ONE Mobile Bank Alternatives: How Zeta Compares

Aditi Shekar
July 20th, 2022 | 11 mins

We know breaks up can be hard. We’ve been there, and we’re here to help in any way we can.

Zeta has gotten a lot of recent interest from ONE users around how our experience works, so we’ve created a guide to help you understand the basics.

If you have any questions, please reach out to us at support@askzeta.com or on Reddit.

Here’s how the Zeta Joint Account experience compares to ONE

First, what you need to know about Zeta

Zeta is a digital-first financial institution focused on couples and families. We offer tools that will help your family thrive. Our flagship product is the Zeta Joint Account. We are also currently in the process of building and refining new features and products (including individual accounts) that you can layer into your Zeta experience to help support even more aspects of your shared financial life. The Zeta Joint Account can sit alongside your other accounts or replace them – it’s up to you.

Now – onto the details…

How Zeta and ONE compare

Features ONE Zeta
Fees and minimums No fees or minimums No minimum balance requirements, no monthly fees, and no overdraft fees. Other fees may apply, which you can read about here
ATM access Access to 55,000+ fee-free AllPoint ATMs Access to 55,000+ fee-free1 AllPoint ATMs
FDIC insurance FDIC-insured up to $250K Zeta’s Joint Account is FDIC-insured up to the standard maximum deposit of $500K
APY Previously, you could earn 1% APY on your Save pocket on a max of $5000 (or $25,000 if you direct deposited your paycheck into your ONE account). Previously, you could also earn 3% on your Auto-Save Pocket – but deposits were restricted to 10% of qualifying income direct deposits (capped at $1,000) per calendar month. Now, the ability to add money to this Auto-Save Pocket is being discontinued. The Save Pocket and the current balance in the Auto-Save Pocket will both earn 3.00% APY We don’t play games at Zeta. You earn the same APY on your entire Zeta account balance (with no limits on the balance). Soon, we’ll launch a much higher APY tier for qualifying direct deposits. The higher APY will apply to your entire balance
Digital wallets Apple Wallet, Google Pay, Samsung Pay Apple Wallet, Google Pay, Samsung Pay
Instant transaction notifications
Multiplayer ONE has removed the ability to share Spend Pockets with other people Zeta is all about multiplayer and collaborative finances. Zeta Joint Accounts are built with two in mind, with more multiplayer products and feature sets to come
In-app messaging ❌ No ability to message your partner or family from within the app Zeta offers in-app messaging to make it easier for you and your partner stay on the same page about your finances and chat about specific transactions, goals, or any financial tasks you need to accomplish
Support messaging Not in-app, requires email We take our role as your financial partner very seriously, and we’ve built out a team of Zeta Concierges to help you with anything that might come up. Need some help with a transfer or want some advice on how to roll over your 401k? Your dedicated Concierge is eager to help. Message them in-app and get a response within 1 business day (usually 1 hour)
Envelope budgeting One’s Pockets are unique accounts with their own account and routing number. Designate funds for different things in each Pocket. Manually assign cards to each pocket to spend from them. New customers can have a maximum of three Pockets. Early customers may keep the number of Pockets they had before ONE's changes, if previously created At Zeta, Goals and Bills are all held within the same Joint Account. Spend however you like and organize your funds within those separate Goals and Bills before, during, or after spending. No need to assign cards to each Goal or Bill. Create unlimited Goals or Bills
Available to Spend In order to reduce the mental math you need to do, we take your whole balance and subtract the funds you have allocated towards Goals and Bills. Whatever’s leftover is Available to Spend! That way, you’re never using money that has already been assigned a job.
Bills ❌ Does not track your bills At Zeta, you can create bills which are sub-accounts dedicated to different bills and expenses you may have. We automatically set aside funds for the bills you’ve told us about, based on your desired cadence. Zeta can even pay those bills for you via check and ACH! We are in the midst of making Bill Reserve much more powerful in the coming weeks. Follow along on Reddit to get those details.
Tagging & Spent From Users need to log into the app to change which Pocket your card spends from before you swipe your card. One’s Pocket Protector feature is being discontinued Swipe, spend, pay whenever, however you want! Come back to the app to assign those transactions to your sub-accounts later, as desired. We’ll automatically pull money from the right bucket to cover that transaction
Smart Rules When you assign a transaction to a goal or bill, we’ll automatically tag future transactions that way — reducing your need to stay on top of every little detail
Virtual cards A virtual card per Pocket, which are capped at three Each Zeta Joint Account comes with two virtual cards and two physical cards. Use them to spend from any Goal or Bill. Soon, we’ll give you the opportunity to have more than two for your account
Pay someone Pay someone via ACH and check. These features have been temporarily discontinued Pay someone via ACH, as well as check and wires (cashier’s checks and checkbooks coming soon). We also offer the ability to make recurring payments via ACH and check as needed, like for a dog walker, babysitter, or rent
Spending trackers Spend trackers let you set a monthly budget for a specific category and track how you and your partner are doing against that together
Customer Advisory Board (CAB) Zeta’s CAB is a space for a group of highly-engaged customers to share feedback, suggest feature enhancements, and help us better serve families, with a direct line to Team Zeta, including the CEO and Product Manager

PLUS: New features and products coming to Zeta

New account types

  • Individual accounts: In the fall, we will be releasing Zeta Individual Accounts. They will be available to folks who have Zeta Joint Accounts and wish to maintain a separate, dedicated account. You’ll be able to easily and quickly transfer between the two accounts when you need to.
  • Family accounts: Later in 2022, we’ll start offering accounts that can have 3 or more owners. In a poly relationship? Need to share an account with your siblings? Want to open an account with your college-age child and your partner? Family accounts are for you.
  • Kids accounts: We’re looking to roll out dedicated kids accounts for those under 18.

And so much more

  • More rewards: We want to wear our hearts on our sleeves and make a deeper commitment to the users who are making a deep commitment to us. Starting soon, when you direct deposit into your Zeta Joint Account, you’ll start unlocking additional features – including a higher APY!
  • Premium products that layer onto the incredible free, base experience you get with Zeta. Launching first will be Cards+, which will include more virtual cards to manage subscriptions, as well as companion cards to share with a teen or a caretaker.
  • Early direct deposit is coming later in 2022.
  • We’re looking into providing credit products and options in the future.

Check out our roadmap to see which features & products we have coming down the pike!

In conclusion

We’re so much more than a fintech or a joint bank account product. Zeta’s goal is to be your financial ally that’s here to help you win at life. We know how stressful money can be to think about and manage, and the second you bring money into your relationship or family bubble, it can get even harder. Our products and feature set are built with love and dedication to make your lives and relationships easier and more successful.

If you have big feelings about love, life, and money (we certainly do!), then we encourage you to consider applying to Zeta’s Customer Advisory Board after you open your Zeta account. Advisory Board members have a direct line to Team Zeta, including our CEO and Product Manager. We want to talk to you directly about what you’re looking for out of a shared finance experience and how Zeta can evolve to support you in your lives.

With love,

Team Zeta

Have more questions? Follow the discussion on Reddit or drop us a note at support@askzeta.com.

1Out-of-Network ATM cash withdrawal fees apply. Third-party and cash deposit fees may apply.

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1Zeta is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services provided by Piermont Bank; Member FDIC. All deposit accounts of the same ownership and/or vesting held at the issuing bank are combined and insured under an FDIC Certificate of $250,000 per depositor. The Zeta Mastercard® Debit Card is issued by Piermont Bank, Member FDIC, pursuant to license by Mastercard International Incorporated and can be used everywhere Mastercard is accepted.

2Zeta Annual Percentage Yield (APY) is effective as of 05/01/2023, for customers who qualify for VIP status. Minimum amount to open an account is $0.00. Minimum balance to earn the APY is $0.01. Interest rates are as follows: 2.20% APY applies to the entire balance for customers who qualify for VIP status. Interest rates may change after the account is opened. Fees may reduce earnings.