Finder's best savings accounts for April 2026
- Best bonus savings account rate: ING Savings Maximiser
- Best intro rate savings account: Ubank Save Account
- Best no conditions savings account: Macquarie Savings Account
- Best savings account for large balances: Suncorp Bank Growth Saver Account
- Best Big Four bank savings account: Westpac Life (18-34 year olds only)
- Best kids savings account: Great Southern Bank Youth eSaver Account (0-17 year olds only)
How we choose our top savings account picks
Each month we assess 150+ savings accounts in our databse and assign each a Finder Score out of 10. Our data-driven Finder Score ranks savings accounts based on rates, fees, account conditions and restrictions. Put simply, the savings accounts with the highest Finder Scores allow you to earn the most amount of interest on your money, for the least amount of effort.
Once we get the accounts with the highest scores (8+), we then look at these to select the account that we feel best suits each of the different savings account categories featured above.
In sereral categories the account was chosen as it was a winner in the latest Finder Awards.
How to pick the best savings account
These are the 4 main things to look for when you're choosing a savings account:
1. A high interest rate
The higher the rate, the more interest you can earn. The best savings rates at the moment all start with a 5.
Check if the high interest rate on offer is an ongoing rate available each month, or if it's an intro rate only on offer for a few months. If it's the latter, set yourself a reminder to consider switching accounts after the intro period is over when the rate drops down to the lower, standard rate.
2. Conditions you can easily meet
Most of the best savings rates will require you to deposit a set amount each month (anywhere from $20-$2000) and perhaps also limit withdrawals or make a number of purchases.
Make sure you can comfortably meet the monthly conditions before opening the account. If you can't, you'll only earn the variable base rate which is often very low.
Want a no-hoops savings account?
Compare more savings accounts that have no conditions.
3. Balance limits that suit your savings
Some savings accounts only offer the maximum interest rate on smaller balances up to $10,000, while others are up to $5 million. Depending on the size of your savings balance, make sure that the account you choose pays interest on your entire balance (or at least most of it).
4. A low-fee, linked transaction account
If you're planning to open a transaction account along with your savings account with the same bank (a lot of these are opened as a pair automatically), don't forget to check out the fees and charges for that account too. Because savings accounts don't charge fees, but some transaction accounts do.
"Of course the interest rate is important when choosing a savings account, but I always tell people that the account conditions are just as - if not more - important. There's no point choosing the account with the highest rate if you're going to be pushed to your limit meeting the deposit conditions each month.
Savings account rates change quite frequently - what's best one month might not be best the next. So you're better off choosing a good account with conditions you can easily meet and other features that suit you. Because if you opt for the account with the highest rate but then you can't meet the conditions, you'll likely earn no interest at all.
You still want to make sure you have an account with one of the best rates in the market as this will make a huge difference to the amount of interest you can earn - it just doesn't have the be the absolute highest rate available."
The best savings rate vs an average savings rate
How much difference does the interest rate on your savings account make, really? It's actually more than you might think!
Let's assume you have a savings balance of $40,000 and you're able to deposit $1,000 per month. Here's how much interest you'll earn over 1, 3 and 5 years if your savings account has a below-average rate (2.00% p.a.), an above-average rate (3.50% p.a.) or a market-leading rate (5.50% p.a.).
| Bonus interest rate | Interest after 1 year | Interest after 3 years | Interest after 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.00% p.a. | $938 | 3,603 | $7,356 |
| 3.5% p.a. | $1,653 | $6,432 | $13,295 |
| 5.50% p.a. | $2,620 | $10,380 | $21,825 |
As you can see, you could earn quite a lot more money by simply switching to one of the best savings account rates in the market.
FAQs on best savings accounts
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Hey, i was wondering if i am 15 years old and i am looking for a combination of high interest rates for a savings account and e banking accessibility what is my best option. Thanks
Tom
Hi Tom,
Thanks for your question.
Since you’re under the age of 16 you might need your parent’s help to open an account.
At the time of writing the highest rate in our comparison is 3.60% p.a offered by the ME Online Savings Account (conditions apply). You may also compare available high-yield savings accounts available today.
Please ensure to read through the relevant product disclosure statement and terms and conditions to ensure that you got everything covered before you apply.
Hope this helps.
Cheers,
Shirley
hello
we have $300,000 to invest for initially 12 months (may be longer) and will add around $3,000 each month to this. What is the best way to do this please ?
thanks so much – great website by the way
Caroline
Hi Caroline,
Thanks for your question.
You can insert those figures into our calculator above and then sort by the ‘interest earned’ column – this will generate the accounts that award you the most interest.
You may also be interested in our page on accounts where the maximum rate applies over $250,000.
Please ensure to read through the relevant product disclosure statement and terms and conditions to ensure that you got everything covered before you apply.
Hope this helps,
Shirley
if i deposit 100 dollars a week for 32 years at the standard compound interest rate how much will i have after 32 years
Hi John,
The amount you receive will depend on the interest rate. Please use our calculators to help you figure this out.
Cheers,
Shirley