Comparison

PayPal vs BankMobile

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

Head to head
About

PayPal

Securely shop online and in-store, earn rewards with a debit card, send money internationally, and manage subscriptions. Offers purchase protection and flexible payment options like 'Pay in 4'.

Highlights
  • Purchase protection
  • Rewards points on purchases
  • Send and request money
  • Buy Now Pay Later options
  • Package tracking
  • Subscription management
  • Unified financial overview
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

BankMobile

Manage your finances with a digital banking app offering cash back rewards, early direct deposit, and instant money transfers. Easily link external accounts, deposit checks, and pay bills from your mobile device.

Highlights
  • Earn cash back offers
  • Link external accounts
  • Get paid up to 2 days early
  • Send and receive money instantly
  • Lock debit card
  • Mobile check deposit
  • Interest-bearing accounts
Features
Read full description

Smart, digital banking on the move with the BankMobile app. Download the app today and: • Earn cash back Offers! Earn cash back¹ on purchases from merchants at over 40,000 online locations and over 12,000 local locations • Quickly link external accounts with Plaid • Get paid up to 2 days early with direct deposit² • Send and receive money with other BankMobile customers instantly with no fee via MobilePay • Quickly lock your debit card if you misplace it • Add your card to Apple Wallet® • Stay in the know on your account activity with alerts • Check your balance, view recent transactions, and transfer money to and from external accounts • Make your money work for you by taking advantage of our interest-bearing accounts • Deposit your checks in a flash with mobile check deposit • Locate the nearest fee-free Allpoint® ATM³ to withdraw cash • Set up one-time or recurring payments to pay your bills 1 See Cash Back Terms and Conditions for further details. Merchants listed in the Offers sections are in no way affiliated with BM Technologies, Inc., nor are they considered sponsors or co-sponsors of the program. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Earned cash back will be credited to your BankMobile checking account within ninety (90) calendar days from the time the qualifying transaction has been posted to your BankMobile checking account. 2 Funds from payroll-related direct deposits may be made available up to two days early. Early access to payroll deposits applies to the direct deposit of funds from your employer. Employer direct deposits vary and, as a result, it is not possible to guarantee early access to your pay. Factors that will affect this include the sender’s deposit description used and the timing of their submission of deposit. In order to provide this service, we generally post such details on the same business day we receive the notice that the deposit is scheduled, which may be up to two (2) business days earlier than the payer’s scheduled payment date. In general, benefit checks (direct deposit or otherwise) from the federal or state government will not be eligible for early access based on the parameters we use. As an example, benefits that generally would not receive early access include but are not limited to unemployment, retirement, pension, civil service, railroad retirement and veteran’s payments. 3 Allpoint® ATM location, availability, and hours of operations may vary by merchant and is subject to change. © 2026 BM Technologies, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of First Carolina Bank, Member FDIC and Equal Housing Lender. BankMobile banking products and banking services are provided by First Carolina Bank. All Rights Reserved. The BankMobile Debit Mastercard® card is issued and administered by First Carolina Bank pursuant to license from Mastercard International Incorporated. The card is administered by First Carolina Bank. Mastercard and the Mastercard brand mark are registered trademarks of Mastercard International Incorporated. All other names and logos are owned by their respective owners.

Screenshots

PayPal4 screens
BankMobile4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: BankMobile at none against PayPal's shown. BankMobile also leads on monetization model (free vs ad-supported). PayPal's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (6.3M vs 35K). On price, rating, review sentiment 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 4.7 for BankMobile. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PayPal has 6.3M ratings behind it against 35K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 21% of PayPal's written reviews are positive against 27% of BankMobile's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PayPal ships an update weekly, BankMobile every 2 months. Both last shipped on November 11, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
PayPal versus BankMobile: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPayPalBankMobile
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (6.3M ratings) — better4.7 (35K ratings)
Positive reviews20.7% of reviews27.4% of reviews — better
Number of ratings6.3M — better35K
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 2 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationAd-supportedFree — better
Best chart rank#3 — better—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS17.416.7 — better
Further details — not scored
Size806 MB85 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPayPal, Inc.BM TECHNOLOGIES, INC.

Customer experience

PayPal

All ratings6,299,200 ratings
Positive95.2%
Neutral1.8%
Negative3.1%
Written reviews6,050 reviews
Positive20.7%
Neutral5.1%
Negative74.1%

BankMobile

All ratings33,712 ratings
Positive93.0%
Neutral2.0%
Negative5.0%
Written reviews481 reviews
Positive27.4%
Neutral6.4%
Negative66.1%

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

BankMobile

From 35K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Immediate fund transfers
  • 👍 User-friendly app
  • 🚀 Fast check deposits
  • 🔒 Secure account
  • 👍 Convenient mobile banking

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Unreliable app performance
  • 💰 Excessive fees
  • 🚫 Limited ATM access
  • 🔒 Restricted account access
  • 🤬 Poor customer service

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

BankMobile

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Frequent app crashes and freezes
  • Inconsistent account balance updates
  • Issues with mobile check deposits
  • Unreliable fund transfer functionality

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to easily transfer funds to external accounts
  • Option to pause or cancel recurring transfers
  • Improved in-app notifications for account activity
  • Expanded ATM network for fee-free withdrawals

In-app purchases

None

PayPal

No in-app purchases

None

BankMobile

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is PayPal free?
PayPal is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is BankMobile free?
BankMobile is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, PayPal or BankMobile?
PayPal is rated higher. PayPal averages 4.8 out of 5 from 6.3M ratings, while BankMobile averages 4.7 from 35K ratings.
Do PayPal or BankMobile have ads?
PayPal shows ads; BankMobile does not.
Which is updated more often, PayPal or BankMobile?
PayPal ships an update weekly, and BankMobile every 2 months. Most recently, PayPal was updated on November 11, 2026 and BankMobile on November 11, 2026.

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