# Cowry vs Access Buddy

The clearest difference is rating: Access Buddy at 3.8 against Cowry's 3.4. Access Buddy also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). Cowry's advantage is ratings volume (58 vs 5). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

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

Access Buddy holds the better App Store score, 3.8 against 3.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Cowry has 58 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 55% of Cowry's written reviews are positive against 50% of Access Buddy's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Cowry ships an update every 2 months, Access Buddy every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Cowry | Access Buddy |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.4 (58 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cowry-payments-app/id1556632029/reviews) | **[3.8 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/access-buddy/id6445888744/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **58** | 5 |
| Positive reviews | **54.5% of reviews** | 50.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 88 MB | 45 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **14.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Touch and Pay Technologies Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/1556632031) | [Access Pensions](https://appshunter.io/developer/1674515596) |

## What reviewers say

### Cowry

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cowry-payments-app/id1556632029)

Manage your micro-transaction payments easily. Top up credit via bank transfers or cash, track your payment history, and view your balance. Transfer credit to friends and family, and receive low balance notifications.

**Highlights:** Top up credit via bank transfers or cash, Check payment history, View pay as you go balance, Transfer credit to friends and family, Airtime recharge, Low balance notifications, Scan bus QR codes

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Access Buddy

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/access-buddy/id6445888744)

Manage your Retirement Savings Account on the go. Access account balances, view transactions, request statements, and track benefit applications. Connect with customer support and find branch locations.

**Highlights:** Access RSA balance, View transaction details, Request RSA statement, Track benefits application status, Locate branch offices, Live chat support

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Cowry free?

Cowry is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Access Buddy free?

Access Buddy is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Cowry or Access Buddy?

Access Buddy is rated higher. Cowry averages 3.4 out of 5 from 58 ratings, while Access Buddy averages 3.8 from 5 ratings.

### Do Cowry or Access Buddy have ads?

Neither Cowry nor Access Buddy shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Cowry or Access Buddy?

Cowry ships an update every 2 months, and Access Buddy every 3 weeks. Most recently, Cowry was updated on October 24, 2026 and Access Buddy on October 30, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*