Banking Bank Reviews

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

Capital One excels on interest rates and credit cards, but Wells Fargo is better for in-person banking.

By Ben Walker, CEPF, CFEI®

Edited by Melinda Sineriz, ABFP™

Updated Nov. 12, 2025

Full-service banking with no monthly fees or overdraft charges
High ratings for its mobile app and customer satisfaction
Over 70,000 fee-free ATMs
Permits fee-free cash deposits at Walgreens or CVS

Our view

If you judge solely on interest rates, Capital One is the overall better option for banking due to its 3.40% APY¹ <span>A rate of 3.40% Annual Percentage Yield (APY) applies to all account balances. Advertised rates are variable and effective as of 10/01/25. Rates are subject to change at any time before or after account opening.</span> on the Capital One 360 Performance Savings. But Capital One is also better than Wells Fargo for avoiding banking fees and minimums with its popular 360 Checking account, and it's a stronger option for kids banking and select credit cards. The downside to Capital One is its limited product selection and limited number of branches (it has locations in just nine states).

Wells Fargo makes sense if you want access to more in-person locations and a wider variety of banking services, including home loans, personal loans, and retirement accounts. It also has Clear Access banking, a second-chance bank account that is a good fit if you have a spotty banking history. If you value in-person banking or having all your financial accounts under one roof, Wells Fargo is a solid choice.

How we rate products

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)

Capital One vs. Wells Fargo: Checking accounts

	Monthly fees	Account minimum to avoid fees	Minimum opening deposit
Capital One 360 Checking	None	None	None
Capital One MONEY Teen Checking	None	None	None
Wells Fargo Everyday Checking	$10	$500 daily balance	$25
Wells Fargo Prime Checking	$25	$20,000 linked balance	$25
Wells Fargo Premier Checking	$35	$250,000 linked balance	$25
Wells Fargo Clear Access Banking	$5	None	$25

Editor's note

You'll notice we didn't include APYs in this table, and that's because they're not worth talking about. Unfortunately, checking accounts from Wells Fargo and Capital One earn little to no interest, though they can still be worth it. It's not uncommon for checking accounts, especially accounts from big banks, to have very poor or 0% APYs. If lack of interest is a problem for you, check out high-interest checking and rewards checking accounts.

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.

4.3

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5.0

2025 award winner Best Checking and Savings Combo

SoFi Checking & Savings - Earn Up to $300 When You Set Up Direct Deposit

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Capital One vs. Wells Fargo: Savings

	APY	Minimum deposit
Wells Fargo Way2Save	0.01% (as of 11/05/25)	$25
Wells Fargo Platinum Savings	0.01% (as of 11/05/25)	$25
Wells Fargo CDs	1.01%-4.00% (as of 11/05/25)	$2,500
Capital One 360 Performance Savings	3.40%	None
Capital One 360 CDs	3.50%-4.05% (as of 11/04/25)	None
Capital One Kids Savings Account	2.50% (as of 10/14/25)	None

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

Is Capital One 360 better than Wells Fargo?

Yes, Capital One 360 is arguably better than Wells Fargo for many people. Capital One 360 accounts generally have fewer fees and better interest rates than similar Wells Fargo accounts. Wells Fargo checking and savings accounts typically require a minimum opening deposit and have monthly fees. But Capital One 360 checking and savings accounts have no minimum opening deposit and no monthly fees.

Is Capital One bigger than Wells Fargo?

Wells Fargo is bigger than Capital One in terms of the number of branches and asset size. According to data from the Federal Reserve, Wells Fargo is the fourth-largest commercial bank in the U.S. by asset size, with over $1.8 trillion in domestic assets. Capital One, by comparison, has around $648 billion in domestic assets, which makes it the sixth-largest.

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

5.0

2025 award winner Best Checking and Savings Combo

High APY of up to 4.30% on Savings (3.60% APY³ with +0.70% APY Boost) for 6 Months on new accounts with eligible direct deposit. Terms Apply.⁴

Paycheck access up to 2 days early with direct deposit⁹

No monthly maintenance or overdraft fees¹⁰

Streamlined savings and savings goals with Vaults

Access to a large ATM network¹¹

Author Details

Ben Walker, CEPF, CFEI®

Ben Walker, CEPF, CFEI®, is credit cards specialist. For over a decade, he's leveraged credit card points and miles to travel the world. His expertise extends to other areas of personal finance — including loans, insurance, investing, and real estate — and you can find his insights on The Washington Post, Debt.com, Yahoo! Finance, and Fox Business.