Comparison

TIAA vs READYSAVE 529

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

Head to head
About

TIAA

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
Read full description

Manage your retirement and brokerage accounts using the TIAA mobile app. The app provides quick and secure access to all your TIAA finances and puts 100 years of top money management into the palm of your hand. The TIAA mobile app includes: • Security: Use your password, Touch ID, or Face ID to log in • Investment and retirement plan management: Monitor your account activity, contributions, and asset allocation; transfer money between funds in your retirement plan, fund a new brokerage account and track fund performance. • Brokerage trading: Buy and sell equities, ETFs, and mutual funds. • Goals: Monitor savings to achieve your financial goals. • Peek View: View your total portfolio and balances without logging in. • Contact TIAA & Support: Contact a professional or have quick access to all of our support tools and services, view tax forms and other statements. • Apple Watch: View your total portfolio and balances from your wrist. TIAA Brokerage, a division of TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC, Member FINRA and SIPC, distributes securities. Brokerage accounts are carried by Pershing, LLC, a subsidiary of The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation, Member FINRA, NYSE, SIPC. TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC, Member FINRA, distributes securities products. Annuity contracts and certificates are issued by Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America (TIAA) and College Retirement Equities Fund (CREF), New York, NY. Each is solely responsible for its own financial condition and contractual obligations.

About

READYSAVE 529

Manage your education savings plan account on the go. Securely access your 529 plan, track investments, and make contributions. Withdraw funds for education expenses starting July 2025.

Highlights
  • Secure 529 account access
  • View balance and transaction history
  • Add one-time or recurring contributions
  • Track investment allocations
  • Invite others to contribute
  • Withdraw funds for education expenses (July 2025)
Read full description

Manage your education savings plan account anywhere, anytime with the READYSAVE 529 mobile app. The app makes it easier than ever to: • Securely access your 529 plan account • Check your account balance, transaction history, and investment allocations • Add money to your balance as a one-time or recurring contribution • See how your savings stack up to others in your plan • Easily invite friends and family to help give your savings a boost • NEW (starting July 2025)– Take money out of your 529 account to pay for education expenses by sending payment directly to a school or university, or to a selected bank Participants in the following 529 programs can use the READYSAVE 529 mobile app to access their account: • Alaska 529* • Achieve Montana + • Arkansas Brighter Future 529 Plan* + • Bright Start 529 College Savings Plan (Illinois)* + • CollegeBound Saver (Rhode Island) + • Indiana529 Direct Savings Plan + • CollegeInvest (Colorado)* + • ISave 529 (Iowa)* + • College SAVE (North Dakota) + • DC College Savings Plan* + • The Education Plan (New Mexico)* + • Edvest College Savings Plan (Wisconsin)* + • HI529 – Hawaii’s College Savings Program* + • IDeal – Idaho College Savings Program* + • KY Saves 529* + • Learning Quest 529 Education Savings Program (Kansas)* • Maryland 529* + • Michigan Education Savings Program* + • Minnesota College Savings Plan* + • MOST – Missouri’s 529 Education Plan* + • NJBEST – (New Jersey) + • NY’s 529 College Savings Program + • Ohio’s 529 College Advantage* + • Oklahoma 529 College Savings Plan* + • PA 529 Investment Plan* + • Path2College 529 Plan (Georgia)* + • ScholarShare 529 (California) + • SMART529 (West Virginia) + • SMART529 Select (West Virginia) + • Future Path 529 Plan (Nevada)* + • T. Rowe Price College Savings Plan* + • TNStars* + * Denotes that users can enroll in the plan directly from the app + Denotes that users can withdraw money from their account to pay for education expenses

Screenshots

TIAA4 screens
READYSAVE 5294 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ratings volume: READYSAVE 529 at 30K against TIAA's 8.3K. READYSAVE 529 also leads on iOS requirement (14.0 vs 16.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and update cadence 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

READYSAVE 529 holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 8.3K and 30K respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 35% of TIAA's written reviews are positive against 31% of READYSAVE 529's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly monthly. Both last shipped on October 29, 2026.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
TIAA versus READYSAVE 529: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTIAAREADYSAVE 529
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (8.3K ratings)4.7 (30K ratings) — better
Positive reviews35.0% of reviews — better30.8% of reviews
Number of ratings8.3K30K — better
Update frequencyMonthlyMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS16.014.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size166 MB36 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTIAAAscensus

Customer experience

TIAA

All ratings8,315 ratings
Positive91.0%
Neutral3.1%
Negative6.0%
Written reviews320 reviews
Positive35.0%
Neutral18.1%
Negative46.9%

READYSAVE 529

All ratings29,596 ratings
Positive93.2%
Neutral2.2%
Negative4.6%
Written reviews571 reviews
Positive30.8%
Neutral15.6%
Negative53.6%

User reviews

TIAA

From 8.3K App Store ratings

What we love

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

Room to improve

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

READYSAVE 529

From 30K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Easy to use
  • 👍 Convenient for tracking 529 plans
  • 💡 Allows recurring contributions
  • 🚀 Fast and responsive
  • 👍 User-friendly interface

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Buggy and unreliable
  • 🔍 Limited functionality compared to website
  • 🔍 Lacks key features like performance tracking and withdrawal options
  • 🔍 Recurring contributions not flexible enough
  • 🔍 Difficult to find and navigate the app

Bugs and requests

TIAA

Reported bugs

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

Requested features

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

READYSAVE 529

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Login issues with Face ID and password saving
  • Inconsistent behavior when making changes to accounts
  • Delayed processing of contributions and gifts
  • Navigation issues within the app

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add ability to view individual investment performance
  • Provide more detailed information on fund allocations and investment options
  • Allow withdrawals and distributions from the app
  • Implement alerts for when relatives contribute to accounts
  • Support for tracking multiple 529 accounts across different states

In-app purchases

None

TIAA

No in-app purchases

None

READYSAVE 529

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is TIAA free?
TIAA is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is READYSAVE 529 free?
READYSAVE 529 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, TIAA or READYSAVE 529?
READYSAVE 529 is rated higher. TIAA averages 4.6 out of 5 from 8.3K ratings, while READYSAVE 529 averages 4.7 from 30K ratings.
Do TIAA or READYSAVE 529 have ads?
Neither TIAA nor READYSAVE 529 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, TIAA or READYSAVE 529?
TIAA ships an update monthly, and READYSAVE 529 monthly. Most recently, TIAA was updated on October 29, 2026 and READYSAVE 529 on October 29, 2026.

Other comparisons