Definitely recommend Monzo - I don’t have ADHD (that I know of), but I do have Cerebral Palsy and possibly undiagnosed Dyslexia and I personally find Monzo’s interface much clearer than Starling.
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Monzo completely changed my finances - being able to split out my money got me out from the bottom of an overdraft for the first time in a decade, and I’m much more comfortable with spending now as I can see that my commitments are covered.
I don’t use categories, as the separation of money by its intended use is enough for me, and I have plus to keep my card subscriptions out of my main balance - something I could now do with starling for free but…
I’ve got a starling account but I absolutely loathe the interface, so don’t use it. In theory, it’ll work just as well as Monzo would, but I’ve never been able to get my head around it personally.
Per the above comments, chase is also a choice if you can stand the bright white interface - if like me you need a dark mode they’re not there yet. Also the only-one-card thing.
Now that I think about it, the most adhd-friendly thing a bank could do on top of providing pots/spaces/whatever would be to offer a virtual card specifically intended for card subscriptions, exclusively attached to the bills pot. My setup is a bit more complex (annually recurring payments have their own place so I don’t get a surprise) but it would probably be a game changer for most - even neurotypicals
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Just to highlight that this was same for me. I never manged to stick to a budget, remain on track over a month (impulses at payday) and an ability to properly know where every penny went.
Monzo turned that ship around for me and for that I’ll be forever grateful
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Thank you so much for all your replies. I’ve finally had a chance to sit down and read through them properly without getting distracted! It has been so interesting and helpful to read everyone’s viewpoints.
I was diagnosed with Autism 2 years ago and then additionally ADHD 1 year ago. Whilst the diagnosis’s have been a relief for me, in understanding why I struggle with the things I do, I feel it is only now that I’m starting to accept/embrace it and look for tools that are going to help me live in a predominantly neurotypical world. So money management is one of my first targets, to try and get a grip on my impulsive spending and put some controls in place to help stop myself from spending £12k in 4 months on credit cards again! 
I use YNAB but whilst it helps me see a clearer picture of my finances, I tend to find that it doesn’t do much to stop me impulse spending and half the time I will just ignore the budget. So I’m thinking if I can create something similar at an account level, in the form of pots etc, then I can add that extra layer of friction that might be enough to stop me from making unnecessary purchases.
I also found it interesting to read the comments re how one UI might work for one person and not another. I too struggle with the home page on the Starling app come to think of it, I don’t know why, but there’s something about it that seems to add an extra step for my brain to process what to do next. First Direct’s UI is very clean and simple, which I like, however, the lack of transaction detail (e.g. whether a transaction is a DD, Debit card payment etc) really impacts me and I find it quite difficult to process.
So Monzo definitely sounds like a promising choice and I think I just need to give it a go and see how I get on with the app.
Thanks so much again for all your help. I’ll report back once I’ve opened the Monzo account and given it a whirl.
David 
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I of you like Monzo, I find Monzo plus to be worth the £5/month. The live budgeting really helps with impulse control, and also helps you see the route to recovery when you overspend on something.
I rested some control of my finances a while ago after a similar dip (I’m also autistic, unsure about adhd - maybe or maybe not, I’ve decided not to ever really think about it 
) - originally I achieved this by not being credit worthy enough to borrow any more. I’ve only recently started on Plus but over the last three months it’s helped me keep to an even tighter budget.
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Best of luck David @ccdorset 
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Thank you, I’ve just been having a look at the various options and I think Monzo Plus will be the one I go for. I’m thinking having the custom categories and the ability to divide single transactions will definitely help me monitor my spending, and may be enough for me to get rid of YNAB. So I will save overall as YNAB currently costs around £85 a year, compared to £60 for Plus.
Excited to open my first Monzo account tomorrow!
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Thank you!
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Another good feature of plus is being able to add all your accounts & credit cards and include them in your spending targets. This helps avoid the ‘oh I’ll just buy it on another card and then not look at that account again’ form of budgeting.
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I’ve been umm-ing and ahh-ing about joining Plus for months. Realising that I do the whole “I’ll spend it on my shame card” has pushed me over the edge. 
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I have had an Autism diagnosis done, still waiting on the results of that, they ask you loads of questions, it took 3 hours to do!
I was thankfully at the top of the list as they initially lost my paper form I sent in initially, (they sent me a letter to say they never got it, cheeky buggers), then sent me another letter to say they found it, then put me to the top of the list because it was their fault. Otherwise it takes years to have done, it’s a long list
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I know the process can be quite intense and involved!
I had to go private in the end to get assessed, as the NHS wouldn’t even place me on the 2 year waiting list, as I was “functioning”. But that’s a whole different story!
Best wishes with the results. 
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I already know it’ll make little difference to me, but it may mean I can have some leeway at work for certain things, like extra time on the phone, etc, but thank you!
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Well I have just opened my Monzo Plus account and I am geekily very excited about it! 
I officially feel part of the Monzo Community now!
I found the whole application process to be by far the best I have ever experienced, and I have opened lots of current accounts/credit cards over the years!
Everything just seemed so intuitive and logical to me, and I didn’t feel overwhelmed at any point during the process. So I am very impressed so far!
I understand there is a £5 refer a friend offer, but as you have all been so helpful I just couldn’t choose one person to ask for their referral code, as I felt it would be unfair on everyone else! So I just applied directly in the app.
Really excited to be part of the Monzo family! 
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We have a great community here, so welcome! I hope you enjoy your stay and use Monzo to it’s fullest
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I wish I had never had mine done, in all honesty. I’ve come to think it’s not something that needs a ‘diagnosis’, it’s not a medical condition and there was no advantage to having simply self-identified.
What if they had said I wasn’t autistic? Would it have changed anything? Actually no, I still would have been able to identify certain traits in myself and thought about how to live with those traits, a process I’d been through by the time I was ‘diagnosed’.
Obviously it’s a very personal decision but going back I’d make it differently.
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For me it’s just obsessions and repetitive actions I seem to do, like playing with my stubble on my chin, or obsessions like, I like “kids films” like Disney/Dreamworks, Illumination entertainment, etc
Oddly, I really like Bluey, but it’s not to the obsession phase yet
I had my HTTYD obsession phase, obsession with Lifts, etc
The obsessions die down though
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My Monzo Plus card arrived today - geekily very excited.
I’ve been looking at Monzo Premium, as I currently pay £12.49 a month for AppleCare+ with Theft and Loss. I’m thinking Premium is £15 a month, but if I took off the £5 Plus fee then I’d be looking at £10 for the Mobile Insurance through Monzo.
Just wondering what people’s thoughts are on this? I previously had O2 Insurance at £15 a month which I cancelled in favour of AppleCare. It would only save me £2.49 a month moving to Monzo Premium from AppleCare, but I’m not sure if the offering would be worse.
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I use Nationwide with a Flex Plus account, £13 a month for family mobile insurance and breakdown cover with the AA. You get travel insurance for the family too.
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Personally, I’d stick with the Apple Care and Monzo Plus.
Monzo’s insurance, should you need to use it, wont use Apple authorised service providers and or genuine parts, which would void any warranty and consumer protections you have with them, and could in the future deny you for things like battery servicing.
It’s usually just best (and better value) to stick with apple care for apple stuff, unless your insurer specifies that you can get repairs, replacements and servicing done through Apple for reimbursement instead, like Post Office do.
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