Apollo Digital vs EthioDirect
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Apollo Digital
Manage all your banking needs with this mobile application. Open an account digitally, transfer funds, pay bills, and access ATM cash disbursement. Enjoy secure transactions with advanced security features and reliable customer support.
- Digital account opening
- Zero fees on digital transactions
- Effortless money transfers
- ATM cash disbursement
- Bill payments
- Scheduled transfers
- Biometric security
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Apollo Mobile App helps you stay in touch with all your banking needs on the go.Want to be in full control of your money with just one app? Meet Apollo App, powered by Bank of Abyssinia, which enables users to open an account from the comfort of their homes. SELF ONBOARDINGApollo comes with a fully digital onboarding process where you can simply take a selfie, upload necessary documents and instantly create a bank account. GET STARTED FASTQuickly access you account thru Apollo app by opening your bank account in 10 minutes - right from your phone. NO FEES ON DIGITAL TRANSACTIONSEnjoy Zero ATM fees, no minimum account balance, and no fund transfer charges from the app TRANSFER EFFORTLESSLYInstantly receive bank transfers in Ethiopia via Apollo App using your phone number. You can also transfer money easily to Apollo accounts, other bank accounts, Telebirr account ATM CASH DISBURSEMENTYou can easily send money to ATM and collect the money directly form any of Bank of Abyssinia ATMs BILL PAYMENTApollo has made paying bills much easier by allowing you to pay your Ethio Telecom, DSTV, US Visa, School Fee, WebSprix, CANAL+, Webirr, and Ethiopian Airlines bills SECURITY Apollo is equipped with state-of-the-art security features that incorporate biometrics, face recognition, and two-factor authentication of an OTP (One-Time-Password) to ensure your deposits are safe and easily accessible SCHEDULED TRANSFERSchedule your recurring payment that occur every week, month or any time interval using Apollo RELIABLE CUSTOMER SUPPORT Our Apollo Specialists are here to help, 7 days a week. Reach us via email or give us a call
EthioDirect
Easily and securely send money internationally to Ethiopia. This service offers a fast and convenient way to transfer funds to family and friends with no transaction fees. Funds are settled quickly after sending.
- International money transfers
- Fast settlement
- Secure transactions
- No transaction fees
- Easy to use
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EthioDirect is an international, fast and secure money transferring method to send money to family, friends, and loved ones from anywhere in the world to Ethiopia. Sending money has never been easier. You can send with a few steps and with no transaction fee. Your money will be settled very quickly once you complete sending.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Apollo Digital at 3.1 against EthioDirect's 2.0. Apollo Digital also leads on review sentiment (30% vs 8%). EthioDirect's advantage is update cadence (every 8 days vs every 2 months). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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.
Apollo Digital holds the better App Store score, 3.1 against 2.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 241 and 108 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 30% of Apollo Digital's written reviews are positive against 8% of EthioDirect's.
Apollo Digital ships an update every 2 months, EthioDirect every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 16, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Apollo Digital | EthioDirect |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.1 (241 ratings) — better | 2.0 (108 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 29.6% of reviews — better | 8.3% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 241 — better | 108 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 8 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 333 MB | 51 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Bank of Abyssinia | Commercial Bank of Ethiopia |
Customer experience
Apollo Digital
EthioDirect
User reviews
Apollo Digital
From 241 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 User-friendly and intuitive interface
- 🚀 Modern digital banking solution
- 💡 Streamlined daily financial tasks
- 🎯 Comprehensive service offerings
- ⭐ Outstanding user experience
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and glitches
- 📱 Severe iOS/iPhone compatibility issues
- 🔓 Login system not functioning properly
- ⏱️ Slow performance and loading times
- 🎨 Outdated and unprofessional UI design
EthioDirect
From 108 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Incredibly convenient
- 🚀 Fast and user friendly
- 👍 Great start for CBE
- 👍 Works as expected
Room to improve
- 🐛 Payment failures
- 🐛 App doesn't work
- 🐛 Frustrating experience
- 🐛 Unreliable banking app
- 🐛 Generic error messages
Bugs and requests
Apollo Digital
Reported bugs
14 issues- Face recognition login rejection
- OTP input field rejects numeric entries
- App crashes during onboarding
- QR code scanning fails after updates
- OTP not copying to clipboard automatically
Show 9 moreShow fewer
- Device registration page freezes
- Keyboard input not registering in OTP fields
- File upload stalls during signup
- Selfie capture takes excessive time on iPhone
- Onboarding data incomplete error loop
- Sign up/login contradictory error messages
- App freezes on non-responsive screens
- JWT authentication issues
- Money transfer stuck in processing
Requested features
7 requests- Apple Face ID biometric authentication
- Loan services on iOS (available on Android)
- Document upload option during signup
- Telebirr transfer functionality restoration
- OTP automatic clipboard copying
Show 2 moreShow fewer
- QR code scanning capability
- Support for diaspora/international users
EthioDirect
Reported bugs
29 issues- App cuts off apartment number from address
- Confirmation code not received via email or phone
- Validation for State/Zip Code not accepting numbers
- Unable to log in after logging out, verification code not received
- App crashes when entering bank account number
Show 24 moreShow fewer
- Transaction fails with generic error message
- App flags transactions for fraud
- App doesn't send confirmation number
- App doesn't work consistently, transfers fail for no apparent reason
- Search and payment submission features are unstable
- App blocks access for 10 minutes after failed attempts
- App charges multiple times
- App doesn't recognize US phone numbers for account creation
- No transaction receipt
- Confirmation codes not received for US phone numbers
- App dies before transaction completion
- Confusing 'Its my Dam' donation category
- Static country code cannot be changed
- App rejects multiple cards
- App doesn't allow sending money
- App withdraws money twice
- App doesn't accept phone numbers outside Ethiopia
- Cannot verify legitimate CBE account
- Doesn't allow using phone number only from Ethiopia
- Transaction status remains pending for days
- No option to cancel pending transactions
- Login issues, verification code not received
- Cannot reset password
- Transaction fails for no reason, error message unclear
Requested features
15 requests- Allow users to specify full address
- Provide a contact phone number for USA users
- Add option to store payment information
- Add option to resend from history
- Fix bug where get receipt sends new transfer email
Show 10 moreShow fewer
- Allow foreign mobile numbers for registration
- Accept numbers for State/Zip Code validation
- Allow users to save payment method and address
- Increase transaction limit
- Add option to cancel pending transactions
- Allow email verification as an alternative
- Fix static country code for users
- Add transaction review before completion
- Fix donation category confusion
- Allow deactivation and restart options
In-app purchases
Apollo Digital
No in-app purchases
EthioDirect
No in-app purchases
