Savings Account Comparison Tool
Discover over 200 savings products from banks across Ireland and Europe – all in one place. Our comparison tool helps you see where your money could work hardest, so you can make smarter savings choices.
Why Honest
Compare more savings accounts and providers than any other Irish site.
Why Honest
Compare more savings accounts and providers than any other Irish site.
200+
Savings Accounts
40+
Providers
19+
Countries
How Our Comparison Tool Works
First, we gather information on all of the savings products that are available to Irish savers. We show products offered by Irish and European banks, the Irish Government and online investing platforms, among others.
Next, we standardize this information. This makes it easier for you, the saver, to compare the benefits of each account. Don’t worry, nothing slips by us – any sneaky terms and conditions are brought front and center by Honest.
We then assign each product with its Honest Rating. This is a transparency score that we give to each account, taking account of any fees or T&Cs that we feel limit its value. If there are none, we’ll give it 5 stars.
Lastly, we’ll show you how much interest you could earn in year one with each account based on how much you’re looking to deposit.
How to Compare Savings Accounts
When choosing a savings account, keep in mind that different types of accounts come with different benefits:
- Instant Access Accounts: withdraw whenever you want with low or no minimum deposits, perfect for an emergency fund
- Fixed Term Accounts: earn guaranteed interest for those periods where you won’t need access to your savings
- Notice Accounts: promote healthy spending habits and earn interest with a semi-accessible account
- Children’s Accounts: teach your kids the difference between saving and spending while earning interest
- State Savings Accounts: earn tax-free interest backed by a government guarantee
- Credit Union Accounts: give back to your community and access special benefits with instant access to your savings
- Money Market Funds: earn competitive interest rates with instant access to your funds with these highly regulated and secure investments
Table of Contents:
Written by:
Dan Malone
What to Look for When Choosing a Savings Account
Here are some key factors to look out for when comparing savings accounts using our product comparison tool:
Variable interest rates can be increased or decreased at the bank’s discretion. The interest that you’ll receive in a year is not guaranteed and could rise or fall.
Fixed interest rates cannot be changed by the bank until the end of the fixed term. This provides you with guaranteed interest for a period of time.
Most accounts fall into one of three categories when it comes to how easy is will be to access your money after depositing:
- Instant Access: you can withdraw your money whenever you want
- Notice Access: you can withdraw your money after giving an agreed amount of notice
- No Access: you can’t withdraw your money for an agreed period of time
Every savings account with come with a minimum and maximum deposit amount:
- Minimum deposit: the smallest amount you can save in one go, ideally as close to €1 as possible
- Maximum deposit: the most you can save in the account, ideally as close to €100,000 as possible
Be aware of any caps like maximum monthly deposits that significantly limit how much you can deposit into an account each month. These accounts may not be suitable for individuals with large lump sums, even if they have a high advertised AER.
Any fees or charges attached to a savings account, directly or indirectly, will reduce your returns. The best savings accounts do not usually come at a cost to the saver.
Some, but not all European savings accounts will take foreign tax from your interest. Don’t worry, you’ll usually get a credit for this against your Irish tax. If you have the choice between two identical accounts, but one had foreign tax, you would likely choose the account without the tax to keep things simple.
Setting Your Savings Goals
Setting clear savings goals can help you save for a home, retirement, or an emergency fund. Achievable goals keep you on course. Make time for your savings, and note your progress regularly. If you fall behind, no problem, we’re here to get you back on track whenever you’re ready.
Remember, you don’t have to keep all of your eggs in one basket. Using a mixture of different account types and providers can be one of the best ways to save. It gives you greater flexibility and control over your money. Plus, you get extra deposit insurance when it’s available.
Emergency funds should go into instantly accessible high-yield savings accounts. Long-term cash can benefit from the guaranteed return of fixed-term savings accounts.
Comparison Tool Frequently Asked Questions
The Honest Rating is our internal transparency score that we assign to every product that we cover. It’s a 5 star system. Accounts that have fees or complicated T&Cs lose stars. Accounts that don’t, won’t.
We make every effort to ensure that all of the rates shown in the product comparison tool are correct and up to date. That said, when a bank changes the interest rate on a product, the old rate might show for a short time before we update it. As we grow, rate changes will become automatic.
While the end goal is to include as many savings accounts as possible, we’ve prioritised the most competitive and popular accounts for now. This ensures you can compare the best options in the market right now!
In the meantime, we’re hard at work adding more accounts to the tool, including the ones that aren’t the most competitive in the market.
We do this to increase comparability. Our tool covers many account types, including instant access and fixed accounts with multi-year terms. Comparing one year of interest allows you to see the difference in annual earnings between them – ensuring you get a more apples-to-apples comparison.
Absolutely! Head over to our savings calculator where you’ll be able to simulate how much interest you could earn with different deposit amounts, interest rates, and time periods.
Honest is a community-first platform that strives to provide the most reliable, transparent and updated information on savings accounts in Ireland. We welcome any and all feedback from our users.
If you think we’ve made a mistake or missed the mark in any of the information displayed in the comparison tool, please reach out to us using the contact information on the site.
We’d be delighted to hear from you!
