Comparison

Self vs Settle

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

Head to head
About

Self

Build credit and grow savings with a secured credit card or credit builder account. This tool helps establish better financial habits and offers a path to credit with no initial credit check. Report rent, utility, and cell phone payments to credit bureaus.

Highlights
  • Secured Self Visa® Credit Card with no credit check
  • Credit Builder Account to improve credit score
  • Report rent, utility, and cell phone payments
  • Credit monitoring by TransUnion
  • Savings unlocked after Credit Builder Account completion
  • Cancel anytime
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Build credit and grow savings or use the secured Self Visa® Credit Card to build credit. Starting fresh or needing a credit builder? Self can help you create better financial habits and put you in control of your finances. All credit scores are welcome. THE SECURED CARD WITH NO CREDIT CHECK - Add the secured Self Visa® Credit Card* to your toolkit - No credit check required - High approval rates - Control your credit limit - Build credit with all 3 credit bureaus - Use everywhere Visa is accepted in the US BUILD CREDIT & SAVINGS TOGETHER - Sign up for a Credit Builder Account¶, and lift your credit score by 47 points, on average‡ - Plans start at $25/mo.§ - Unlock your savings at the end, minus interest and fees - No credit score req. - No credit check GET THE CREDIT YOU DESERVE FOR RENT, CELL PHONE BILLS AND MORE‖ - Build credit with cell phone, water, electricity, gas, and rent payments for $6.95/mo.¹ - On time rent payments reported to Experian, Equifax & TransUnion - On time utility & cell phone payments reported to TransUnion - Credit monitoring by TransUnion - No credit check - Cancel any time DISCLOSURES *Self is not a bank. The secured Self Visa® Credit Card is issued by Lead Bank, Sunrise Banks, N.A., or First Century Bank, N.A. each Member FDIC. Qualification for the secured Self Visa® Credit Card is based on meeting eligibility requirements, including income and expense requirements and establishment of security interest. Criteria subject to change. Intro Offer: $0 annual fee for the first year only, $25 annual fee thereafter. Variable APR of 27.74% as of 10/1/2026. Offer valid for new customers only. Self Plus Credit Card issued by Lead Bank or Sunrise Banks, N.A. See Self.inc for details. Fees Apply. ¶Credit Builder Accounts & Certificates of Deposit made/held by Lead Bank, Sunrise Banks, N.A., or First Century Bank, N.A., Members FDIC. See self.inc/credit-builder-loan for details, rates and fees. ‡Based on a 2025 TransUnion® study, customers who opened a 24 month Self Credit Builder Account in Q1 2024 with a starting VantageScore 3.0 under 600 and made on-time payments, saw an average VantageScore 3.0 increase of 47 by month 12. Results will vary, Self does not guarantee a score increase. Late/missed payments on other Self products and other credit obligations can lower scores even if Credit Builder Account payments are made on time. §Minimum and maximum repayment period for all loan products is 24 months. Maximum Annual Percentage Rate (APR) of all loan products is 15.92%. Sample loans: $25/mo, 24 mos, 15.92% APR; $35/mo, 24 mos, 15.69% APR; $48/mo, 24 mos, 15.51% APR; $150/mo, 24 mos, 15.82% APR. Variable admin fee of $1-$5 may apply. See self.inc/pricing. ¹Rent payments are reported to Experian, Equifax & TransUnion. Utility & cell phone payments are reported to TransUnion. ‖Results vary. You may not receive an improved credit score. Not all lenders use scores impacted by rent/utility payments. Self Financial, Inc. PO Box 11, Southlake, TX 76092-9998

About

Settle

Features
Read full description

Settle makes splitting the bill and tracking IOUs effortless. Tip Calculator Calculate the tip in seconds. Choose 15%, 18%, 20%, 25%, or enter a custom percentage. Split between any number of people instantly. Enable smart rounding to round each share up to the nearest dollar — no awkward change. IOU Tracker Log who owes who, add a description, and mark debts as settled when you're done. Settle automatically calculates the running net balance per person, so if you have multiple IOUs with the same person it shows what's actually owed. Syncs across your devices with iCloud. No account. No login. Just open it and go.

Screenshots

Self4 screens
Settle4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Self at none against Settle's shown. Self also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 4 months) and chart position (#166 vs unranked). On price, in-app purchases and device support 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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Self ships an update fortnightly, Settle every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on November 10, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Self versus Settle: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSelfSettle
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (340K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews54.2% of reviews—
Number of ratings340K — better—
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
Best chart rank#166 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.5 — better26.1
Further details — not scored
Size113 MB5 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSelf Lender, Inc.Logan Whitcomb

Bugs and requests

Self

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Autopay failures
  • Unexplained account closures

Requested features

4 requests
  • Faster payout process after loan completion
  • More transparency around fees and policies
  • Improved autopay reliability
  • Ability to easily close accounts

Settle

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Self

No in-app purchases

None

Settle

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Self free?
Self is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Settle free?
Settle is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Self or Settle have ads?
Settle shows ads; Self does not.
Which is updated more often, Self or Settle?
Self ships an update fortnightly, and Settle every 4 months. Most recently, Self was updated on November 10, 2026 and Settle on October 31, 2026.

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