Comparison

Apollo Digital vs Mela Merchant

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Digital account opening
  • Zero fees on digital transactions
  • Effortless money transfers
  • ATM cash disbursement
  • Bill payments
  • Scheduled transfers
  • Biometric security
Features
Read full description

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

About

Mela Merchant

Features
Read full description

Accept mobile payments instantly with Mela Merchant. Mela Merchant is the companion app for accepting payments in the Mela Finance ecosystem. Designed for merchants and business owners, it simplifies payment collection, eliminates cash handling complexity, and gives you complete visibility into your sales. KEY FEATURES • Create payment requests in seconds with customer details and notes • Generate QR codes for customers to pay instantly from the Mela app • Track real-time payment status—from request creation to completion • View detailed transaction history with powerful search and filtering • Access your sales dashboard for immediate insights into daily revenue • Manage your team with role-based staff permissions • Secure login with encrypted token storage and password management WHY MELA MERCHANT • Fast & Secure — All transactions use encrypted, bank-level security • Transparent — See every transaction, tip, and sale in real time • Integrated — Works seamlessly with Mela's consumer payment app • Built for Ethiopia — Designed for local payment needs and Ethiopian fintech Start accepting payments today with Mela Merchant.

Screenshots

Apollo Digital4 screens
Mela Merchant4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Mela Merchant at 13.0 against Apollo Digital's 15.0. On price, update cadence, 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

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

Apollo Digital ships an update every 2 months, Mela Merchant every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Apollo Digital versus Mela Merchant: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterApollo DigitalMela Merchant
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.0 (264 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews29.2% of reviews—
Number of ratings264 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS15.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size334 MB20 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBank of AbyssiniaMela Finance Inc

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 more
  • 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 more
  • QR code scanning capability
  • Support for diaspora/international users

Mela Merchant

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Apollo Digital

No in-app purchases

None

Mela Merchant

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Apollo Digital free?
Apollo Digital is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Mela Merchant free?
Mela Merchant is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Apollo Digital or Mela Merchant have ads?
Neither Apollo Digital nor Mela Merchant shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Apollo Digital or Mela Merchant?
Apollo Digital ships an update every 2 months, and Mela Merchant every 3 months. Most recently, Apollo Digital was updated on October 24, 2026 and Mela Merchant on October 14, 2026.

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