slice merged with North East Small Finance Bank in late 2024 and now runs a zero-balance digital savings account with daily interest at the RBI repo rate, fixed deposits up to 7.75%, instant personal loans up to Rs 5 lakh, UPI, and automated bill payments. The product mix is genuinely unusual: full bank account plus credit line plus payments in one app. Where users push back is on the pivot itself — long-time slice members signed up for the card-style product and have had to adjust to a bank-app experience.
This guide compares 7 of the best slice alternatives for digital banking, UPI, and credit-line products in India. Some are neobanks on partner banks, some are credit-card-first apps with savings on the side, and all of them aim at the same digital-first salaried audience.
Why people leave slice
- Pivot from card to bank changed the UX. The slice card-style product that built the original brand has shifted to a small-finance-bank experience. r/IndianStreetBets threads document the adjustment.
- Interest rate moves with the RBI repo rate. Daily interest at 100% of repo is good but the absolute rate moves down if RBI cuts. Some users prefer a fixed-tier savings rate.
- Personal loan rates vary widely. Approved APRs span 18% to 36%. Thin-credit profiles get the upper band.
- Credit-card features migrated to the new product. Spend-tracking and instalment features that were a slice signature are now bundled differently.
- NESFB branch presence is small. Slice runs as a digital-first arm but customers occasionally need a branch for higher-value flows like dispute resolution.
Which app should you choose?
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Jupiter if you want a polished neobank with deep spend tracking and goal-based savings. Jupiter sits on Federal Bank for the account.
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Fi Money if you want behavioural savings rules and a clean Federal Bank account. Fi is built for digital-first salaried users.
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Niyo if you want zero-forex-markup international spends plus a clean savings account. Niyo Global card is the differentiator.
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CRED if your CIBIL is 750+ and you want rewards on card spends plus a curated credit-line and FD product. Premium-segment finance hub.
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OneCard if you want a metal credit card plus app-based bank-grade controls. From FPL Technologies (OneScore makers).
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Fampay if you want a teen or family-oriented account with parental controls. Built for under-18 users with a parent layer.
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Uni if you want a pay-1/3 card-style credit product. The Pay 1/3rd Card splits spends across three months at no cost.
Stay on slice if you use the bank account daily and value the daily interest credit plus the integrated loan and UPI experience. The combination is hard to replicate exactly elsewhere.
Quick comparison
| App | Best for | Account type | Savings rate | Standout feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jupiter | Polished neobank | Federal Bank partner | 3.5% to 4% | Spend insights, magic spends |
| Fi Money | Behavioural savings | Federal Bank partner | 4% (with conditions) | Smart Deposit rules |
| Niyo | International spend | DCB Bank / Equitas | 3.5% to 4% | Zero forex markup card |
| CRED | 750+ premium hub | Partner cards | Mint FDs available | Card payment rewards |
| OneCard | Metal credit card | RBL/SBM Bank issued | Card product | Full app-based credit controls |
| Fampay | Teen account | Federal Bank partner | Standard | Parent-controlled card |
| Uni | Pay-in-3 credit | RBL Bank issued | Card product | Split every spend over 3 months |
1. Jupiter -- best polished neobank
Jupiter is one of the most polished neobanks in India, sitting on Federal Bank for the account and CSB Bank for some product lines. The savings account opens via PAN-Aadhaar e-KYC, the app offers magic spend insights with categorisation, goal-based savings (“Pots”), and Federal Bank’s Rupay debit card. The UX is widely considered among the cleanest in Indian neobanking.
Where it falls short: Personal loans are partner-routed. The brand has had some turbulence with product changes but the core account is stable.
Pricing: Free zero-balance account. Standard product fees.
Migrating from slice: Open Jupiter via the app with PAN-Aadhaar, fund the account, start using UPI and the debit card. Slice account can continue alongside.
Download: Google Play · App Store
Bottom line: Pick Jupiter if you want the cleanest neobank UI in India with spend insights and goal-based savings.
2. Fi Money -- best behavioural savings rules
Fi Money runs on Federal Bank for the savings account and adds behavioural savings tools that nudge users to save based on rules (round-ups, salary triggers, daily spend caps). Smart Deposits work like recurring FDs with conditional triggers. Fi vs slice is rule-driven-savings vs daily-interest-by-default.
Where it falls short: Personal loans are partner-routed. Premium tiers add monthly fees for some advanced rules.
Pricing: Free account on the basic tier. Premium tier for advanced rules.
Migrating from slice: Install Fi Money, complete e-KYC, fund the Federal Bank account. UPI activates instantly.
Download: Google Play · App Store
Bottom line: Pick Fi Money if you want behavioural savings nudges rather than a flat daily interest credit.
3. Niyo -- best for international spends
Niyo Global is a neobank focused on travel and international spending. The Niyo Global card on Equitas or DCB has zero forex markup and zero ATM withdrawal charges abroad on most plans. The savings account is competent for domestic use but the differentiator is international.
Where it falls short: Domestic features (mutual funds, FDs, loans) are lighter than Jupiter or Fi. No credit-card or loan product as central.
Pricing: Free entry tier. Premium tiers for higher limits.
Migrating from slice: Open Niyo Global via the app with PAN-Aadhaar e-KYC, get the international card delivered.
Download: Google Play · App Store
Bottom line: Pick Niyo if you travel internationally or shop on overseas sites and want zero forex markup on every transaction.
4. CRED -- best 750+ premium finance hub
CRED runs credit card bill payments with rewards, CRED Mint (FD-style returns), CRED Cash personal loans, CRED Pay, and a RuPay credit card on UPI. Membership is gated at CIBIL 750+. CRED vs slice is rewards-driven-with-FD vs daily-interest-bank-with-loan.
Where it falls short: Gated entry locks out borrowers still building credit. No first-party savings account. No standalone debit card on a bank account.
Pricing: Free membership for eligible users.
Migrating from slice: Install CRED, register with phone, allow CIBIL pull. If 750+, the dashboard activates.
Download: Google Play · App Store
Bottom line: Pick CRED if your CIBIL is 750+ and you want a premium hub with card payment rewards and an FD product.
5. OneCard -- best for a metal credit card with full app controls
OneCard is a co-branded metal credit card from FPL Technologies on RBL Bank or SBM Bank rails. The app offers granular controls (per-merchant block, geographic restrictions, freeze and unfreeze), reward analytics, and EMI conversion tools. OneCard vs slice is card-first-app vs savings-account-first.
Where it falls short: No savings account from OneCard itself. The card is the central product, with finance features layered around it.
Pricing: Card joining fee on some variants, lifetime free on others depending on tier.
Migrating from slice: Apply for OneCard via the app, complete KYC. The card arrives in 7 to 10 days and activates instantly.
Download: Google Play · App Store
Bottom line: Pick OneCard if you want a polished metal credit card with app-based controls and your bank account already exists elsewhere.
6. Fampay -- best for teens and families
Fampay is a digital wallet and Rupay card aimed at teenagers and minors, with a parent layer that funds the account, sets spending limits, and reviews activity. The product is unique in Indian fintech: a bank-like account for users below 18 with full parental controls.
Where it falls short: Not a personal-savings replacement for slice. Limited to the teen-and-family use case.
Pricing: Free entry tier. Premium tiers add higher limits.
Migrating from slice: Sign up via the Fampay app, link a parent’s bank account, complete teen KYC. The card delivers in 7 to 10 days.
Download: Google Play · App Store
Bottom line: Pick Fampay only if the use case is a teenager’s first card with parental oversight; not a slice replacement for an adult account.
7. Uni -- best for split-spend credit
Uni Pay 1/3rd Card lets you split any spend across three months at no cost, paid via the Uni app. The product is a credit card with a built-in instalment behaviour by default. After regulatory changes in 2022 around PPI on credit lines, Uni’s offerings shifted but the core Pay-in-3 proposition remains for eligible users.
Where it falls short: No first-party savings account. Eligibility is narrower after regulatory changes. The brand has had product turbulence.
Pricing: Free for eligible users on the Pay 1/3rd plan.
Migrating from slice: Apply via the Uni app, complete KYC, get card delivered.
Download: Google Play · App Store
Bottom line: Pick Uni only if the Pay-in-3 model fits your spend habit; not a one-for-one replacement for slice’s full account.
How to choose
Pick Jupiter if you want the cleanest neobank UX with spend insights and goal-based savings on a Federal Bank account.
Pick Fi Money if behavioural savings rules (round-ups, salary triggers, smart deposits) actually change how you save.
Pick Niyo if your real driver is zero-forex-markup spends abroad or on international sites.
Pick CRED if your CIBIL is 750+ and you want a premium hub with rewards on card payments plus an FD product.
Pick OneCard if you want a polished metal credit card with full app-based controls and your savings account already exists elsewhere.
Pick Fampay only for the teen-and-family use case, with parental controls on a minor’s account.
Pick Uni only if the Pay-in-3 model fits how you spend.
Stay on slice if you use the bank account daily, value the daily interest credit, and want the loan plus UPI plus FD bundle in one app. The integrated experience after the NESFB merger is hard to replicate exactly elsewhere.
FAQ
Is slice a bank now? Slice merged with North East Small Finance Bank in October 2024, making it a small-finance-bank-owned digital banking app. The savings account, FD, and other products run on NESFB’s bank licence.
Which is the best alternative to slice for daily interest? Most savings accounts pay quarterly interest at fixed slab rates. For comparable daily-interest behaviour, Jupiter’s Pots and Fi Money’s Smart Deposits can be configured to credit interest at higher cadence, though not strictly daily.
Can I get a credit card from a slice alternative? CRED issues a RuPay credit card on UPI for eligible 750+ users. OneCard is a full Visa or Mastercard metal credit card. Most neobanks (Jupiter, Fi, Niyo) issue only debit cards on their partner-bank accounts and route credit cards via banking partners.
What is the highest savings interest rate on these apps? Slice itself credits daily interest at the RBI repo rate (currently around 6.5%). IDFC FIRST Bank (separate app) offers up to 7.0% on certain slabs. Small finance banks like AU and Equitas also have 7%+ slabs.
Are these slice alternatives safe? Every option runs on a regulated partner: Federal Bank, Equitas, DCB Bank, RBL Bank, or SBM Bank. Deposits up to Rs 5 lakh are DICGC-insured. Card products fall under the issuing bank’s policies.
How do I close my slice account before switching? Withdraw all funds, close any pending loans, and submit a closure request via the app’s support flow. The account closes in 7 to 10 business days. Keep the closure confirmation for your records.
