Citizens vs First Citizens Bank: Which Is The Top Pick in 2025?

Many businesses look to Citizens and First Citizens Bank for their financial needs. However, choosing the right solution can be a complex task.

In this article, we’ll review what each solution offers and how they compare, helping you make an informed decision. Additionally, we'll also explore Rho as a third option worth considering.

Citizens Overview

Citizens offers business banking services primarily aimed at small businesses and entrepreneurs. Their main value proposition lies in providing comprehensive financial solutions, including checking accounts with no minimum balance or maintenance fees, cash management platforms, and business learning resources. This makes them a go-to for businesses needing tailored financial support.

Citizens Features

Some of the key features of Citizens include:

• Online & Mobile Banking with Digital Invoicing & Payments: Allows businesses to securely check balances, transfer funds, pay bills, and use digital invoicing.
• Citizens Cash Flow Essentials: A tool priced at $49 per month that helps manage payments, send invoices, and forecast cash flow.
• accessOPTIMA: A customized commercial cash management platform designed to handle high volumes of payments.

Citizens Pricing

Citizens offers a variety of pricing structures for their business banking services, including subscription tiers and packages.

• Basic Business Checking: No monthly fee, includes online banking and digital invoicing.
• Citizens Cash Flow Essentials: $49 per month, includes payment management, invoicing, and cash flow forecasting.
• accessOPTIMA: Custom pricing, includes high-volume payment management and commercial cash management.

The prices for each tier are not publicly listed.

Drawbacks To Citizens

General user reviews of Citizens highlight significant dissatisfaction, particularly with customer service and technical issues.

• "Their website is chronically broken and all their internal departments are so siloed that no one can help you." - Chele
• "I have been contacting Citizens Bank for at least 2 full years now complaining because the mobile banking app has been malfunctioning daily and freezes up." - Martin Coltogirone

For more detailed reviews, visit Trustpilot.

First Citizens Bank Overview

First Citizens Bank provides a broad spectrum of financial services across personal, small business, commercial, and wealth management categories. Their main value proposition centers on leveraging their expertise to support the financial goals of individuals, families, small businesses, and commercial enterprises. The bank emphasizes stability and long-term customer relationships.

First Citizens Bank Features

Some of the key features of First Citizens Bank include:

• Checking Accounts: Various options including Free Checking, Premier Checking, and Prestige Checking, each with different benefits and requirements.
• Savings Accounts: Options like Certificates of Deposit, Money Market Accounts, and Online Savings to help customers save and grow their money.
• Credit Cards: A range of credit cards offering cash back, rewards, low interest rates, and travel rewards.
• Mortgages: Different mortgage options to suit various needs, including adjustable-rate, fixed-rate, home construction, jumbo loans, and government-backed loans.

First Citizens Bank Pricing

First Citizens Bank's pricing structure includes various packages, but detailed pricing for many services is not publicly listed.

• Free Checking: Minimum opening deposit of $50, no minimum balance, overdraft protection options.
• Premier Checking: Minimum opening deposit of $100, interest on balance, overdraft protection options.
• Prestige Checking: Minimum opening deposit of $100, interest on balance, VIP perks.

Drawbacks To First Citizens Bank

The overall consensus of First Citizens Bank is generally negative, with many customers expressing dissatisfaction with their services.

• "I’ve never seen a bank before that has different speeds to make a Zelle. You just have to guess what speed they will use to make your Zelle fast or standard as they call it, which can take 1 to 3 business days to reach the destination account. Apart from terrible customer service. Seriously if you don’t want to have a hard time and delay your payments, I recommend staying away from this bank. I think it may be among the worst there can be." - Elizaul Lopez
• "I have been with this bank for 15 years and until recently have never had a problem. Now, they have screwed my money up so bad that THEY don’t know what I’ve got in there. Also, Lisa from the Stuart, FL branch was so condescending it was sickening, plus she refused to let me speak to a manager. What a piece of garbage she was being to me, they screw up my account and I’m responsible???? BEWARE THEY RUN OFF OF AN ALGORITHM THAT STEALS YOUR MONEY!!!" - David Wood

For more detailed reviews, visit First Citizens Bank Reviews.

What to Know Before Picking Citizens or First Citizens Bank

Looking at the reviews as a whole, businesses often face significant challenges with both Citizens and First Citizens Bank. Common issues include technical difficulties with online and mobile banking platforms, which can disrupt daily operations and financial management.

Additionally, both banks suffer from poor customer service, characterized by long wait times and unhelpful responses. These limitations can severely impact a business's ability to manage accounts efficiently and resolve issues promptly.

Why Rho Is a Better Alternative

At Rho, we understand the frustrations businesses face with traditional banks like Citizens and First Citizens Bank. Our platform addresses these pain points by offering seamless online banking, exceptional customer service, and advanced financial tools. We strive to provide a more efficient and reliable banking experience for your business needs.

Rho Features

• Expense Management: Our platform eliminates the need for manual expense reports, making it easier for businesses to track and manage expenses efficiently. This addresses the cumbersome and time-consuming processes often faced with traditional banks.
• AP Automation: We enable businesses to pay hundreds of vendors in minutes with zero platform fees, solving the slow and costly payment processes that are common with traditional banks.
• Corporate Credit Cards: Our cards offer real-time spend monitoring and custom controls, providing advanced financial oversight that can be lacking with traditional banking options.
• Business Checking Accounts: We offer no ACH fees and 24/7 customer support, providing a more customer-friendly experience compared to traditional banks that may have hidden fees and limited support hours.
• Rho Treasury: Our treasury¹ management services offer competitive yields on idle cash, providing better financial returns than what might be available with traditional banks.
• Integrations: We provide direct integration with accounting, HR, and T&E software, streamlining financial operations and reducing the need for multiple platforms, which can be a hassle with traditional banks.
• Virtual Cards: Our ability to create virtual cards for employees, specific dates, or vendors enhances financial control and security, addressing the limitations of physical cards offered by traditional banks.

Rho Pricing

We offer a straightforward and transparent pricing structure that sets us apart from traditional banks like Citizens and First Citizens Bank. Our goal is to make financial management simple and cost-effective for your business.

Here are the key pricing details:

• $0 monthly fees: No charges for accessing our platform and services.
• $0 Same-Day ACH fees: Enjoy free same-day ACH transactions.
• $0 wire fees: No fees for wire transfers, with some exceptions for international wires.
• $0 support fees: Get free live support from day one without any additional charges.
• $0 subscription fees: No monthly subscription fees for using our services.
• $0 checking account minimum fees: No minimum balance requirements or associated fees.
• $0 per-user fees: Add as many users as you need without any extra cost.
• $0 connected, in-platform capabilities: Access AP, Expense & Accounting Automation features at no additional cost.
• 1% foreign currency transfer fee: A flat 1% fee on foreign currency transfers.

You can find all the details about our pricing here.

Why Users Love Rho

We’re proud of what we do, but we think our customers say it best. Take a look at why they prefer Rho over other options.

• "Rho offers our users a one-touch experience for reporting company expenses on a corporate card." - Sean F., Chief Financial Officer
• "The company implementation of Rho was easy and took less than 2 hours." - Tyler M., Chief Financial Officer
• "Rho's customer service team is very helpful." - Kevin K., Director of Marketing and Analytics

Want a firsthand look at Rho? You can request a free demo here.

Which Platform Is Right for Your Business?

Each platform has its strengths: Citizens offers comprehensive financial solutions for small businesses, while First Citizens Bank provides a broad spectrum of services. However, both have notable drawbacks, particularly in customer service and technical reliability.

This is where Rho comes in. We offer seamless online banking, exceptional customer service, and advanced financial tools like AP automation and real-time spend monitoring. Our transparent pricing structure, with no hidden fees, ensures cost-effective financial management for your business.

Make the Smarter Choice with Rho Today

Curious to see what Rho can do for you? Discover how our platform can transform your business. Get started with Rho today.