# TIAA vs Northwestern Mutual

The clearest difference is rating: Northwestern Mutual at 4.8 against TIAA's 4.6. Northwestern Mutual also leads on review sentiment (48% vs 35%). TIAA's advantage is iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.0). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Northwestern Mutual holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 8.3K and 12K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 35% of TIAA's written reviews are positive against 48% of Northwestern Mutual's.

TIAA ships an update monthly, Northwestern Mutual fortnightly. Both last shipped on November 1, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | TIAA | Northwestern Mutual |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (8.3K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tiaa/id341447597/reviews) | **[4.8 (12K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/northwestern-mutual/id1132579006/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 8.3K | **12K** |
| Positive reviews | 35.0% of reviews | **47.9% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 166 MB | 119 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.0** | 18.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [TIAA](https://appshunter.io/developer/341447600) | [Northwestern Mutual](https://appshunter.io/developer/1132579005) |

## What reviewers say

### TIAA

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tiaa/id341447597)

Manage your retirement and brokerage accounts securely with this app. Monitor investments, track fund performance, and trade equities, ETFs, and mutual funds. Set financial goals and access support tools.

**Highlights:** Secure login (password, Touch ID, Face ID), Investment and retirement plan management, Brokerage trading (equities, ETFs, mutual funds), Financial goal monitoring, Peek View for portfolio balances, Access to support and statements, Apple Watch integration

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Siri integration, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Convenient access to accounts
- 🔒 Secure with Face ID/Touch ID
- 💡 Helpful for tracking investments

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy and glitchy
- 🔍 Difficult to navigate
- 🔍 Missing key features from website
- 🔍 Cluttered and unintuitive UI

**Reported bugs**

- Login issues and session expiration
- Inconsistent display of account information
- Unreliable check deposit functionality
- Compatibility problems on certain devices

**Requested features**

- Add dark mode option
- Improve performance and stability
- Provide more customization options
- Streamline navigation and information access
- Integrate more advanced investment tools


### Northwestern Mutual

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/northwestern-mutual/id1132579006)

Manage your investment and insurance accounts, make payments, and track your net worth. Consolidate all your financial accounts in one place to monitor spending and view your overall financial health.

**Highlights:** View investment performance and transactions, Access insurance policy details, Make premium payments, Enroll in autopay, Consolidate all financial accounts, Categorize and monitor transactions, Track net worth

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Simple interface
- 👍 User-friendly
- 🚀 Helps track finances
- 🚀 Consolidates financial information
- 🔒 Secure app

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Limited functionality
- 🐛 Unreliable account linking
- 🐛 Frequent login issues
- 🐛 Outdated or inaccurate data
- 🐛 Buggy and crashes often

**Reported bugs**

- Login verification issues
- Disconnected accounts
- Unreliable data synchronization
- Enrollment in autopay not working

**Requested features**

- Ability to arrange accounts
- More customization options
- Improved charting and analytics
- Cryptocurrency account integration
- Enhanced document access


## Frequently asked questions

### Is TIAA free?

TIAA is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Northwestern Mutual free?

Northwestern Mutual is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, TIAA or Northwestern Mutual?

Northwestern Mutual is rated higher. TIAA averages 4.6 out of 5 from 8.3K ratings, while Northwestern Mutual averages 4.8 from 12K ratings.

### Do TIAA or Northwestern Mutual have ads?

Neither TIAA nor Northwestern Mutual shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, TIAA or Northwestern Mutual?

TIAA ships an update monthly, and Northwestern Mutual fortnightly. Most recently, TIAA was updated on November 1, 2026 and Northwestern Mutual on November 1, 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.*