I gather that bunq is most populair with people that want high quality products and are willing to pay for it. Bunq may seem expensive (and let’s be fair, it is), but bunq gives a lot more than your mainstream bank.
I often compare bunq to Apple computers, which are beautiful and of high quality, but are expensive too. They are basically just computers, like any odd Dell or HP, with the same functionality as a Windows PC has.
Until a decade ago, Apple served a small fan base which were deeply convinced that Apple was far more superior over Windows. What they basically wanted to say is that their computers are beautiful and of high quality and were easy to operate.
Apple eventually grew and Apple computers are more common than they used to be. More people didn’t stare blind at Windows being the sole choice. Apple got accepted by the mainstream audience (also driven by the popularity of the iPod and iPhone).
Bunq is in some ways the same as Apple; they offer a high quality service in a already established market and ask a certain price for that quality. This is new to the people that are used to their mainstream banks and like with all things new, they look at it with a certain reservation.
Only early adapters and those whom see the value of bunq, are willing to give bunq a try and that is where bunq gets its customers from. As those people are enthousiast about bunq, a very gentile and soft buzz is created around bunq.
Bunq may or may not be better than competitors. It depends on what you are looking for. Some people just want to try new things, others are in search of things bunq offers and other parties don’t.
They question you have to ask yourself is whether bunq provides you with what you need. I know that in my search for a new bank I stumbled upon Knab, N26 and Revolt, but they didn’t offer what I wanted. And the looks and feels of bunq appealed more to me than the others.
Looks and feels are as important to me as functionality as they should go hand in hand. I find that in for example brands like Apple and bunq, whilst others may find that in other brands. For me bunq was (and remains) the best choice, which says nothing about the overall quality of bunq and Apple other brands.
So bunq CAN be better then N26 or Revolt, it depends on your needs, which are different for most of us.