Comparison

Current vs Upgrade

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

Head to head
About

Current

Manage your finances with a mobile banking app that offers early direct deposit, fee-free overdrafts, and credit building tools. Earn cash back on purchases and interest on savings.

Highlights
  • Get paid up to 2 days early
  • Advance paycheck up to $750
  • Overdraft fee-free banking
  • Build credit while banking
  • Earn 1% cash back on dining/groceries
  • Earn up to 4.00% bonus on savings
  • Access 40,000+ fee-free ATMs
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Power up your paycheck when you switch to Current. Get paid faster, save smarter, and build credit with ease—all in one app. Join over 6 million members already banking with Current today. With Current you can: — Advance up to $1,000¹: Access more of your paycheck if you qualify. — Overdraft fee-free²: Breeze from payday to payday without hidden fees. — Get paid up to 2 days early³: Receive your direct deposit as soon as your employer sends it. — Build credit while you bank. — Earn 1% cash back on eligible categories with your Build Card⁴. — Enjoy 24/7 member support. — Access 40,000+ fee-free ATMs nationwide⁵. — Add cash in-store at locations like CVS, Walgreens, and McDonald’s. — Earn up to a 4.00% bonus on savings⁶ and save automatically with Round-Ups. See current.com/docs for full terms and conditions and current.com/legal_disclaimers for more info. Current is a financial technology company, not an FDIC-insured bank. FDIC insurance up to $250,000 only covers the failure of an FDIC-insured bank. Certain conditions must be satisfied for pass-through deposit insurance coverage to apply. Banking services provided by Choice Financial Group, Member FDIC, and/or Cross River Bank, Member FDIC. ¹ For eligible customers only. Paycheck Advance is offered by Finco Advance LLC, a financial technology company, not a bank. T&C: current.com/docs/paycheck_advance_terms ² Actual overdraft amount may vary and is subject to change at any time, at Current’s sole discretion. In order to qualify and enroll in the Fee-Free Overdraft feature, you must receive a minimum of $200 or more in Eligible Direct Deposits into your Current Account over the preceding 35-day period and fulfill other requirements subject to Current’s discretion. Negative balances must be repaid within 60 days of the first Eligible Transaction that caused the negative balance. T&C: current.com/overdraft_protection_terms_of_service ³ Faster access to funds is based on comparison of traditional banking policies and deposit of paper checks from employers and government agencies versus deposits made electronically. Delays by the employer, payer, or their banks may result in delayed access to funds beyond our control. ⁴ For eligible customers only. To earn Points, you must receive at least one Eligible Payroll Deposit of at least $200 over a 35-day period, and as applicable, make Build Card purchases at retailers whose merchant code is classified as either (i) Dining (e.g., restaurants) and Groceries (e.g., supermarkets) or (ii) belonging to the category or categories selected in the app, and complete other actions that Current may designate. Allow 3-5 business days for Points to post to your Current account. Points expire 365 days after they settle. T&C (including specific eligibility criteria): current.com/current_points_terms_and_conditions ⁵ Most AllPoint® ATMs are fee-free. To see if an ATM qualifies for fee-free ATM transactions, please check the Mobile App. ⁶ Boost Bonuses are credited to your Savings Pods within 48 hours of enabling the Boost feature and on a daily basis thereafter, provided that the Savings Pod has accrued a Boost Bonus of at least $0.01. No minimum balance required. The Boost rate on Savings Pods is variable and may change at any time. The disclosed rate is effective as of August 1, 2023. Must have $0.01 in Savings Pods to earn a Boost rate of either 0.25% or 4.00% annually on the portion of balances up to $2000 per Savings Pod, up to $6000 total. The remaining balance earns 0.00%. To earn a Boost rate of 4.00%, you must receive at least one Eligible Payroll Deposit equalling a minimum of $200 over a 35-day period. T&C: current.com/boost_terms_of_service

About

Upgrade

Manage your finances with a comprehensive mobile banking app. Access rewards checking, loans, and cards. Track balances, pay bills, monitor credit, and request cash advances.

Highlights
  • Cash back rewards on card purchases
  • Manage personal loans and credit lines
  • Track credit score and receive alerts
  • High-yield savings accounts
  • Cash advance requests
  • Bill payment and balance checking
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Get easy and rewarding mobile banking all in one place! Open a high-yield savings account, check balances, pay bills, track cash back and manage loans, cards and more. Upgrade is a financial technology company, not a bank. • Track Rewards – Earn cash back rewards on credit card purchases¹ • Manage Credit Card, Personal Loan, Flex Pay buy now pay later, Upgrade Card, Auto Finance, Auto Refinance and Home Improvement accounts. Make payments and check your balance. • Sign up for Credit Health to monitor your credit score, get notified of changes, and use our simulator to see how different actions may impact your score. Share feedback at mobile_app_feedback@upgrade.com Personal Loan offers shown assume an APR of 12% and a term of 36 months for Faster Payoff and 48 months for Lower Payment. Personal Loan offers are subject to approval. For more information on Personal Loans through Upgrade visit https://www.upgrade.com/personal-loans/. ¹ Purchases accrue cash back when you pay them back. Certain limitations apply. See Upgrade.com for full Upgrade Cash Back Rewards Program details. All loans, credit cards, personal credit lines, and checking and savings accounts are provided by Upgrade's bank partners (www.upgrade.com/bank-partners/). Upgrade Visa® Cards and Upgrade Visa® Debit Cards are issued by Upgrade's bank partners, pursuant to a license from Visa USA Inc. Upgrade, Inc. (NMLS #1548935) holds the following state licenses (upgrade.com/State-Licenses) and does business under the following DBAs (https://www.upgrade.com/dba). Upgrade is a financial technology company, not a bank (https://www.upgrade.com/help/about-upgrade/overview/is-upgrade-a-bank/).

Screenshots

Current4 screens
Upgrade4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: Current at free against Upgrade's free with in-app purchases. Upgrade's advantage is iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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 Current against 4.9 for Upgrade. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 197K and 84K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 58% of Current's written reviews are positive against 53% of Upgrade's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Current ships an update every 2 weeks, Upgrade every 11 days. Both last shipped on October 26, 2026.

Scorecard2 real differences · 9 level
Current versus Upgrade: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCurrentUpgrade
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (197K ratings)4.9 (84K ratings) — better
Positive reviews58.3% of reviews — better53.0% of reviews
Number of ratings197K — better84K
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 11 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#53 — better#152
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size152 MB93 MB
Age rating12+17+
DeveloperFinco Services, Inc.Upgrade, Inc.

Customer experience

Current

All ratings197,131 ratings
Positive94.6%
Neutral1.5%
Negative3.9%
Written reviews1,157 reviews
Positive58.3%
Neutral4.2%
Negative37.4%

Upgrade

All ratings83,629 ratings
Positive97.3%
Neutral1.5%
Negative1.2%
Written reviews381 reviews
Positive53.0%
Neutral6.3%
Negative40.7%

User reviews

Current

From 197K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Early paycheck deposits
  • 💳 Unique and stylish debit card design
  • 💰 Competitive savings interest rates
  • 🔒 Secure banking experience
  • 💸 Helpful overdraft protection

Room to improve

  • 🕰️ Slow mobile check deposit process
  • 🤖 Inconsistent and impersonal customer service
  • 🔍 Difficulty resolving disputes and fraudulent charges
  • 🔒 Security and account access issues
  • 💳 Limitations on ATM withdrawals and card usage

Upgrade

From 84K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Excellent, easy-to-use app
  • 🔒 Robust fraud prevention
  • 💰 Competitive interest rates and rewards
  • 👍 Seamless account management
  • 🏆 Helpful in improving credit and consolidating debt

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Inconsistent account updates and transaction history
  • 🤔 Unclear policies around credit limit changes
  • ❌ Poor customer service and unresponsive to issues
  • 💳 Card usage issues and unexpected account suspensions
  • 🕰️ Slow processing of payments and deposits

Bugs and requests

Current

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Accounts being locked or suspended without explanation
  • Funds disappearing from accounts with no recourse
  • Recurring issues with mobile check deposits

Requested features

5 requests
  • Joint account and family management tools
  • Expanded mobile check deposit limits
  • Faster response times for customer support
  • More transparent dispute resolution process
  • Improved security and account recovery options

Upgrade

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Login issues and inability to reset passwords
  • Discrepancies between app and website information

Requested features

3 requests
  • Ability to lock/unlock debit and credit cards
  • Instant access to deposited funds
  • Improved app stability and user experience

In-app purchases

None

Current

No in-app purchases

None

Upgrade

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Current free?
Current is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Upgrade free?
Upgrade is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Current or Upgrade?
Upgrade is rated higher. Current averages 4.8 out of 5 from 197K ratings, while Upgrade averages 4.9 from 84K ratings.
Do Current or Upgrade have ads?
Neither Current nor Upgrade shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Current or Upgrade?
Current ships an update every 2 weeks, and Upgrade every 11 days. Most recently, Current was updated on October 26, 2026 and Upgrade on October 26, 2026.
Which is more popular, Current or Upgrade?
Current currently peaks at #53 in the App Store charts, and Upgrade at #152. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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