Comparison

Empower ® vs Optum Financial

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Empower ®

This app provides a comprehensive financial overview, consolidating all your accounts in one place. It offers tools to plan for retirement, manage budgets, track net worth, and simulate financial scenarios, making financial management clearer and simpler.

Highlights
  • Consolidated account view
  • Retirement planning
  • Budget tracking
  • Net worth tracking
  • Investment advice access
  • Financial scenario simulation
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

“The Empower Dashboard gives me a full picture of where I am financially without having to log in to all my accounts. It definitely makes my financial life clearer and easier.” – Benjamin D.*  You’re just a few taps away from downloading the app that Forbes gave 4.5/5 stars, describing its features as the “Best for Tracking Net Worth”.   According to CNBC, “If you’re looking for an app that lays out all your income and expenses while giving you access to professional investment advice, Empower may be the budgeting tool you’re looking for. **”   Get the industry-leading tools designed to help you map out your financial dreams and take the steps to reach them:  - Plan for retirement  - Adjust & compare scenarios  - Simulate recessions  - See all your accounts in one place  - Check for allocation imbalances  - Tackle debt  - Build an emergency fund   - Set & track budgets  - Secure your data with biometric and multi-factor authentication  - And more   Spend less time sorting through spreadsheets, filling out ledgers, and doublechecking individual accounts.   Experience more freedom to focus on what you enjoy. Financial clarity starts with the free Empower Dashboard.   Download today.   --  *Testimonials may not be representative of the experience of other individuals and are not a guarantee of future performance or success.  **Sources: Forbes, March 2025; CNBC, January 2025.  Securities, when presented, are offered and/or distributed by Empower Financial Services, Inc. (EFSI), Member FINRA/SIPC. EFSI is an affiliate of Empower Retirement, LLC; Empower Funds, Inc.; and registered investment adviser Empower Advisory Group, LLC. This material is for informational purposes only and is not intended to provide investment, legal, or tax recommendations or advice.    Advisory services are provided for a fee by Empower Advisory Group, LLC (EAG). EAG is a registered investment adviser with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and an indirect subsidiary of Empower Annuity Insurance Company of America. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Investing involves risk. Past performance is not indicative of future returns. You may lose money. Advisory fees are calculated based upon the amount of assets being managed (as detailed further in the Empower Advisory Group, LLC Form ADV). “EMPOWER” and all associated logos and product names are trademarks of Empower Annuity Insurance Company of America.  ©2025 Empower Annuity Insurance Company of America. All rights reserved.  RO4520594-0625

About

Optum Financial

Easily manage and pay for healthcare expenses on the go. Features include receipt capture, e-sign dependent care certification, and access to account details, transaction history, and balances for maximum control over your healthcare finances.

Highlights
  • Manage benefit accounts
  • View balances and transaction history
  • Pay providers or reimburse yourself
  • View and manage claims
  • Capture and upload documentation
  • Live customer care via mobile chat
Features
Read full description

Managing and paying for eligible health care expenses on the go has never been easier with the Optum Financial mobile app. Designed with unique features like receipt capture and e-sign dependent care certification, you can easily manage account details, access transaction history and view balances - giving you maximum control over you accounts and healthcare finances. Mobile features include: • Access to view and manage all Optum Financial benefit accounts • View account balances and transaction history • Pay providers or reimburse yourself for qualified out-of-pocket expenses • View and manage claims • Receive smart in-app alerts for claims requiring attention • Capture and upload claims documentation through photo capture technology • Quick access to previously submitted documentation • Connect with a live customer care representative via mobile chat 24/7 • Manage account preferences and add account users • Access eligible expenses listing Access Instructions You will need to have an Optum Financial or ConnectYourCare health account to use this app. If you are an Optum Financial or ConnectYourCare customer and need to update your account credentials, please visit www.optumfinancial.com. ABOUT OPTUM FINANCIAL: Optum Financial is advancing the way account holders save and pay for care, connecting the worlds of health and finance in ways that no one else can. Optum Financial is the #1 ranked health accounts administrator with over $17.7B in customer assets under management. By developing proprietary technology and applying advanced analytics in new ways, Optum Financial helps reduce costs while helping people make better health decisions– creating a better health care experience for our customers.

Screenshots

Empower ®4 screens
Optum Financial3 screens

Verdict

The call

Empower ® and Optum Financial both sit at 4.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 55% of Optum Financial's written reviews are positive against 17% of Empower ®'s. Optum Financial also leads on monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). Empower ®'s advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 5 weeks) and ratings volume (412K vs 29K). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Empower ® against 4.7 for Optum Financial. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Empower ® has 412K ratings behind it against 29K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 17% of Empower ®'s written reviews are positive against 55% of Optum Financial's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Empower ® ships an update fortnightly, Optum Financial every 5 weeks. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Empower ® versus Optum Financial: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEmpower ®Optum Financial
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (412K ratings) — better4.7 (29K ratings)
Positive reviews17.0% of reviews55.1% of reviews — better
Number of ratings412K — better29K
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 5 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank#48 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.0 — better16.6
Further details — not scored
Size474 MB24 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperEmpower Retirement, LLCOptum Inc.

Customer experience

Empower ®

All ratings412,199 ratings
Positive95.0%
Neutral2.1%
Negative2.9%
Written reviews1,533 reviews
Positive17.0%
Neutral7.2%
Negative75.8%

Optum Financial

All ratings28,923 ratings
Positive94.8%
Neutral1.6%
Negative3.7%
Written reviews243 reviews
Positive55.1%
Neutral7.0%
Negative37.9%

User reviews

Empower ®

From 412K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Good product overall
  • 🚀 Sleek design and robust performance
  • 🔒 Excellent customer service and support

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Buggy and unreliable app
  • ⏱️ Slow loading times
  • 🤔 Missing key features and functionality
  • 🤯 Confusing and unintuitive navigation
  • 💻 Forced to use app instead of website

Optum Financial

From 29K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 🚀 Convenient mobile experience
  • 💳 Ability to pay providers directly
  • 📂 Straightforward claim submission
  • 💰 Helpful for managing medical expenses

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Buggy document upload and submission
  • 🤔 Lack of explanations for claim rejections
  • 🕰️ Slow processing and response times
  • 🔍 Unintuitive navigation and UI
  • 🤖 Poor customer service and support

Bugs and requests

Empower ®

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Face ID/Touch ID not working consistently
  • Beneficiary information not displaying correctly
  • Crashes when trying to view balance over time
  • Unable to enter correct birth dates for beneficiaries

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to view investment performance history
  • Option to enter dollar amounts instead of just percentages
  • Faster and more reliable login process
  • Restore access to self-directed brokerage accounts
  • Provide a way to submit feedback and suggestions within the app

Optum Financial

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Blank screens and app crashes
  • Inconsistent behavior with photo uploads
  • Login and account access issues
  • Incorrect or missing account balance information
  • Inability to add new documentation to existing claims

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to save provider information
  • Option to submit multiple claims at once
  • Automatic reimbursement based on insurance EOBs
  • Clearer communication on claim status and issues
  • Improved search and filtering for transactions

In-app purchases

None

Empower ®

No in-app purchases

None

Optum Financial

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Empower ® free?
Empower ® is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Optum Financial free?
Optum Financial is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Empower ® or Optum Financial?
Empower ® is rated higher. Empower ® averages 4.8 out of 5 from 412K ratings, while Optum Financial averages 4.7 from 29K ratings.
Do Empower ® or Optum Financial have ads?
Neither Empower ® nor Optum Financial shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Empower ® or Optum Financial?
Empower ® ships an update fortnightly, and Optum Financial every 5 weeks. Most recently, Empower ® was updated on September 24, 2026 and Optum Financial on September 24, 2026.

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