Briodirect vs. Varo Money
High-Yield Savings Account Comparison
By Aviel Fahl|Last Updated: October 21, 2025
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Summary of BrioDirect vs. Varo Bank
Key Metrics at a Glance
| Feature | BrioDirect | Varo Bank |
|---|---|---|
| Top Savings APY | 4.20% High-Yield Savings Account | 5.00% High-Yield Savings Account |
| Minimum to Open | $5,000 | $0 |
| Minimum Balance for Top APY | $25 | $0.01 |
| Note | Earn 5.00% APY on up to $5,000 and 2.50% APY on the rest. Direct deposit required. |
BrioDirect
Strengths
- BrioDirect offers a competitive APY of 4.20%, though it decreased from 4.30% last month.
- No maintenance fees for BrioDirect's High-Yield Savings Account.
- BrioDirect has a solid App Store rating of 4.7.
Potential Drawbacks
- BrioDirect has a lower BBB rating of B- and is not BBB accredited.
- Requires a minimum deposit of $5,000 to open an account with BrioDirect.
- BrioDirect does not offer any branches for in-person banking.
Varo Bank
Strengths
- Varo Bank offers a higher APY of 5.00%, stable from last month.
- Varo Bank is BBB accredited with a strong A- rating.
- Varo Bank has a higher App Store rating of 4.9.
Potential Drawbacks
- Varo Bank requires a minimum direct deposit of $1,000/month to earn the highest APY.
- Varo Bank's High-Yield Savings Account has a lower APY of 2.50% for balances over $5,000.
- Varo Bank has no physical branches for banking.
→ As of October 21, 2025 BrioDirect offers an APY of 4.20% for its High-Yield Savings Account, with a minimum balance of $25, compared to Varo Bank's 5.00% APY for its High-Yield Savings Account, with a minimum balance of $0.01.
→ BrioDirect yields $45 more than Varo Bank on a $10,000 balance after one year. BrioDirect pays $420, while Varo Bank pays $375 (with an effective APY of 3.75%) - an APY advantage for BrioDirect.
Calculate Savings Growth for BrioDirect vs Varo Bank
BrioDirect - High-Yield Savings Account
Total savings breakdown:
- Interest earned: $2,564.3 (12.47%)
- Total contributions: $13,000 (63.22%)
- Initial deposit: $5,000 (24.31%)
Your total balance
$20,564.30
Total balance: $20,564.3
Earnings: $2,564.3
Bank OverviewVaro Bank - High-Yield Savings Account
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
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, BrioDirect's total earnings would be $352.9 higher than Varo Bank's total earnings.
The Banksparency Savings Calculator provides estimated savings growth based on user input and our latest data.
Compare BrioDirect's vs Varo Bank's Savings Accounts
| BrioDirect | Varo Bank | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Product | High-Yield Savings Account | vs | High-Yield Savings Account |
| APY | 4.20% (as of 10/21/2025) | 2.50% - 5.00% (as of 10/21/2025) | |
| Bundled Account | No | No | |
| FDIC-insured | Yes | Yes | |
| Online Only | Yes | Yes | |
| Compound Frequency | Daily | Daily | |
| Minimum Deposit | $5,000 | $0 | |
| Minimum Balance for APY | $25 | $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 | 4.3/5 | 4.6/5 | |
| BBB Rating | B- | A- |
Comparative Historical APY Insights (Last 10 Months)
| BrioDirect | Varo Bank | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Product | High-Yield Savings Account | vs | High-Yield Savings Account |
| Latest APY | 4.20 % | 5.00 % | |
| Trend | Sideways | Sideways | |
| Slope (bps/mo) | -4.6 | 0.0 | |
| Rate Changes / Mo | 0.68 | 0.00 | |
| Days Since Last Change | 14 | 306 | |
| High (-10 m) | 4.85 % | 5.00 % | |
| Low (-10 m) | 4.20 % | 5.00 % | |
| Draw-down from High | -13.4 % | 0.0 % | |
| Volatility (CV) | 0.033 | 0.000 |
APY Insights Glossary
- Latest APY
- Most recent advertised annual-percentage yield.
- Trend
- Direction over the last 10 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 (-10 m)
- Highest APY in the last 308 days.
- Low (-10 m)
- Lowest APY in the last 308 days.
- Draw-down from High
- How far today sits below the 10-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.