EthioDirect vs Mela Merchant
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
Mela Merchant
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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
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: EthioDirect at fortnightly against Mela Merchant's every 3 months. Mela Merchant's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.1). On price, ads, 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
EthioDirect ships an update fortnightly, Mela Merchant every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | EthioDirect | Mela Merchant |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.0 (114 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 9.7% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 114 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Every 3 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 51 MB | 20 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Commercial Bank of Ethiopia | Mela Finance Inc |
Bugs and requests
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
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- 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
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- 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
Mela Merchant
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
EthioDirect
No in-app purchases
Mela Merchant
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is EthioDirect free?
Is Mela Merchant free?
Do EthioDirect or Mela Merchant have ads?
Which is updated more often, EthioDirect or Mela Merchant?
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