13 named the app; we kept 2 where the writer shares their own use of it.
- Reddit search for Chime, collected Oct 24, 2026. Collected with Apify (harshmaur/reddit-scraper) on Oct 24 2026: a keyword search for "Chime bank", posts and comments from after Oct 24 2025. It returned 61, most of them about something else. We kept 7 where the writer shares their own use of the app or a clear opinion of it. We left out moderators, bots, company accounts, referral posts and people promoting their own apps.
- YouTube search for Chime, collected Oct 24, 2026. Collected with Apify (streamers/youtube-scraper) on Oct 24 2026: a search for "Chime bank review" from the past year, up to 8 videos. It returned 8. We kept 1 and left out the app's own channel, sponsored videos, videos with affiliate or referral links and videos about a different product. We count themes from each video's title, description and captions, but we don't quote videos, because the captions we have carry no timestamps.
- u/Beautiful_Boat3144 in r/CashApp on Reddit, Oct 24, 2026.
- u/Dankdefender420 in r/chimefinancial on Reddit, Oct 24, 2026.
- u/Sure-Resist-1415 in r/chimefinancial on Reddit, Oct 23, 2026.
- u/LittleLotteRae in r/chimefinancial on Reddit, Oct 23, 2026.
- u/Extreme_Set485 in r/chimefinancial on Reddit, Oct 23, 2026.
- u/Revolutionary_Ad1168 in r/Mercari on Reddit, Oct 23, 2026.
- u/dnyte270 in r/chimefinancial on Reddit, Oct 22, 2026.
- devchix on Hacker News, Oct 22, 2026.
- jimz on Hacker News, Jun 25, 2026.
- "Why I Will NEVER Use Chime Bank Again (Shocking Truth)" by Credit Card Blueprint on YouTube, May 17, 2026.
FAQ
How much does Chime cost?
Chime says its savings account has no fees, and you need an active Chime Checking Account to open one. We checked this on Oct 24, 2026.
How much does PocketGuard cost?
PocketGuard Premium costs $12.99 a month, $74.99 a year billed yearly, or $149.99 once for lifetime access. We checked this on Oct 24, 2026.
What APY does Chime list?
Chime lists 1.00% APY for standard members, 3.00% APY for Chime Plus and 4.00% APY for Chime Prime, in rates effective Oct 6, 2026. Chime says the rate is variable. Chime says there is no minimum balance, but you need $0.01 in savings to earn interest. The higher rates depend on Chime Plus or Chime Prime status, which ties to qualifying direct deposits. We checked this on Oct 24, 2026.
Does PocketGuard have a free trial?
PocketGuard offers a 7-day free trial. We checked this on Oct 24, 2026.
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Keep comparing
- See Chime alternatives, closest category first.
- See PocketGuard alternatives, closest category first.
- Browse our guide to the best high-yield savings accounts.
- Want the bigger picture? Compare more money apps.
Full disclosure: Taylor Price, who runs Priceless Tay, owns Fifecta, so keep that in mind as you read this comparison.
Want a plan built on your Money Type?
Fifecta gives every paycheck a plan with FUNDS, so you know where each dollar goes.
Sources and confidence
- Last checked
- Not verified yet
- 1 of 13 facts
Chime6 of 7 verified, 1 not verified yet, last checked Oct 24, 2026
- Price and feeshelp.chime.com/what-is-the-chime-savings-account-f189355c, as of Oct 24, 2026
- APY or ratehelp.chime.com/what-is-annual-percentage-yield-apy-dfafd381, as of Oct 24, 2026
- Minimumshelp.chime.com/what-is-the-chime-savings-account-f189355c, as of Oct 24, 2026
- Protectionhelp.chime.com/what-is-the-chime-savings-account-f189355c, as of Oct 24, 2026
- PlatformsNot verified yet
- Featureshelp.chime.com/what-are-chime-savings-goals-4aef8222, as of Oct 24, 2026
- App store ratingApp Store listing, as of Oct 24, 2026
PocketGuard6 of 6 verified, last checked Oct 24, 2026
- Price and feespocketguard.com/pricing, as of Oct 24, 2026
- Free trialpocketguard.com/pricing, as of Oct 24, 2026
- Platformspocketguard.com, as of Oct 24, 2026
- Bank syncingpocketguard.com, as of Oct 24, 2026
- Featurespocketguard.com/pricing, as of Oct 24, 2026
- App store ratingApp Store listing, as of Oct 24, 2026
- Reference: banks.data.fdic.gov/bankfind-suite/bankfind, checked Oct 24, 2026.
Each fact links to the official page it came from, with the date we checked it. Once a fact is older than its app's window (8 days for apps whose rates change often, 35 days for the rest), it reads “Not verified yet” until we check it again. How we source, date and index this data.
This is education, not financial advice.
