Capital One vs. Wells Fargo [2025]: Which Bank Is Best?

Compare Capital One vs. Wells Fargo

	Capital One	Wells Fargo
Year founded	1994	1852
Best for	Earning more interest, saving on fees, and family banking	In-person banking, second-chance banking, and accessing more services
Number of U.S. branches	265	4,191
Number of states with in-person locations	Nine	40
Number of fee-free ATMs	70,000+	11,000+
Products offered	Checking accounts Savings accounts Certificates of deposit (CDs) Kids banking accounts Credit cards (32) Auto loans Small business services Commercial banking services	Checking accounts Savings accounts CDs Credit cards (14) Home loans Personal loans Auto loans Retirement accounts Brokerage accounts Wealth management services Small business services Commercial banking services Corporate and investment banking services
FDIC Certificate	Capital One, National Association (#4297)	Wells Fargo Bank, National Association (#3511)
	Learn more	Learn more

Capital One vs. Wells Fargo: Checking accounts

4.9

FinanceBuzz writers and editors score products and companies on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence our ratings.

2025 award winner Best Overall Checking Account

CapitalOne 360 Checking — Earn a $250 bonus

Earn a $250 bonus with fee-free 360 Checking. No fees, no minimums, no overdraft fees. Terms Apply.² <p>1. Open a 360 Checking account on or after August 22, 2024, using promotional code CHECKING250. 2. Set up and receive at least 2 Qualifying Direct Deposits each of $500 or more to your 360 Checking account within 75 days of account opening. 3. Capital One will deposit the bonus into your account after the first two requirements listed above are completed. See full offer details and when the bonus will be posted at <a href="https://www.capitalone.com/bank/checking250/affiliate/">https://www.capitalone.com/bank/checking250/affiliate/</a>.</p>

Learn More

Which bank should you choose for checking?

When you should choose Capital One

You want low fees and minimums

Capital One's 360 Checking is a solid choice if you want an easy-to-use checking account with little to no fees and no minimum account balance or opening deposit requirements. Wells Fargo has more checking accounts to choose from, but they all have minimum opening deposit requirements and come with monthly fees.

Fees can be waived, though, if you meet the requirements, which could include performing certain actions, such as having $500 or more in qualifying direct deposits or a $500 minimum daily balance on the Everyday Checking account. But you don't have to worry about a monthly service fee at all with the Capital One 360 Checking account.

Visit Capital One | Check out our Capital One 360 review.

You're interested in family banking

Between Capital One and many other big banks, including Wells Fargo, you're better off going with Capital One for family banking. This is because Capital One stands out from other institutions for offering bank accounts specifically for kids and teens. 

Its widely praised MONEY Teen Checking account is available to kids over the age of eight, and it includes kids' debit cards and money management features such as the ability to earn allowance, create savings goals, track spending, make cash deposits, and more. It doesn't offer the level of parental control some kids' banking platforms provide, but it has long been one of the best options on the market for joint banking with a child without paying subscription fees.

On the savings side, Capital One offers Kids Savings Accounts. These earn 2.50% (as of 10/14/25) APY, which isn't too impressive when you consider all high-yield savings accounts, but is competitive across savings accounts for kids (which are, unfortunately, few and far between). 

When you should choose Wells Fargo

You want second-chance banking

Though Capital One has the best interest rates and no fees, you might choose Wells Fargo if you need a second-chance bank account.

Years ago, I got into a tough spot and was having trouble opening a checking account. I was sure Wells Fargo would reject my application, too, but instead, I was able to open what is now the Clear Access checking account. Eventually, I was able to convert that to an Everyday Checking account that I still use today.

Check out our Wells Fargo banking review.

You want to bank in person

There's also something to be said for being able to walk into a branch and deposit cash or ask an actual human questions. Both Capital One and Wells Fargo are technically brick-and-mortar banks with in-person locations, but Wells Fargo has a significantly larger footprint.

However, the 360 Checking account strikes a better balance between interest rates and minimal fees. Overall, if you don't care about branch access, or if you live in an area with Capital One locations, I would choose Capital One over Wells Fargo.

Capital One vs. Wells Fargo: Savings

Why Capital One is better for saving

Savings accounts and certificates of deposit (CDs) are designed to park your funds in low-risk, FDIC-insured environments, and both the Capital One and Wells Fargo products accomplish that. But the Capital One accounts simply provide better benefits, including higher APYs and no minimum deposits.

You might want to go with Wells Fargo's savings accounts over Capital One's if you want an account to pair with a Wells Fargo checking account. You can move money easily between the two accounts and get a smidgen more in interest in savings vs. checking.

Overall, you can earn more interest on your savings with the available Capital One savings accounts and CDs. And it's easier to get started because you don't have to put down a minimum amount of money to open an account. In contrast, all the Wells Fargo products have minimum deposit requirements, and the requirements for Wells Fargo CDs could be quite high for some people.

So, unless you have a compelling reason to go with Wells Fargo, Capital One is far and away the better choice for savings and a more accessible choice for CDs, with potentially higher rates depending on the term.

Wells Fargo vs. Capital One credit cards

Both Capital One and Wells Fargo offer useful credit cards that offer a lot of value. But the cards are very different, so it's a bit of an apples-to-oranges comparison. In broad strokes, Capital One has better travel cards, and Wells Fargo has a better balance transfer and flat-rate rewards card.

Wells Fargo credit cards

Wells Fargo credit cards generally don't have annual fees and typically provide cell phone protection. Many of them also provide intro APR offers, which could be helpful if you want to do a balance transfer and avoid interest charges for a certain period of time.

Two Wells Fargo cards to take a close look at are the Wells Fargo Reflect^® Card(Rates and fees) and the Wells Fargo Active Cash^® Card(Rates and fees). The Reflect has one of the longest balance transfer offer periods I've seen — 0% intro APR for 21 months from account opening on qualifying balance transfers (then 17.74%, 24.24%, or 28.49% Variable); 5%, min: $5 balance transfer fee.

The Active Cash has a high rewards rate for a flat-rate cash back card. You can earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases.

Capital One credit cards

Capital One credit cards offer a lot more variety, including some excellent travel credit cards. I'm a fan of the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, which offers luxury perks at a reasonable annual fee compared to other luxury cards — $395.

The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card offers excellent rewards and perks for a lower annual fee of $95.

Why you should choose Wells Fargo if you need other financial products

If you're looking to have your financial life with one bank, you'll want to go with Wells Fargo. It provides more banking products and services than Capital One.

Both banks offer credit cards, checking accounts, savings accounts, CDs, and auto loans. But Wells Fargo also provides home loans, personal loans, retirement accounts, full-service financial advisors, brokerage accounts, and corporate and investment banking solutions.

If you use any of these additional services, it could be helpful to have all your banking needs under one roof. Then you can manage your finances from one location rather than having a credit card with one bank, a home loan with another bank, and a retirement account with a third bank — which is a possible scenario with Capital One because it doesn't provide as many financial services.

FAQs

Bottom line

Wells Fargo is better if you prefer in-person banking locations or want a full-service financial institution for all your banking needs. This is because Wells Fargo has loads more in-person branches and provides services you won't find at Capital One, including home loans and brokerage accounts.

But go with Capital One if you want better interest rates. The interest rates on Wells Fargo checking and savings accounts are generally quite low, especially compared with the higher rates on Capital One 360 accounts. And Capital One 360 Checking doesn't have any monthly service fees to worry about. 

For our recommended banking options, check out our list of the best banks.

Learn More

2025 award winner Best Overall Checking Account

• 
  Earn a $250 bonus with fee-free 360 Checking
• 
  No fees, no minimums, no overdraft fees
• 
  70,000+ fee-free ATMs nationwide
• 
  24/7 mobile banking with our top-rated mobile app
• 
  In-person support at branches and Cafés
• 
  Switch today—open an account in about 5 minutes

VS

Learn More

• 
  One of the largest branch networks of any U.S. bank
• 
  Top-rated and full-featured app
• 
  Free notary service in local branches