FTB Mobile vs SamCERA
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
FTB Mobile
Check the status of your California state income tax refund. Make secure online tax payments directly from your bank account, with options to pay immediately or schedule for the future.
- Check refund status
- Make online tax payments
- Schedule future payments
- Pay from bank account
- No registration required
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The FTB Mobile App is an official app of the Franchise Tax Board. Refund Status Check the refund status of your California state income tax return. Make a Payment Use Web Pay to pay your taxes online from your bank account. No registration required. Pay today or schedule payments up to one year in advance.
SamCERA
Manage your retirement accounts with 24/7 access to your SamCERA information. Plan, manage, and live better in retirement with tools for estimates, beneficiary management, and secure document uploads.
- 24/7 account access
- Estimate tools
- Beneficiary management
- Tax information
- Secure messaging
- Document uploads
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SamCERA Mobile is the new, self-service app created specifically for active and retired SamCERA members. By providing 24/7 access to your SamCERA account information and offering a robust set of management tools, SamCERA Mobile makes it effortless for members to plan, manage, and live better in retirement from anywhere. ■ How SamCERA Mobile makes it easier to get things done - Effortless, Secure Login - 24/7 access to your SamCERA account information - Quick, Detailed, and Saved Estimate Tools - Beneficiaries & Allocation Management Tools - 1099 Tax Information At-A-Glance - Payment Dates - Member Statements - Reciprocity Management - Service Credit Management - Secure Messaging - Secure Digital Document Uploads - Smart FAQs - and much more ■ What you need to get started: - If you already have a MySamCERA login, your current login credentials will work on the app too. - If this is your first time using SamCERA’s pension self-service tools, the new registration wizard will have you up and running in minutes without ever having to call customer service.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: SamCERA at 5.0 against FTB Mobile's 2.4. SamCERA also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 13 months). FTB Mobile's advantage is ratings volume (40 vs 4) and iOS requirement (12.2 vs 15.1). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
SamCERA holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 2.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: FTB Mobile has 40 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two.
FTB Mobile ships an update every 13 months, SamCERA every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 4, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | FTB Mobile | SamCERA |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.4 (40 ratings) | 5.0 (4 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 40 — better | 4 |
| Update frequency | Every 13 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.2 — better | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 50 MB | 37 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Franchise Tax Board | Planeteria |
Customer experience
FTB Mobile
SamCERA
In-app purchases
FTB Mobile
No in-app purchases
SamCERA
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is FTB Mobile free?
Is SamCERA free?
Which has better reviews, FTB Mobile or SamCERA?
Do FTB Mobile or SamCERA have ads?
Which is updated more often, FTB Mobile or SamCERA?
Other comparisons
