first direct vs Hastee
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
first direct
Manage your finances on the go with this intuitive mobile banking application. Easily check balances, view transactions, and transfer funds to friends and family. This app simplifies everyday money management, with more enhancements planned for the future.
- Check account balances
- View transaction history
- Pay family and friends
- Simplified money management
- Mobile banking convenience
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Your everyday just got a whole lot easier. Even better banking has arrived. At the coffee shop, deciding if it’s a skinny soy latte or a cup of tea. In a taxi stuck in traffic, wondering how much you’ve saved for your trip to Machu Picchu. On a rollercoaster, planning the decorations for your dog’s third birthday party… Wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, our new and improved mobile app makes banking even simpler. From checking your balances and viewing transactions to paying family and friends, mobile banking takes all the hassle out of everyday money stuff. You can now do more than ever from the comfort of your own phone - and if that’s not exciting enough, this is just the start of our mini digital revolution, with loads more improvements on the way. So go on. Get yourself up to date. Update now >> • Free to use, but providers may charge for download and usage • Use in accordance with local laws and check charges if using abroad • Use in accordance with our App terms and conditions • Use in accordance with Apple terms and conditions • This app may be withdrawn at any time, but we’ll always keep you in the loop.
Hastee
Access your earned wages early to cover unexpected expenses or manage cash flow. The app also offers personalized financial education resources and savings tools to improve your overall financial well-being. It's an employee benefit, so availability depends on your employer.
- Early wage access
- Savings tools
- Personalized financial education
- No interest charged
- No credit checking
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Improve your financial wellness. Receive your pay as soon as you earn it. Whether it's for that unexpected bill, a weekend away, those just released gig tickets or simply to get paid more regularly, Hastee gives you the freedom to choose. Hastee also allows you to start saving at the moment you earn it by making your money go further. You will have personalized financial wellbeing resources, through video, audio, podcast and written content on a range of subjects – from borrowing and insurance to investing and saving, specific to your needs – so you can better understand and manage your finances. Discrete and flexible. There’s no interest charged, just a fair and simple fee in case you withdraw money. No credit checking and no impact on your credit rating. Hastee is an employee benefit. Only employees of companies that offer Hastee can use it. Life doesn’t wait for payday so why should you?
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: first direct at 4.9 against Hastee's 3.3. first direct also leads on monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and ratings volume (2K vs 18). On price, update cadence, ads 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
first direct holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: first direct has 2K ratings behind it against 18, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 77% of first direct's written reviews are positive against 60% of Hastee's.
first direct ships an update monthly, Hastee every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | first direct | Hastee |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (2K ratings) — better | 3.3 (18 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 76.5% of reviews — better | 59.9% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 2K — better | 18 |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 271 MB | 39 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | first direct | Hastee Technologies Limited |
Customer experience
first direct
Hastee
User reviews
first direct
From 2K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Fast and accurate
- 🔒 Excellent security
- 💡 Helpful customer service
- 👍 Consistent and reliable
Room to improve
- 🐛 Occasional app crashes
- 🔒 Overly complex security measures
- 💡 Outdated and basic design
- 🔒 Frustrating authentication process
- 🐛 Buggy cheque deposit feature
Hastee
From 18 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Instant money transfers to bank account
- ⚡ Fast and easy to use interface
- 💰 Access to earned wages before payday
- 📱 Simple and intuitive app design
- 🎯 Clear earnings tracking and daily wage visibility
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent server errors and crashes
- ⏱️ Inconsistent transfer speeds (sometimes delayed)
- 🚫 App frequently goes down or becomes unavailable
- 💸 High transaction fees for withdrawals
- 📵 Login issues and authentication problems
Bugs and requests
first direct
Reported bugs
4 issues- App freezing and crashing
- Issues with cheque deposit functionality
- Problems with multi-device authentication
- Inconsistent behavior when updating payee details
Requested features
5 requests- Dark mode option
- Improved transaction history and insights
- Ability to edit scheduled payments and payees
- Streamlined payment flow
- Better categorization and budgeting tools
Hastee
Reported bugs
12 issues- App crashes on iOS 18 (fixed in later update)
- White screen on login
- Server error messages preventing withdrawals
- Invalid security codes sent repeatedly
- App signs out unexpectedly
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- Balance not updating after work shifts
- Transfer shows completed but money doesn't arrive
- App stuck on 'you've just been paid' screen
- Login page loops continuously
- Registration page buffering indefinitely
- App crashes during signup process
- Inconsistent withdrawal processing times
Requested features
8 requests- Tiered fee structure based on withdrawal amount
- Improved server stability and reliability
- Better customer support accessibility (phone line)
- Automatic balance updates after shifts
- Weekend processing for withdrawals
Show 3 moreShow fewer
- More transparent fee explanation
- Offline functionality or cached data
- Better iOS beta testing before updates
In-app purchases
first direct
No in-app purchases
Hastee
No in-app purchases
