Comparison

Empower ® vs Optum Bank

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 Bank

Manage your health savings and spending accounts with ease. Track balances, understand eligible expenses, pay for healthcare costs, and submit claims for reimbursement. Store receipts and get clear tips to maximize your benefits.

Highlights
  • Track account balances
  • Understand eligible expenses
  • Pay for health costs
  • Submit claims for reimbursement
  • Store health care receipts
  • View account transactions
Features
Read full description

The Optum Bank app helps you get more out of your health account benefits. You’ll get clear tips on stretching every dollar. Plus, we’ll help you understand how to make your health savings account, flexible spending account or other spending accounts work harder for you. WITH THE APP UPDATE, YOU CAN NOW EASILY: Keep track of all your account balances Unlock more ways to use your health account dollars Use your account to pay for health costs Find answers if you have questions Store your health care receipts all in one place Understand what may qualify as an eligible health expense VIEW YOUR HEALTH ACCOUNTS FROM ANYWHERE See your health account balances and contributions and view health spending and saving transactions all in one place. DID SOMEONE SAY SHOPPING? YES, WE DID. Get more out of your health dollars and understand what health costs are eligible (think allergy meds, acupuncture and thousands more). Then shop and pay with your Optum card or digital wallet. PAY BILLS, PAY EASILY, PAY YOURSELF Pay for health-related expenses, check and submit claims for reimbursement and easily capture receipts, all with a few taps. AND IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS, WE HAVE ANSWERS Easily find out what you need or type away and send us an email. ACCESS INSTRUCTIONS: You will need to have an Optum Bank health account to use this app. Please visit optumbank.com if you’re an Optum Bank customer and need to update your account credentials. ABOUT OPTUM BANK: Optum Bank is advancing care, connecting the worlds of health and finance in ways that no one else can. Optum Bank is a leading health accounts administrator with over $19.8B in customer assets under management. By developing proprietary technology and applying advanced analytics in new ways, Optum Bank helps reduce costs while helping people make better health decisions — creating a better health care experience for our customers.

Screenshots

Empower ®4 screens
Optum Bank4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: Optum Bank at free against Empower ®'s free with in-app purchases. Empower ®'s advantage is chart position (#52 vs unranked) and ratings volume (425K vs 55K). On price, rating, review sentiment and update cadence 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 Bank. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Empower ® has 425K ratings behind it against 55K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 18% of Empower ®'s written reviews are positive against 26% of Optum Bank's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Empower ® ships an update fortnightly, Optum Bank monthly. Both last shipped on November 10, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Empower ® versus Optum Bank: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEmpower ®Optum Bank
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (425K ratings) — better4.7 (55K ratings)
Positive reviews17.9% of reviews25.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings425K — better55K
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank#52 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size480 MB66 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperEmpower Retirement, LLCOptum Inc.

Customer experience

Empower ®

All ratings418,858 ratings
Positive95.0%
Neutral2.1%
Negative2.9%
Written reviews1,629 reviews
Positive17.9%
Neutral7.0%
Negative75.1%

Optum Bank

All ratings54,625 ratings
Positive94.8%
Neutral2.5%
Negative2.7%
Written reviews247 reviews
Positive25.5%
Neutral6.5%
Negative68.0%

User reviews

Empower ®

From 425K 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 Bank

From 55K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Convenient and streamlined
  • 👍 Easy to check balance and manage contributions
  • 💡 Allows digital card in Apple Wallet

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent login issues and app crashes
  • 🔍 Limited functionality compared to website
  • 🤔 Inconsistent user experience between app and website
  • 🤯 Poor technical support and communication

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 Bank

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App crashes when submitting reimbursement claims
  • Receipts not displaying properly or disappearing
  • Investment transfer functionality not working
  • Slow performance and loading times

Requested features

4 requests
  • Batch claim processing for pharmacy receipts
  • Ability to associate receipts with past claims
  • Improved receipt management and submission flow
  • Consistent data and functionality between app and website

In-app purchases

None

Empower ®

No in-app purchases

None

Optum Bank

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Empower ® free?
Empower ® is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Optum Bank free?
Optum Bank is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Empower ® or Optum Bank?
Empower ® is rated higher. Empower ® averages 4.8 out of 5 from 425K ratings, while Optum Bank averages 4.7 from 55K ratings.
Do Empower ® or Optum Bank have ads?
Neither Empower ® nor Optum Bank shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Empower ® or Optum Bank?
Empower ® ships an update fortnightly, and Optum Bank monthly. Most recently, Empower ® was updated on November 10, 2026 and Optum Bank on November 10, 2026.

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