# EthioDirect vs Mela Merchant

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | EthioDirect | Mela Merchant |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[2.0 (114 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ethiodirect/id1602064491/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **114** | — |
| Positive reviews | 9.7% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Size | 51 MB | 20 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Commercial Bank of Ethiopia](https://appshunter.io/developer/790022975) | [Mela Finance Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/1769501378) |

## What reviewers say

### EthioDirect

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ethiodirect/id1602064491)

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.

**Highlights:** International money transfers, Fast settlement, Secure transactions, No transaction fees, Easy to use

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Incredibly convenient
- 🚀 Fast and user friendly
- 👍 Great start for CBE
- 👍 Works as expected

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Payment failures
- 🐛 App doesn't work
- 🐛 Frustrating experience
- 🐛 Unreliable banking app
- 🐛 Generic error messages

**Reported bugs**

- 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

**Requested features**

- 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


### Mela Merchant

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mela-merchant/id6762823331)

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is EthioDirect free?

EthioDirect 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 EthioDirect or Mela Merchant have ads?

Neither EthioDirect nor Mela Merchant shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, EthioDirect or Mela Merchant?

EthioDirect ships an update fortnightly, and Mela Merchant every 3 months. Most recently, EthioDirect was updated on October 27, 2026 and Mela Merchant on October 25, 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.*