I spent some time looking into what are the best online banks lately, and honestly, there's a lot more variety than I expected. Used to think they were all basically the same, but each one seems to have its own thing going on.

Ally keeps popping up as the overall solid choice - their savings account hits around 2.50% APY with no minimum balance needed, which is pretty clean. They've got these automated tools that move extra money around for you, which is kind of nice if you're lazy about managing savings like me. The downside is you can't deposit cash or use an ATM card with the savings account.

If you want to park money and just watch it grow, Vio's money market account was interesting - they were offering 3.52% APY at one point, and you only need $100 to start. Trade-off is limited withdrawals and no ATM access.

For people who want checking and savings in one place, SoFi's combo account caught my attention. You get 2.50% on checking and 3% on savings if you set up direct deposit. Opening balance is basically zero, so that's accessible.

Some of the other standouts: Quontic's doing something different with Bitcoin rewards on purchases, American Express had competitive checking rates, and Discover apparently scores really high for customer service according to JD Power. Marcus by Goldman Sachs is interesting if you're fee-conscious - literally no fees on their savings account.

The best online banks really come down to what matters to you. Want high yields? Check Bread Financial or CIT Bank. Want minimal fees? Marcus is your answer. Want rewards? Quontic or American Express. Most of them waive monthly fees and don't require huge opening balances, which is probably the biggest shift from traditional banks.

I'd say pull up 2-3 that match what you're looking for and compare the actual numbers. The best online bank for someone else might not be the best for you depending on whether you need ATM access, direct deposit perks, or just pure interest rates.