The Best Marcus Alternatives 2026

Trading 212 Cash ISA is a tax-free easy-access savings account from Trading 212, a fintech best known for its investment platform. The Cash ISA sits alongside the brokerage under one login, so existing Trading 212 users find it particularly frictionless. There are no monthly fees and no minimum deposit to open. In our testing the account opened in under ten minutes using just a passport and a selfie.

The card-linked debit features you get with a current account are absent here: this is purely a savings product, no Visa or Mastercard, no Apple Pay or Google Pay support. Transfers in and out arrive via bank transfer, and withdrawals typically settle the same or next working day. The FSCS covers up to 85,000 GBP per person, so your money carries full statutory protection. Interest is credited monthly and counts towards your annual ISA allowance, making Trading 212 Cash ISA a genuine step up from Marcus for savers who have yet to use their 20,000 GBP ISA limit each tax year. Rated 4.5 out of 5.

As a Marcus alternative, it wins on the ISA wrapper alone. Marcus pays interest gross, so basic-rate taxpayers pay tax on earnings above the Personal Savings Allowance. Move that same pot into a Cash ISA and every penny of interest is sheltered indefinitely, not just for the current year.

Moneybox Cash ISA is built around the idea that saving should require as little friction as possible. The Moneybox app lets you round up card purchases to the nearest pound and sweep the spare change into your ISA automatically. You can also make manual top-ups at any time, up to the annual ISA limit. No monthly account fee applies to the Cash ISA product, and the account opens entirely within the app.

Like Trading 212 Cash ISA, this is a savings-only product. There is no debit card, no contactless payment, and no IBAN for receiving transfers. Deposits are protected by the FSCS up to 85,000 GBP per person per bank. Withdrawals are possible, though processing time is typically one to two working days. In our testing the round-up feature worked reliably across Mastercard and Visa debit cards from mainstream UK banks. Rated 4.3 out of 5.

Against Marcus, Moneybox Cash ISA appeals most to savers who have not yet used their ISA allowance and who want a behavioural nudge to save more regularly. The round-up automation is genuinely useful for people who find it hard to transfer a lump sum. If you simply want a higher headline rate and already save a fixed amount each month, other options on this list may suit you better.

Skipton Building Society has operated as a mutual since 1853, meaning it is owned by its members rather than shareholders. Its savings accounts are available online and via a network of branches across the UK, which makes it one of the rare alternatives on this list that offers both a digital opening process and a physical counter if you ever need it. No fee applies to hold a standard savings account.

FSCS protection covers up to 85,000 GBP per person, and as a building society Skipton is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. In our testing, the online application accepted a driving licence as ID alongside a passport, broadening access for savers without a current passport. The app is functional rather than flashy, a fair description: it does what you need without the fintech polish of Trading 212 or Moneybox. Rated 4.2 out of 5.

Compared to Marcus, Skipton brings the reassurance of a long-established mutual and, periodically, competitive fixed-rate bonds that outperform easy-access rates. For cautious savers who are uncomfortable with newer fintech platforms, Skipton is the most recognisable name on this list and the most likely to feel familiar. Branch access is a genuine differentiator for those who value it.

Yorkshire Building Society is another century-old mutual with a strong savings heritage. Like Skipton, it offers both online account opening and a branch network, although its branches are concentrated in Yorkshire and the north of England. Savings accounts carry no monthly fee and open via the website or app. Identity verification follows standard UK practice: proof of address plus photo ID.

Deposits are protected by the FSCS up to 85,000 GBP per person per bank. Yorkshire Building Society is a separate banking licence from Skipton, so holding money at both gives you double the FSCS coverage if you are saving more than 85,000 GBP. In our testing the fixed-rate bonds available from Yorkshire Building Society were among the more competitive on the market for one- and two-year terms, requiring a minimum deposit that varies by product. Rated 4.2 out of 5.

As a Marcus alternative, Yorkshire Building Society suits the saver who wants a named, established institution rather than a platform or fintech app. Its fixed-rate bonds are worth comparing directly against the Marcus rate at the time you are saving; easy access is available but the building society tends to reserve its sharpest rates for fixed terms. A reliable, straightforward choice for conservative savers.

Raisin UK Savings Marketplace is not a bank itself but a regulated savings platform that connects UK savers with a panel of partner banks, each offering their own fixed-term or easy-access accounts. One registration, one set of identity checks, and you can spread money across multiple FSCS-protected banks without filling in separate application forms for each. The platform is free to use; partner banks pay Raisin a referral fee rather than charging you.

Deposit protection here deserves a careful read. Each partner bank on the Raisin UK platform carries its own FSCS protection of up to 85,000 GBP per person. Because you can hold accounts at several banks simultaneously through Raisin, your total protected amount can exceed 85,000 GBP, which is why Raisin UK lists a combined indicative protection of up to 120,000 GBP across partner institutions, though the per-bank cap always applies. In our testing the marketplace listed competitive fixed-term rates that consistently beat easy-access products, including Marcus. Rated 4.2 out of 5.

Raisin UK is the alternative for savers who want rate maximisation without the admin of managing accounts at five separate banks. If locking money away for one, two or three years suits your plans, the fixed-term options available through the platform regularly beat what Marcus offers on an easy-access basis.

Plum Easy Access Account sits inside the Plum savings and investment app, which also offers stocks-and-shares investing and automated savings rules. The Easy Access account itself is straightforward: no monthly fee, instant withdrawals to your linked bank account, and a competitive rate that Plum adjusts in line with the Bank of England base rate. Opening takes a few minutes inside the Plum app, which is available on iOS and Android.

Deposits in the Plum Easy Access Account are held with a partner bank and protected by the FSCS up to 85,000 GBP per person. Plum itself is an e-money institution authorised by the FCA, and the savings product routes your money to an FSCS-protected institution rather than holding it as safeguarded funds directly. There is no debit card attached to the account; all movement of money happens via app transfer to and from your linked current account. In our testing, withdrawals appeared in our linked bank account within a few hours on a weekday. Rated 4.1 out of 5.

Against Marcus, Plum Easy Access Account competes on rate and convenience. The Plum app's automation features, such as setting aside money based on spending patterns, add genuine utility for savers who struggle to commit a fixed amount each month. It is a particularly good fit for younger savers already using Plum for investments who want to consolidate their financial life in one app.