High-Yield Savings Account Comparison

BMO Alto vs. Citizens Access™

Compare rates, requirements, and features side-by-side to find the best option for you.

Analysis by Aviel Fahl
Updated January 7, 2026
Comparison of BMO Alto vs Citizens Access™ savings accounts
Metric

BMO Alto

Savings Account

Jan 7, 2026

Citizens Access™

Citizens Access® Savings

Jan 6, 2026
APY3.25%3.15%
Est. Earnings
$5,000+$163
$10,000+$325
$25,000+$813
$5,000+$158
$10,000+$315
$25,000+$788
Min Deposit
$0$0.01

Snapshot view. Rates subject to change.

Features
FDIC InsuredNo Minimums
FDIC InsuredNo MinimumsGreat iOS AppGreat Android App

Market Reality Check

Both of these banks offer rates below the current top tier. The best rates we track are currently above 4.21% APY.

See Top Rates

Comparison Analysis

Comparing BMO Alto vs. Citizens Access™

Updated: Jan 7, 2026

As of BMO Alto offers an APY of 3.25% for its Savings Account, with a minimum balance of $0, compared to Citizens Access™'s 3.15% APY for its Citizens Access® Savings account, with a minimum balance of $0.01.

BMO Alto pays $10 more than Citizens Access™ on a $10,000 balance after one year. BMO Alto pays $325, while Citizens Access™ pays $315 - an APY advantage for BMO Alto.

Why BMO Alto?

No distinct advantages found vs Citizens Access™.

Why Citizens Access™?

  • Higher rated iOS app (4.8 vs 0.0)
  • Higher rated Android app (4.9 vs 0.0)

— Key Feature Differences —

Best Mobile App Experience
Citizens Access™

Citizens Access™ offers an iOS app rated 4.8 (vs. 0.0) and Android app rated 4.9 (vs. 0.0)

Shared Benefits

Both offer monthly maintenance-free account options Available Nationwide Available to New & Existing Customers
The Bottom Line on APY (Interest Only)

Over a 1-year period, BMO Alto's Savings Account pays $10 more interest on a $10,000 balance than Citizens Access™'s Citizens Access® Savings.

*This calculation assumes current rates remain consistent for 1 year and does not include temporary bonuses.

Citizens Access™BMO Alto

Executive Summary as of

BMO Alto offers a competitive online-only Savings Account with a high APY of 3.25%, making it the leading option between the two banks. Citizens Access™ follows closely with its Citizens Access® Savings account, which provides an APY of 3.15%. Both accounts have no minimum deposit or balance requirements and no maintenance fees. While BMO Alto does not require direct deposit, Citizens Access™ is noted for its excellent mobile app experience, with high ratings on both iOS and Android. Overall, BMO Alto stands out with a slightly higher APY.

The analysis is based on current Banksparency database records

* This content is provided for informational purposes only; always verify details with the provider.

Verify At
BMO Alto

Non-sponsored link to official site

Verify At
Citizens Access™

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Top Market Contenders

BMO Alto vs. Citizens Access™ Savings Calculator

Calculations based on current APY for Savings Account and Citizens Access® Savings
$
$

You earn $10 more with BMO Alto than Citizens Access™ on a $10,000 initial deposit for 1 year*.

*This calculation assumes that APYs remain unchanged for 1 year, and takes into account known promo rate periods, but does not factor in bonuses. You can see how often these banks have changed their rates in the Compare Savings Rates Over Time section below.

BMO Alto

Savings Account

3.25% APY

Savings Breakdown

  • Interest Earned
    +$325.00(3.1%)
  • Total Contributions
    $0
  • Initial Deposit
    $10,000

Projected Balance

$10,325.00

Effective APY
3.25%

Citizens Access™

Citizens Access® Savings

3.15% APY

Savings Breakdown

  • Interest Earned
    +$315.00(3.1%)
  • Total Contributions
    $0
  • Initial Deposit
    $10,000

Projected Balance

$10,315.00

Effective APY
3.15%

The Banksparency Savings Calculator provides estimated savings growth based on user input and our latest data.

FeatureBMO AltoCitizens Access™
APY
3.25%
Verified: 1/7/2026
Stable (90d)
3.15%
Verified: 1/6/2026
↘︎ 0.35%90d Change
Product NameSavings AccountCitizens Access® Savings
Minimum Deposit$0$0.01
Min. Balance for APY$0$0.01
Monthly Fee$0$0
Branch AccessNoneNone
Account Type
Online Only
Online Only
Direct Deposit Req.NoneNone
Checking BundleNoNo
Mobile Apps
iOS-
Android-
iOS4.8
Android4.9
Zelle® Support
Not Supported
Not Supported
BBB RatingA+A+
Next Steps
Visit Site

Non-sponsored link to official site

Visit Site

Non-sponsored link to official site

📈 Compare Savings Rates Over Time

Historical Performance

Last 11 Months Analysis
MetricBMO AltoCitizens Access™
Savings AccountCitizens Access® Savings
Current APY
3.25%3.15%
Trend
Stable Stable
Velocity (bps/mo)
-6.4-4.8
Days Since Change
11028
11-Month High
4.10%3.70%
11-Month Low
3.25%3.15%
Adjustments / Mo
0.440.26
Volatility Score
0.0670.052
How to read these metrics(Click to expand)

Trends & Velocity

  • Trend: The general direction of the rate over the analyzed period. Useful for spotting if a bank is currently aggressive or pulling back.
  • Velocity (bps/mo): Speed of change. A high positive number means they raise rates quickly. 10 bps = 0.10%.
  • Adjustments/Mo: "Twitchiness." High frequency means the rate changes constantly; low frequency means it's stable.

Risk & Range

  • High/Low: The absolute ceiling and floor of the rate during the 344-day window.
  • Volatility Score: Lower is better for predictability. It indicates how wildly the rate swings relative to its average.
  • Days Since Change: If this number is high (e.g., >90), the rate is very sticky. If low, it changed recently.

More Comparisons

Compare BMO Alto's APY of 3.25% with other banks
Bank PairCompetitor APYMin Deposit
BMO Alto vs Affirm3.20%$0
BMO Alto vs Ally Bank3.30%$0
BMO Alto vs American Express3.30%$0
BMO Alto vs Axos Bank4.31%$0
BMO Alto vs Bank of America0.01%$100
BMO Alto vs Barclays4.00%$0
BMO Alto vs Bask Bank3.75%$0
BMO Alto vs Betterment3.25%$10
BMO Alto vs Bread Savings4.05%$100
BMO Alto vs BrioDirect3.75%$5,000
BMO Alto vs Capital One3.40%$0
BMO Alto vs Carver Bank4.00%$5,000
BMO Alto vs Charles Schwab Bank0.15%$0
BMO Alto vs Chase Bank0.01%$0
BMO Alto vs Chime3.50%$0
BMO Alto vs CIT Bank3.75%$100
BMO Alto vs Citibank3.30%$0
BMO Alto vs Climate First Bank4.21%$50
BMO Alto vs Colorado Federal Savings Bank4.05%$50,000
BMO Alto vs Discover Bank3.40%$0
BMO Alto vs E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley3.50%$0
BMO Alto vs Elevault3.82%$0
BMO Alto vs EverBank3.90%$0
BMO Alto vs Fitness Bank4.75%$100
BMO Alto vs FNBO Direct3.00%$1
BMO Alto vs Forbright Bank4.00%$0
BMO Alto vs FVCbank3.85%$500
BMO Alto vs GO2bank4.50%$0
BMO Alto vs Ivy Bank4.10%$2,500
BMO Alto vs Jenius Bank4.05%$0
BMO Alto vs LendingClub4.00%$0
BMO Alto vs Marcus by Goldman Sachs3.65%$0
BMO Alto vs MutualOne Bank4.07%$20,000
BMO Alto vs My Banking Direct4.02%$500
BMO Alto vs Neighbors Bank4.30%$0
BMO Alto vs Newtek Bank4.35%$0.01
BMO Alto vs Openbank4.20%$500
BMO Alto vs Peak Bank3.99%$100
BMO Alto vs Pibank4.60%$0
BMO Alto vs PNC3.30%$0
BMO Alto vs Popular Direct3.90%$100
BMO Alto vs Presidential Bank3.75%$5,000
BMO Alto vs Quontic Bank3.50%$100
BMO Alto vs Salem Five Direct3.61%$10
BMO Alto vs Sallie Mae Bank3.90%$0
BMO Alto vs Santander Bank0.01%$25
BMO Alto vs SoFi Bank4.00%$0
BMO Alto vs Synchrony Bank3.65%$0
BMO Alto vs TD Bank2.60%$0
BMO Alto vs TIMBR4.40%$1,000
BMO Alto vs UFB Direct3.46%$5000
BMO Alto vs Upgrade3.05%$0
BMO Alto vs Valley Direct4.00%$1,000
BMO Alto vs Varo Bank5.00%$0
BMO Alto vs Vio Bank4.09%$100
BMO Alto vs Wealthfront3.90%$0
BMO Alto vs Wells Fargo0.05%$25
BMO Alto vs Zynlo Bank3.85%$10
Compare Citizens Access™'s APY of 3.15% with other banks
Bank PairCompetitor APYMin Deposit
Citizens Access™ vs Affirm3.20%$0
Citizens Access™ vs Ally Bank3.30%$0
Citizens Access™ vs American Express3.30%$0
Citizens Access™ vs Axos Bank4.31%$0
Citizens Access™ vs Bank of America0.01%$100
Citizens Access™ vs Barclays4.00%$0
Citizens Access™ vs Bask Bank3.75%$0
Citizens Access™ vs Betterment3.25%$10
Citizens Access™ vs Bread Savings4.05%$100
Citizens Access™ vs BrioDirect3.75%$5,000
Citizens Access™ vs Capital One3.40%$0
Citizens Access™ vs Carver Bank4.00%$5,000
Citizens Access™ vs Charles Schwab Bank0.15%$0
Citizens Access™ vs Chase Bank0.01%$0
Citizens Access™ vs Chime3.50%$0
Citizens Access™ vs CIT Bank3.75%$100
Citizens Access™ vs Citibank3.30%$0
Citizens Access™ vs Climate First Bank4.21%$50
Citizens Access™ vs Colorado Federal Savings Bank4.05%$50,000
Citizens Access™ vs Discover Bank3.40%$0
Citizens Access™ vs E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley3.50%$0
Citizens Access™ vs Elevault3.82%$0
Citizens Access™ vs EverBank3.90%$0
Citizens Access™ vs Fitness Bank4.75%$100
Citizens Access™ vs FNBO Direct3.00%$1
Citizens Access™ vs Forbright Bank4.00%$0
Citizens Access™ vs FVCbank3.85%$500
Citizens Access™ vs GO2bank4.50%$0
Citizens Access™ vs Ivy Bank4.10%$2,500
Citizens Access™ vs Jenius Bank4.05%$0
Citizens Access™ vs LendingClub4.00%$0
Citizens Access™ vs Marcus by Goldman Sachs3.65%$0
Citizens Access™ vs MutualOne Bank4.07%$20,000
Citizens Access™ vs My Banking Direct4.02%$500
Citizens Access™ vs Neighbors Bank4.30%$0
Citizens Access™ vs Newtek Bank4.35%$0.01
Citizens Access™ vs Openbank4.20%$500
Citizens Access™ vs Peak Bank3.99%$100
Citizens Access™ vs Pibank4.60%$0
Citizens Access™ vs PNC3.30%$0
Citizens Access™ vs Popular Direct3.90%$100
Citizens Access™ vs Presidential Bank3.75%$5,000
Citizens Access™ vs Quontic Bank3.50%$100
Citizens Access™ vs Salem Five Direct3.61%$10
Citizens Access™ vs Sallie Mae Bank3.90%$0
Citizens Access™ vs Santander Bank0.01%$25
Citizens Access™ vs SoFi Bank4.00%$0
Citizens Access™ vs Synchrony Bank3.65%$0
Citizens Access™ vs TD Bank2.60%$0
Citizens Access™ vs TIMBR4.40%$1,000
Citizens Access™ vs UFB Direct3.46%$5000
Citizens Access™ vs Upgrade3.05%$0
Citizens Access™ vs Valley Direct4.00%$1,000
Citizens Access™ vs Varo Bank5.00%$0
Citizens Access™ vs Vio Bank4.09%$100
Citizens Access™ vs Wealthfront3.90%$0
Citizens Access™ vs Wells Fargo0.05%$25
Citizens Access™ vs Zynlo Bank3.85%$10