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Bottom line: Chime is a simple banking app that's great for beginners, while SoFi® offers a higher APY on its savings account and more financial products.
SoFi® is a fintech company that was founded in 2011 by a group of Stanford business students. It initially focused on student loan refinancing, but quickly expanded into personal loans and mortgages. In 2019, it entered the banking space with the launch of SoFi® Money and started offering brokerage services with the debut of SoFi Invest®.
Founded in 2012, Chime is a fintech company that offers online banking services. Unlike traditional banks that charge customers a bevy of fees, Chime makes its money primarily through interchange fees that merchants pay (sometimes called swipe fees). Unlike SoFi®, Chime doesn’t have a banking charter. Instead, it provides banking services through two FDIC-member banks, The Bancorp Bank, N.A. and Stride Bank, N.A.
Offer |
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Account |
SoFi Checking and Savings
On SoFi's Secure Website. |
Chime Savings Account
On Chime's Secure Website. |
Rating |
Rating image, 4.50 out of 5 stars.
4.50/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best = Excellent = Good = Fair = Poor |
Rating image, 3.00 out of 5 stars.
3.00/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best = Excellent = Good = Fair = Poor |
APY | up to 4.00%² Rate info You can earn the maximum APY by having Direct Deposit (no minimum amount required) or by making $5,000 or more in Qualifying Deposits every 30 days. See SoFi Checking and Savings rate sheet at: https://www.sofi.com/legal/banking-rate-sheet. | 2.00% |
Min. to earn APY | $0 | $0 |
Next Steps |
Both SoFi® (member FDIC) and Chime offer free savings accounts with no minimum balance requirements. SoFi®'s savings account has a higher APY than Chime: up to 4.00%²² vs. 2.00%. That said, SoFi® requires you to set up direct deposit (or make $5,000 in qualifying deposits) before you start earning that top-tier saving rate.
Neither Chime nor SoFi® offers a stand-alone high-yield savings account; instead, you have to open a checking account first.
Offer |
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Account |
SoFi Checking and Savings
On SoFi's Secure Website. |
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Rating |
Rating image, 4.50 out of 5 stars.
4.50/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best = Excellent = Good = Fair = Poor |
Rating image, 3.50 out of 5 stars.
3.50/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best = Excellent = Good = Fair = Poor |
APY | 0.50% Rate info You can earn the maximum savings APY by having Direct Deposit (no minimum amount required) or by making $5,000 or more in Qualifying Deposits every 30 days. See SoFi Checking and Savings rate sheet at: https://www.sofi.com/legal/banking-rate-sheet. | 0% |
Min. to earn APY | $0 | $0 |
Next Steps |
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Chime and SoFi® offer free checking accounts with debit cards that give you access to the Allpoint ATM network⁵. While these accounts share many features with each other, like early access to direct deposits⁶ and unlimited withdrawals, they differ in one big way: Chime's checking account doesn't earn interest, while SoFi® offers a 0.50% APY.
SoFi® and Chime have another thing in common: Neither offers certificates of deposit (CDs) at this time.
If your goal is to earn interest, SoFi® is the better choice. While Chime offers a 2.00% APY on its savings account, SoFi® offers up to 4.00%². Likewise SoFi® offers 0.50% on its checking account, while Chime doesn't offer any interest.
Make sure you're getting the best account for you by comparing savings rates and promotions. Here are some of our favorite high-yield savings accounts to consider.
Account | APY | Promotion | Next Steps |
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Open Account for American Express® High Yield Savings
On American Express's Secure Website.
Rating image, 4.00 out of 5 stars.
4.00/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best = Excellent = Good = Fair = Poor |
3.80%
Rate info
3.80% annual percentage yield as of December 27, 2024. Terms apply.
Min. to earn: $0
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N/A
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Open Account for American Express® High Yield Savings
On American Express's Secure Website. |
Open Account for SoFi Checking and Savings
On SoFi's Secure Website.
Rating image, 4.50 out of 5 stars.
4.50/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best = Excellent = Good = Fair = Poor |
up to 4.00%²
Rate info
You can earn the maximum APY by having Direct Deposit (no minimum amount required) or by making $5,000 or more in Qualifying Deposits every 30 days. See SoFi Checking and Savings rate sheet at: https://www.sofi.com/legal/banking-rate-sheet.
Min. to earn: $0
|
New customers can earn up to a $300 bonus with qualifying direct deposits!¹
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Open Account for SoFi Checking and Savings
On SoFi's Secure Website. |
Open Account for Capital One 360 Performance Savings
On Capital One's Secure Website.
Rating image, 4.50 out of 5 stars.
4.50/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best = Excellent = Good = Fair = Poor |
3.80%
Rate info
See Capital One website for most up-to-date rates. Advertised Annual Percentage Yield (APY) is variable and accurate as of Dec. 6, 2024. Rates are subject to change at any time before or after account opening.
Min. to earn: $0
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N/A
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Open Account for Capital One 360 Performance Savings
On Capital One's Secure Website. |
Reviews for Chime and SoFi® are a mixed bag. For example, on Trustpilot, SoFi® has an excellent rating, with 4.4 stars from more than 8,900 reviews. Meanwhile, Chime is rated as poor on the same site, with a 2.2 rating based on more than 9,400 reviews. That said, Chime has over 4 stars on its Better Business Bureau profile, while SoFi® has a measly 1.37.
As far as availability goes, Chime might be more convenient. Its customer service team is available 24/7 both through phone and live chat within the app. SoFi®, on the other hand, doesn't always have a representative available to answer questions. While it does have a virtual assistant available 24/7, you'll have to wait to talk to a live representative if you need help outside of those times.
SoFi® | Chime | |
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Customer service availability | Checking and saving customer support available via chat and by phone at 855-456-SOFI from 5 a.m. to 7.p.m. PT Monday–Thursday, and 5 a.m.–5 p.m. PT Friday–Sunday | Customer support available 24/7 via chat and by phone at 844-244-6363 |
Physical branch locations | N/A | N/A |
Both companies have highly rated banking apps with clean interfaces and several tools to help you budget and track expenses.
Both apps let you deposit mobile checks, get direct deposits in advance, and benefit from overdraft protections. They also let you track your credit score, get account alerts for suspicious transactions, and find ATMs near you.
SoFi® | Chime | |
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App Store rating | 4.8/5 stars | 4.8/5 stars |
Google Play rating | 3.8/5 stars | 4.7/5 stars |
The features of SoFi® and Chime largely overlap. They both have online bank accounts, offer checking and saving account hybrids, and have excellent mobile apps with many of the same features. That said, SoFi® offers slightly more financial products (like mortgages and loans) and also has a higher APY on its savings account.
Meanwhile, Chime has better customer reviews for its app, which reflects the immense simplicity and ease that comes with using its mobile banking products.
Our methodology for scoring banks and credit unions revolves around evaluating key aspects such as annual percentage yield (APY), brand reputation, fees and minimum requirements, and additional perks.
These criteria are weighted differently across various account types, ensuring a comprehensive assessment that reflects the competitive landscape and economic conditions.
We strictly feature products that offer federal insurance and high customer satisfaction, keeping our recommendations unbiased by advertiser influence. This robust evaluation process helps us generate balanced, reliable best-of lists that guide consumers to top financial products.
Learn more about how Motley Fool Money rates bank accounts.
SoFi® is an excellent choice for those who want to earn a high APY on their savings and deposits. It's also ideal if you want more than just a deposit account (brokerage, loan, mortgage) and are interested in having all your accounts at one bank.
Chime is ideal for newcomers to the banking world, as its app is easy to use and fairly intuitive.
We're firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers. Motley Fool Money does not cover all offers on the market. Motley Fool Money is 100% owned and operated by The Motley Fool. Our knowledgeable team of personal finance editors and analysts are employed by The Motley Fool and held to the same set of publishing standards and editorial integrity while maintaining professional separation from the analysts and editors on other Motley Fool brands.