Ally Bank vs Varo Money
High-Yield Savings Accounts Comparison
Last Updated: September 18, 2025
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Summary of Ally Bank vs. Varo Bank
As of September 18, 2025 Ally Bank offers an APY of 3.50% for its Savings Account, with a minimum balance of $0, compared to Varo Bank's 5.00% APY for its High-Yield Savings Account, with a minimum balance of $0.01.
Varo Bank yields $25 more than Ally Bank on a $10,000 balance after one year. Ally Bank pays $350, while Varo Bank pays $375 (with an effective APY of 3.75%) - an APY advantage for Varo Bank.
Ally Bank
Strengths
- Ally Bank offers a competitive APY of 3.50%, unchanged from 30 days ago.
- No direct deposit requirement for Ally Bank's Savings Account.
- Ally Bank has a strong BBB rating of A+.
Potential Drawbacks
- Ally Bank has no physical branches.
- Lower APY compared to Varo Bank's high-yield savings account.
- Ally Bank's App Store rating is lower than Varo Bank's.
Varo Bank
Strengths
- Varo Bank's High-Yield Savings Account offers a high APY of 5.00%, consistent over the past month.
- Varo Bank has a higher App Store rating of 4.9.
- Varo Bank is BBB Accredited with an A- rating.
Potential Drawbacks
- Varo Bank requires a minimum direct deposit of $1,000/month to earn the highest APY.
- Varo Bank offers a lower APY of 2.50% on amounts over $5,000.
- Varo Bank has no physical branches.
Summary: Ally Bank provides a stable APY of 3.50% without a direct deposit requirement and an A+ BBB rating. In contrast, Varo Bank offers a higher APY of 5.00% but mandates a $1,000 monthly direct deposit to achieve it. Varo Bank also has a slightly better App Store rating and is BBB Accredited, but it has no branches like Ally Bank.
Compare Ally Bank's vs Varo Bank's Savings Accounts
| Ally Bank | Varo Bank | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Product | Savings Account | vs | High-Yield Savings Account |
| APY | 3.50% (as of 9/18/2025) | 2.50% - 5.00% (as of 9/18/2025) | |
| Bundled Account | No | No | |
| FDIC-insured | Yes | Yes | |
| Online Only | Yes | Yes | |
| Compound Frequency | Daily | Daily | |
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $0 | |
| Minimum Balance for APY | $0 | $0.01 | |
| Maintenance Fee | $0 | $0 | |
| Direct Deposit Required | No | Yes. Min. $1,000/month | |
| Note | Earn 5.00% APY on up to $5,000 and 2.50% APY on the rest. Direct deposit required. | ||
| App Store Rating | 4.7/5 | 4.9/5 | |
| Google Play Rating | 4.4/5 | 4.6/5 | |
| BBB Rating | A+ | A- |
Comparative Historical APY Insights (Last 8 Months)
| Ally Bank | Varo Bank | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Product | Savings Account | vs | High-Yield Savings Account |
| Latest APY | 3.50 % | 5.00 % | |
| Trend | Sideways | Sideways | |
| Slope (bps/mo) | -3.8 | 0.0 | |
| Rate Changes / Mo | 0.39 | 0.00 | |
| Days Since Last Change | 92 | 232 | |
| High (-8 m) | 3.80 % | 5.00 % | |
| Low (-8 m) | 3.50 % | 5.00 % | |
| Draw-down from High | -7.9 % | 0.0 % | |
| Volatility (CV) | 0.026 | 0.000 |
APY Insights Glossary
- Latest APY
- Most recent advertised annual-percentage yield.
- Trend
- Direction over the last 8 months (regression slope).
- Slope (bps/mo)
- Average monthly change; 10 bps = 0.10 pp.
- Rate Changes / Mo
- Typical number of APY moves per month.
- Days Since Last Change
- Recency of the latest APY adjustment.
- High (-8 m)
- Highest APY in the last 233 days.
- Low (-8 m)
- Lowest APY in the last 233 days.
- Draw-down from High
- How far today sits below the 8-month peak.
- Volatility (CV)
- Coefficient of variation = stdev ÷ mean.
Why Track Savings-Account APYs?
- See how quickly a bank reacts to Fed moves or competition.
- Gauge “twitchiness” - frequent moves can annoy savers.
- Spot if you're buying near a peak (draw-down) or riding a rise.
- Slope (bps/mo) shows speed of change.
- Volatility (CV) scales jumps by average level.
Calculate Savings Growth for Ally Bank vs Varo Bank
All calculations are based on APY.
Ally Bank
APY: 3.50%
Total savings breakdown:
- Interest earned: $2,114.1 (10.51%)
- Total contributions: $13,000 (64.63%)
- Initial deposit: $5,000 (24.86%)
Your total balance
$20,114.10
Effective APY: 3.50% (based on your deposit and contributions)
Total balance: $20,114.1
Earnings: $2,114.1
Bank OverviewVaro Bank
APY: 5.00%
ℹ️You earn 5.00% on the first $5,000 and 2.50% on the rest.
Total savings breakdown:
- Interest earned: $2,211.4 (10.94%)
- Total contributions: $13,000 (64.32%)
- Initial deposit: $5,000 (24.74%)
Your total balance
$20,211.40
Effective APY: 3.65% (based on your deposit and contributions)
Total balance: $20,211.4
Earnings: $2,211.4
Bank OverviewWith a $5,000 initial deposit and $13,000 in total contributions over 5 years, Ally Bank's total earnings would be $97.3 lower than Varo Bank's total earnings.
The Banksparency Savings Calculator provides estimated savings growth based on user input and our latest data.
More Comparisons
Compare Ally Bank's APY of 3.50% with other banks
| Bank Pair | Competitor APY | Min Deposit |
|---|---|---|
| Ally Bank vs American Express | 3.50% | $0 |
| Ally Bank vs Axos Bank | 4.46% | $0 |
| Ally Bank vs Bank of America | 0.01% | $100 |
| Ally Bank vs Barclays | 4.10% | $0 |
| Ally Bank vs BrioDirect | 4.30% | $5,000 |
| Ally Bank vs Capital One | 3.50% | $0 |
| Ally Bank vs Chase Bank | 0.01% | $0 |
| Ally Bank vs Chime | 3.75% | $0 |
| Ally Bank vs CIT Bank | 4.00% | $100 |
| Ally Bank vs Discover Bank | 3.50% | $0 |
| Ally Bank vs Elevault | 4.60% | $0 |
| Ally Bank vs EverBank | 4.30% | $0 |
| Ally Bank vs Fitness Bank | 4.75% | $100 |
| Ally Bank vs FVCbank | 4.35% | $500 |
| Ally Bank vs GO2bank | 4.50% | $0 |
| Ally Bank vs Marcus by Goldman Sachs | 3.65% | $0 |
| Ally Bank vs Neighbors Bank | 4.60% | $0 |
| Ally Bank vs Newtek Bank | 4.35% | $0 |
| Ally Bank vs Peak Bank | 4.35% | $100 |
| Ally Bank vs Pibank | 4.60% | $0 |
| Ally Bank vs Presidential Bank | 4.50% | $5,000 |
| Ally Bank vs Santander Bank | 0.03% | $25 |
| Ally Bank vs SoFi Bank | 4.50% | $0 |
| Ally Bank vs Synchrony Bank | 3.80% | $0 |
| Ally Bank vs TIMBR | 4.40% | $1,000 |
| Ally Bank vs UFB Direct | 4.10% | $5000 |
| Ally Bank vs Wells Fargo | 2.51% | $25 |
| Ally Bank vs Zynlo Bank | 4.35% | $10 |
Compare Varo Bank's APY of 5.00% with other banks
| Bank Pair | Competitor APY | Min Deposit |
|---|---|---|
| Varo Bank vs American Express | 3.50% | $0 |
| Varo Bank vs Axos Bank | 4.46% | $0 |
| Varo Bank vs Bank of America | 0.01% | $100 |
| Varo Bank vs Barclays | 4.10% | $0 |
| Varo Bank vs BrioDirect | 4.30% | $5,000 |
| Varo Bank vs Capital One | 3.50% | $0 |
| Varo Bank vs Chase Bank | 0.01% | $0 |
| Varo Bank vs Chime | 3.75% | $0 |
| Varo Bank vs CIT Bank | 4.00% | $100 |
| Varo Bank vs Discover Bank | 3.50% | $0 |
| Varo Bank vs Elevault | 4.60% | $0 |
| Varo Bank vs EverBank | 4.30% | $0 |
| Varo Bank vs Fitness Bank | 4.75% | $100 |
| Varo Bank vs FVCbank | 4.35% | $500 |
| Varo Bank vs GO2bank | 4.50% | $0 |
| Varo Bank vs Marcus by Goldman Sachs | 3.65% | $0 |
| Varo Bank vs Neighbors Bank | 4.60% | $0 |
| Varo Bank vs Newtek Bank | 4.35% | $0 |
| Varo Bank vs Peak Bank | 4.35% | $100 |
| Varo Bank vs Pibank | 4.60% | $0 |
| Varo Bank vs Presidential Bank | 4.50% | $5,000 |
| Varo Bank vs Santander Bank | 0.03% | $25 |
| Varo Bank vs SoFi Bank | 4.50% | $0 |
| Varo Bank vs Synchrony Bank | 3.80% | $0 |
| Varo Bank vs TIMBR | 4.40% | $1,000 |
| Varo Bank vs UFB Direct | 4.10% | $5000 |
| Varo Bank vs Wells Fargo | 2.51% | $25 |
| Varo Bank vs Zynlo Bank | 4.35% | $10 |