Comparison

PayPal vs Discover Mobile

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

Head to head
About

PayPal

Manage your finances with a secure app for online and in-store shopping, sending money globally, and earning cash back. It also offers savings accounts, cryptocurrency trading, and package tracking.

Highlights
  • Send and receive money globally
  • Earn cash back offers
  • Request a debit card
  • Buy, sell, and hold cryptocurrency
  • High-yield savings accounts
  • Track packages
Features
Read full description

PayPal is a smart way to securely shop in-store and online, earn rewards points on brands you love, send money and much more.​ SHOP WITH PURCHASE PROTECTION Get built-in protection before and after you buy, with support when something doesn't go as planned. *PayPal Purchase Protection is available on eligible transactions. See terms and limitations: https://www.paypal.com/us/legalhub/paypal/buyer-protection​ EARN POINTS ON EVERYDAY PURCHASES WITH THE PAYPAL DEBIT CARD   Choose a monthly category and earn 5% back in rewards points on up to $1000 spend/month. Terms apply: http://paypal.com/rewardspal  No monthly fees. The PayPal Debit Mastercard® is issued by The Bancorp Bank N.A. ("The Bancorp"), pursuant to a license by Mastercard International Incorporated and may be used everywhere Mastercard is accepted. Mastercard and the circles design are registered trademarks of Mastercard International Incorporated. The Bancorp is issuer of the Card only and not responsible for the associated accounts or other products, services, or offers from PayPal. PayPal is a financial technology company, not a bank. The Card is linked to your PayPal Balance account. See PayPal Balance Terms and Conditions: https://www.paypal.com/us/legalhub/pp-balance-tnc#holding​ SEND AND REQUEST MONEY, SECURELY & IN SECONDS Send money fast within the US and internationally to 110+ countries. Encrypted payments help keep financial details private and secure.​ BUY NOW PAY LATER In store single-use card is valid for one purchase and must be used within 24 hours of loan approval. *Pay in 4 is available upon approval for purchases of $10 - $2000 and is currently not available to residents of MO. 18 years old or older to apply. The lender for Pay in 4 is PayPal, Inc. (NMLS #910457).  Loans to CA residents are made or arranged pursuant to a CA Financing Law License. RI Small Loan Lender Licensee. NM residents: Go to paypal.com/us/webapps/mpp/campaigns/newmexicodisclosure. Learn more at paypal.com/payin4. TRACK YOUR PACKAGES View orders and delivery status until they arrive safely at your door. Not all sellers are participants.​   MANAGE YOUR SUBSCRIPTION ALL IN ONE APP The easy way to link and track all your subscriptions. ALL YOUR MONEY AND TRANSACTIONS IN ONE PLACE The new Me Tab lets you navigate your money, accounts, and settings right where you’d expect them. PayPal 2211 N 1st St San Jose, CA 95131

About

Discover Mobile

Manage your Discover credit card and bank accounts securely from anywhere. Check balances, view transactions, make payments, redeem rewards, and deposit checks. Access your FICO score and freeze your account for added security.

Highlights
  • Account balance and transaction viewing
  • Payment management and scheduling
  • Rewards redemption
  • FICO Credit Score access
  • Account freezing
  • Mobile check deposit
  • Secure messaging
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

You can manage your Discover credit card and bank accounts conveniently and securely from anywhere, using Discover’s Mobile App. Check your account balance, view your account info, make and edit payments, add your card into Apple Pay, manage your rewards, and more - all from your mobile device. FAST ACCOUNT ACCESS • Log in quickly with a 4-digit Passcode • Log in faster with Discover Touch ID, available for users with Discover passcode enabled on an eligible device – not supported on modified or jailbroken devices MANAGE YOUR DISCOVER CREDIT CARD ACCOUNT • Check your balance and available credit, and view or download monthly statements • View and search transaction activity • Make payments and edit or cancel pending payments • Redeem rewards, in any amount, as a statement credit towards your monthly bill, including your minimum payment due • Redeem rewards, in any amount, as an electronic deposit to your bank account • Redeem rewards for gift cards starting at only $5. Plus, get an added bonus on every card • Link your Discover card to your Amazon and PayPal accounts to make it easier to earn and pay with rewards for eligible purchases at checkout • View your FICO® Credit Score* for free and learn what it means to lenders *See FICO® Credit Score terms at Discover.com/FICO • Freeze or unfreeze your account to prevent new purchases, cash advances, and balance transfers • Add your card into Apple Pay to use for purchases in-store on eligible devices with iOS 9 • Send and receive messages from Discover Customer Service • View and edit your account profile • Activate a new card or report a current card as lost, stolen or misplaced • Use the Travel Notification feature to help ensure uninterrupted use of your card while traveling • Sign up to receive alerts about your account MANAGE YOUR DISCOVER BANK DEPOSIT ACCOUNT AND PERSONAL LOAN ACCOUNT • View account balances, summary and transaction history • Track account activity and schedule transactions • Transfer money • Pay bills • Deposit checks • Find ATMs - Nationwide ATMs available to use your Discover debit card • View statements • View and send secure messages • Make Personal Loan payments Zelle and the Zelle related marks are wholly owned by Early Warning Services, LLC and are used herein under license. 

Mobile Privacy Statement: https://www.discover.com/privacy-statement 

 Mobile Terms of Use:  https://www.discover.com/credit-cards/help-center/discover-terms-of-use.html

Screenshots

PayPal4 screens
Discover Mobile4 screens

Verdict

The call

PayPal and Discover Mobile both sit at 4.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 64% of Discover Mobile's written reviews are positive against 21% of PayPal's. Discover Mobile also leads on ads (none vs shown) and monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). PayPal's advantage is chart position (#5 vs #99) and update cadence (weekly vs fortnightly). On price, rating, ratings volume 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.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for PayPal against 4.9 for Discover Mobile. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 6.3M and 5.2M respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 21% of PayPal's written reviews are positive against 64% of Discover Mobile's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PayPal ships an update weekly, Discover Mobile fortnightly. Both last shipped on September 25, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
PayPal versus Discover Mobile: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPayPalDiscover Mobile
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (6.3M ratings)4.9 (5.2M ratings) — better
Positive reviews21.4% of reviews63.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings6.3M — better5.2M
Update frequencyWeekly — betterFortnightly
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank#5 — better#99
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS17.416.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size767 MB190 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPayPal, Inc.Discover Financial Services

Customer experience

PayPal

All ratings6,298,685 ratings
Positive95.2%
Neutral1.8%
Negative3.0%
Written reviews5,638 reviews
Positive21.4%
Neutral5.1%
Negative73.5%

Discover Mobile

All ratings5,214,295 ratings
Positive97.4%
Neutral1.3%
Negative1.3%
Written reviews4,061 reviews
Positive63.5%
Neutral5.7%
Negative30.8%

User reviews

PayPal

From 6.3M App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Extremely effective and reliable crypto recovery service
  • 🔒 Secure payment processing
  • 💰 Convenient way to send and receive money
  • 👍 Easy to use app with simple interface

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Inconsistent customer support responses
  • 🕰️ Slow money transfer times
  • 💳 Holds on funds for new accounts
  • 🤖 Overly automated with lack of human interaction

Discover Mobile

From 5.2M App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Excellent customer service
  • 🚀 Smooth and easy-to-use app
  • 💳 Great credit card with rewards
  • 🔒 Secure and reliable
  • 💳 Helpful for building credit

Room to improve

  • 🐛 App crashes and bugs
  • 🤖 Poor customer service and unresponsive to issues
  • 💳 Difficult to get credit limit increases
  • 💳 Unfair credit reporting practices
  • 💳 Holding funds hostage and difficult to access money

Bugs and requests

PayPal

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Account limitations and freezes with unclear reasons
  • Issues linking bank accounts and cards
  • Problems with refunds and chargebacks

Requested features

4 requests
  • Faster money transfers
  • More transparent policies and fees
  • Improved dispute resolution process
  • Better customer service accessibility

Discover Mobile

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • App crashes on launch for some users
  • Inconsistent behavior when scheduling payments
  • Incorrect credit score reporting and account information

Requested features

4 requests
  • Allow more than 3 weeks of transaction history in the app
  • Improve login process and Face ID/Touch ID functionality
  • Provide more transparency and control over account settings
  • Enhance international usage and support

In-app purchases

None

PayPal

No in-app purchases

None

Discover Mobile

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is PayPal free?
PayPal is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Discover Mobile free?
Discover Mobile is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, PayPal or Discover Mobile?
Discover Mobile is rated higher. PayPal averages 4.8 out of 5 from 6.3M ratings, while Discover Mobile averages 4.9 from 5.2M ratings.
Do PayPal or Discover Mobile have ads?
PayPal shows ads; Discover Mobile does not.
Which is updated more often, PayPal or Discover Mobile?
PayPal ships an update weekly, and Discover Mobile fortnightly. Most recently, PayPal was updated on September 25, 2026 and Discover Mobile on September 25, 2026.
Which is more popular, PayPal or Discover Mobile?
PayPal currently peaks at #5 in the App Store charts, and Discover Mobile at #99. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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