Maya vs GoTyme vs SeaBank vs Tonik: Which Digital Bank Wins?

Maya vs GoTyme vs SeaBank vs Tonik at a Glance

Choosing a digital bank in the Philippines can feel overwhelming when every app promises the highest rate or the most features. The short answer: Maya Savings wins on raw interest potential — up to roughly 15% per year, but only on balances up to ₱100,000, and right now only for new users: those who sign up, upgrade and deposit ₱1,000 into Maya Savings during its November 1–30, 2026 window can get it for their sign-up month without missions (the base rate is 3.0%; Maya's October existing-user mission boosts are not presented as currently available). GoTyme's GoalSave offers a simpler, condition-free flat rate of 3.0% that you earn automatically. SeaBank — which reintroduced itself as MariBank in July 2025 — pays 3.25% with no conditions (3.75% only on the portion above ₱1 million), and Tonik's Stash products pay 3.25% (Group Stash 3.75% only when saving with at least two other participants), with time deposits up to 5.0% if you can lock funds in. All four are BSP-licensed digital banks — MariBank received its digital banking license in July 2026, after operating under a rural bank license — with deposits covered by PDIC insurance up to ₱1 million per depositor.

Here is a one-line verdict for each bank to help you decide at a glance: Maya is the highest-yield option for new users with up to ₱100,000 to park for their sign-up month. GoTyme is the no-fuss pick for passive savers. SeaBank (MariBank) is a solid choice for Shopee regulars who want a stable rate. Tonik pays 3.25% on a Solo Stash without missions (level with MariBank's 3.25%), and up to 5.0% if you can lock money in a time deposit.

What Is a Digital Bank in the Philippines?

A digital bank is a BSP-licensed financial institution that operates primarily or entirely online — no traditional branch network required. This is an important distinction because it means digital banks are regulated under the same BSP framework as traditional banks like BDO, Metrobank, or BPI, and deposits are covered by PDIC insurance up to ₱1 million per depositor per bank. Your money in a legitimate digital bank has the same legal protection as money in any other BSP-licensed institution.

It is also important to distinguish between an e-wallet and a digital bank. GCash and Maya Wallet are e-wallets — they let you store money, pay bills, and send transfers, but they are not savings accounts and do not earn deposit interest in the traditional sense. Maya Savings, on the other hand, is a separate product under Maya Bank, Inc., which holds a BSP digital banking license. When people say 'Maya earns interest,' they are referring to Maya Savings — not the Maya Wallet balance itself.

Digital banks can offer higher interest rates than traditional banks because they have significantly lower overhead costs — no physical branches to maintain, smaller staff footprint, and fully automated processes. Those savings are partly passed on to depositors in the form of better rates. The BSP's digital bank framework, formalized in 2021, has encouraged healthy competition that benefits Filipino savers.

Maya Savings: Best for Active Spenders

Maya Savings, offered by Maya Bank, Inc., is built around the idea that your savings account and your spending life should live in one place. There is no maintaining balance requirement.

The base interest rate is 3.0% per year, credited daily. That alone already beats most traditional bank savings accounts in the Philippines by a wide margin. But the real headline feature is the boosted rate: under Maya's current November 1–30, 2026 terms, new users who sign up and upgrade in the same calendar month, cash in at least ₱1,000 and deposit at least ₱1,000 into Maya Savings can earn up to 15% for that sign-up month without missions — a one-month boost, applied only to balances up to ₱100,000. Maya also published monthly activity-based missions for existing users — deposits, bills, card spending — for October 1–31, 2026, with 13% and 15% tiers reserved for select users; its page still shows those October terms and no November continuation, so they are not presented as currently available.

Beyond savings, Maya layers in a virtual Maya card, an optional physical card you can order, and access to crypto, loans, and other services within the Maya super-app. For users who already rely on Maya for QR payments, bills, and online shopping, the experience feels seamless — and any boost Maya publishes for existing users is tracked in the app.

• Maintaining balance: none
• Base interest rate: 3.0% per year
• Boosted interest rate: up to ~15% per year for new users' sign-up month only (Nov 1–30, 2026 window; capped at ₱100,000); existing-user October boosts not verified for November
• Interest crediting: daily
• Card: virtual Maya card + optional physical card
• Extras: crypto, loans, bills, QR payments — all in one app
• PDIC-insured: yes, up to ₱1 million per depositor
• BSP-licensed: yes

GoTyme Bank GoalSave: Best for Passive Savers

GoTyme Bank is a joint venture between the Gokongwei Group and Tyme Group, two well-established names in Philippine business and global fintech respectively. Its flagship savings product GoalSave is designed for Filipinos who want to earn a decent interest rate without having to think about it every month.

GoalSave pays a flat interest rate of 3.0% per year with no activity conditions whatsoever. You deposit money, and it earns — full stop. There are no spending missions, no minimum transaction requirements, and no hoops to jump through. This predictability is GoTyme's biggest selling point for passive savers and people who prefer a set-it-and-forget-it approach to building their emergency fund or savings buffer.

GoTyme also offers a Visa debit card, which is not a given with every digital bank. Perhaps most distinctively, GoTyme accounts can be opened at GoTyme kiosks, where you can print your Visa debit card on the spot. This hybrid model makes GoTyme accessible to Filipinos who are not fully comfortable with end-to-end digital onboarding — you can walk away with a fully functional bank account and card in minutes. Transfers between GoTyme accounts are free, and you get 20 free InstaPay transfers a month (₱9 each after that).

You can open up to five GoalSaves and customize each with a name, icon, or photo — for example, one for your emergency fund, one for vacation, and one for Christmas gifts — making goal-based saving intuitive without needing a spreadsheet.

• Minimum balance: ₱0
• Interest rate: 3.0% flat — no conditions required
• Multiple GoalSaves: up to 5
• Card: Visa debit card (printable at GoTyme kiosks)
• Onboarding: fully digital app OR in-person GoTyme kiosk
• PDIC-insured: yes, up to ₱1 million per depositor
• BSP-licensed: yes

SeaBank (Now MariBank): Consistent Rate, No Conditions

SeaBank Philippines — which joined the MariBank group of Sea Group (the parent company of Shopee and Garena) in April 2025 and reintroduced itself as MariBank in July 2025 — gives Filipino digital consumers a large and familiar ecosystem. Formerly a rural bank, MariBank Philippines, Inc. received its BSP digital banking license in July 2026, and it pays 3.25% per year on balances up to ₱1 million (and 3.75% on the portion above ₱1 million, effective January 15, 2026), with no maintaining balance and no lock-in period — meaning your money stays accessible whenever you need it.

MariBank's savings product is particularly appealing to Shopee regulars because of the natural integration with Sea Group's broader ecosystem. Transfers to other banks and e-wallets via InstaPay and PESONet are free and unlimited, and the account operates without the activity-based conditions that Maya requires for its boosted rate. Sample math: at 3.25%, a ₱50,000 balance earns about ₱1,625 in gross interest over a year. For Filipinos who want a stable, passive savings option and already live within the Shopee world, MariBank is a natural fit. It also offers a debit card: the virtual card is free and a physical card costs ₱49.

Tonik Digital Bank: Best for Locked-In Savers

Tonik was one of the first digital banks to receive a BSP license in the Philippines. Its product lineup has three tiers as of mid-2026: the plain Tonik Account earns just 0.10% per year (per Tonik's current rate table), Stash savings earn 3.25% (Solo Stash and Group Stash), with Group Stash reaching 3.75% only when the owner saves with at least two other participants and all three have contributed at least ₱1, and fixed-term time deposits (restructured effective August 24, 2026) earn a 3.5%–4.0% base plus a 1.0% conditional bonus — up to 5.0% on the 6-month term and up to 4.5% on the 9- to 24-month terms — with a ₱5,000 minimum and a ₱100,000 cap per time deposit. The 1.0% bonus requires keeping at least a ₱10,000 average daily balance in the Tonik Savings Account for the full term.

For Filipinos who have a lump sum they do not need to touch for a few months — say, a 13th-month pay, a bonus, or savings from a freelance project — Tonik's time deposit options can be a compelling way to lock in a better guaranteed rate without taking on investment risk. Sample math: ₱100,000 in a 12-month time deposit at up to 4.5% (3.5% base plus the 1.0% ADB bonus) earns about ₱4,500 gross (roughly ₱3,600 after the 20% withholding tax); the 6-month term reaches up to 5.0%. Unlike Maya's boosted rate, which must be re-earned monthly, Tonik's time deposit rate is fixed for the entire term once you commit.

One caution: do not park everyday money in the plain Tonik Account expecting a high yield — at 0.10% it now pays far less than GoTyme or MariBank. Move savings into a Solo Stash (3.25%) or Group Stash (3.25%, or 3.75% only with at least two other participants) — no spending conditions — or a time deposit to get Tonik's real rates. Set up that way, Tonik's condition-free everyday rate matches MariBank's 3.25% and beats GoTyme's 3.0%.

Side-by-Side Peso Math: How Much Do You Actually Earn?

Numbers make the difference clearer. Here is a sample computation showing estimated annual gross interest at three common deposit amounts, using Maya's new-user terms checked November 1, 2026, GoTyme and MariBank rates checked October 12, 2026 and Tonik's rate checked October 20, 2026 (Tonik shown at its 3.25% Solo Stash rate). Maya's boosts last only until the end of the month they are earned, so a full year at 15% is not a realistic baseline: the Maya column below shows a new user who signs up and qualifies on November 1, 2026 — so the boost covers the whole November 1–30, 2026 promo month — earning up to 15% (on up to ₱100,000) for that one month and the 3% base for the other 11 months. Signing up later in November shortens the boosted period, and later months depend on whatever terms Maya publishes. These are estimates for comparison — verify current rates on the digital bank rates tracker and with each bank before using them for personal planning.

The peso math illustrates the real-world stakes of Maya's conditions. At ₱100,000 deposited — the maximum balance the boosted rate covers — a full month at 15% — possible only for a new user who qualifies on November 1, 2026 under the November 1–30 terms — earns about ₱1,250 gross versus about ₱250 at the 3% base, so a new user's one-month sign-up boost is worth up to roughly ₱1,000, once. For an existing user, ₱15,000 a year would have required holding the top 15% tier — reserved for select users under Maya's October terms — from the first day of every month, because each boost ran only from the day you qualified to the end of that month; no November continuation is confirmed. If your boosts are partial or occasional, your effective rate can easily fall below Tonik's condition-free 3.25% Stash rate.

For a deeper look at how rates compare across all Philippine digital banks and traditional institutions, the best digital bank rates in the Philippines page on PesoHub tracks current rates in one place. You can also compare across a wider universe of institutions on the best savings interest rates in the Philippines page.

Which Digital Bank Should You Choose? Decision Guide

The best digital bank for you depends on how you manage money day to day. There is no single winner — each bank fits a different Filipino saver profile. Whichever way you lean, confirm the current rate first on PesoHub's best digital bank rates tracker — several of these banks cut rates during 2026, and the tracker is refreshed as rates move.

Can you use more than one digital bank at the same time? Absolutely — and many savvy Filipino savers do exactly that. A common setup is keeping Maya Savings as your active, high-yield account (earned through daily spending) while parking a separate emergency fund in GoTyme or Tonik where it sits quietly and earns without conditions. Since each bank is separately PDIC-insured up to ₱1 million per depositor, spreading your savings across two or three BSP-licensed digital banks does not reduce your protection — it simply gives each peso the best job to do.

Key Things to Check Before Opening Any Digital Bank Account

Before you sign up for any digital bank account in the Philippines, run through this checklist to protect yourself and make sure you are getting what you expect.

1. 1Confirm BSP licensing: Check the BSP's official list of licensed digital banks to make sure the institution is legitimate. As of 2026, the BSP has licensed a limited number of digital banks — do not assume any app calling itself a digital bank is actually licensed.
2. 2Confirm PDIC insurance: All BSP-licensed digital banks are covered by the PDIC up to ₱1 million per depositor per bank. If you have more than ₱1 million to save, consider spreading it across multiple insured institutions.
3. 3Read the rate conditions carefully: Understand the difference between the base rate (what you always earn) and the boosted or promo rate (what you earn only if you meet certain conditions). Do not assume you will always earn the headline rate.
4. 4Check for fees: Some digital banks charge for card replacement, out-of-network ATM withdrawals, inactivity, or specific transactions. Read the fee schedule before opening.
5. 5Understand the 20% final withholding tax: In the Philippines, interest income earned on deposit accounts is subject to a 20% final withholding tax, deducted automatically by the bank before crediting your interest. The rates advertised are typically gross rates — your net earnings will be 20% lower.
6. 6Verify rates before opening: Rates at digital banks can change with little notice — promotional rates especially. Always check the bank's official website or app for the latest figures before committing your savings.

For the most current snapshot of which banks are paying the most right now, bookmark PesoHub's best digital bank rates in the Philippines and the best savings interest rates Philippines pages, which are updated regularly as rates shift across the market.