# Venmo vs Chime®

Venmo and Chime® both sit at 4.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 61% of Chime®'s written reviews are positive against 14% of Venmo's. Venmo's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (15M vs 1.6M). On price, rating, update cadence and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

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

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Venmo against 4.8 for Chime®. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Venmo has 15M ratings behind it against 1.6M, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 14% of Venmo's written reviews are positive against 61% of Chime®'s.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly weekly. Both last shipped on October 26, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Venmo | Chime® |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (15M ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/venmo/id351727428/reviews)** | [4.8 (1.6M ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chime-mobile-banking/id836215269/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **15M** | 1.6M |
| Positive reviews | 14.4% of reviews | **61.1% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Weekly | Weekly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#4** | #9 |
| Size | 693 MB | 277 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **16.4** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Venmo](https://appshunter.io/developer/351727431) | [Chime Financial, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/836215272) |

## What reviewers say

### Venmo

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/venmo/id351727428)

**Currently charting:** #4 Top Free · Finance, #57 Top Free (US App Store)

A fast, safe, and social way to send and receive money with friends and family. Easily split bills, buy crypto, and manage your finances with integrated debit and credit cards.

**Highlights:** Send and receive money, Split payments among friends, Buy, hold, and sell cryptocurrency, Venmo credit and debit cards, Teen accounts, Business profiles, Instant transfers and direct deposit

**Features:** Apple Wallet, iMessage stickers, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Reliable, user-friendly, and convenient
- 🔒 Robust security features
- 👍 Untrustworthy vendor protection
- 💡 Investing feature built-in

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy and glitchy app
- 🔒 Weak account security
- 🔒 Unreliable customer support
- 💰 Holds funds without explanation
- 💰 Freezes accounts without notice

**Reported bugs**

- Payments getting declined without reason
- Accounts being frozen or deleted unexpectedly
- Delays in fund transfers and withdrawals
- Inability to access own money in account

**Requested features**

- Ability to cancel transactions
- Faster money transfers
- Better account management tools
- Improved customer service


### Chime®

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chime-mobile-banking/id836215269)

**Currently charting:** #9 Top Free · Finance, #112 Top Free (US App Store)

Manage your finances with tools for early payday access, fee-free overdraft protection, and credit building. This app offers a checking account with fee-free cash deposits and ATMs, plus automatic savings features and 24/7 support.

**Highlights:** Early payday access, Fee-free overdraft protection, Credit building tools, Automatic savings, Fee-free ATM access, Send money with no transfer fees

**Features:** Apple Wallet

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Early paycheck
- 💰 No overdraft fees
- 👍 Easy to use app
- 💳 Credit builder feature
- 💳 Spot me feature

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Inconsistent direct deposit timing
- 🤖 Poor chatbot support
- 💳 Difficulty with card activation/replacement
- 💰 Fees for cash deposits
- 🤔 Unclear account closure policies

**Reported bugs**

- Delayed check deposits
- Unexplained account closures
- Disappearing funds during transfers

**Requested features**

- Instant transaction updates
- Option to choose credit builder amount
- Temporary card for emergencies
- Physical bank branches


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Venmo free?

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

### Is Chime® free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Venmo or Chime®?

Venmo is rated higher. Venmo averages 4.8 out of 5 from 15M ratings, while Chime® averages 4.8 from 1.6M ratings.

### Do Venmo or Chime® have ads?

Chime® shows ads; Venmo does not.

### Which is updated more often, Venmo or Chime®?

Venmo ships an update weekly, and Chime® weekly. Most recently, Venmo was updated on October 26, 2026 and Chime® on October 26, 2026.

### Which is more popular, Venmo or Chime®?

Venmo currently peaks at #4 in the App Store charts, and Chime® at #9. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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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.*