first direct vs Smart Pension
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
Read full descriptionHide full description
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in accordance with our App terms and conditions • Use in accordance with Apple terms and conditions • This app may be withdrawn at any time, but we’ll always keep you in the loop.
Smart Pension
Manage your workplace pension savings with ease. Track your fund's performance in real-time, adjust contributions, and explore investment options. Access exclusive discounts and customer support directly from your phone.
- Real-time pension balance tracking
- Investment fund selection
- Contribution level adjustments
- Enhanced security features (Face ID, Touch ID)
- Access to exclusive discounts
- Live chat customer support
Read full descriptionHide full description
The Smart Pension Employee App will transform the future of pension saving for a new generation. It allows you to pick and choose the most suitable investment funds, track your pension balance in real time on your phone and increase contribution levels when you can afford it. Engaging you with your pension like never before! Key features: 1. Enhanced security: • Face ID • Touch ID • Password 2. Real-time access to pension fund valuations, to check how much your pension pot is worth. 3. Immediate updating of fund selection, strategy & contributions. But that’s not all... It can also be used to: • Access to Smart Rewards for discounts across thousands of shops & websites • Access live chat with our dedicated customer service team • Read your notifications and letters • Manage your membership, update your personal details & your beneficiary's details • Change your security preferences Note: Currently, you must be a member of a Smart Pension workplace pension scheme to use this App.
Screenshots
Verdict
first direct and Smart Pension both sit at 4.9 stars, but that hides the real split: 77% of first direct's written reviews are positive against 29% of Smart Pension's. first direct also leads on ratings volume (2K vs 6) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, rating, update cadence and ads 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.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for first direct against 5.0 for Smart Pension. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: first direct has 2K ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 77% of first direct's written reviews are positive against 29% of Smart Pension's.
first direct ships an update monthly, Smart Pension every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | first direct | Smart Pension |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (2K ratings) | 5.0 (6 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 76.5% of reviews — better | 28.9% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 2K — better | 6 |
| Update frequency | Monthly — better | Every 5 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 271 MB | 88 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | first direct | Smart Pension Limited |
Customer experience
first direct
Smart Pension
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
Smart Pension
From 6 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Easy to use
- 💡 Pension calculator helpful
- 📈 Up-to-date values
- 📱 Convenient mobile access
- 💻 Can do same as computer
Room to improve
- 🐛 App crashes frequently
- 🐛 App not loading
- 🐛 Login issues
- 🐛 App freezes
- 🐛 Basic functionalities not working
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
Smart Pension
Reported bugs
47 issues- App crashes shortly after launch
- App never lets you update details
- Cannot log into the app after recent update
- App or website will not load
- Stuck on loading screen
Show 42 moreShow fewer
- Transaction or growth details not showing
- Redirected to transaction tab and stuck on loading wheel
- Cannot edit beneficiaries
- App opens website via browser embed and is glitchy
- Unable to access the App, stuck on Smart logo
- Takes forever to log in and stuck on login screen
- App hasn’t been able to pass the 1st screen
- Worked OK for a few months, now won’t open
- Not able to access account through the app for days
- Doesn’t function any longer
- Latest version doesn’t load up
- App is not loading
- App no longer works
- Won’t open beyond the company logo
- Stuck on the opening screen after update
- App literally “blue screens”
- App frequently freezes on a dark blue screen
- App freezes on opening screen
- App closes as soon as I try to open
- App freezes when it first opens or when using features
- App doesn’t fit properly on screen
- Have to close and reopen app to get back to main screen
- Back arrow at the top of screen, cannot press it
- Crashes out on load
- Crash upon first launch after install
- Takes ages to load and sometimes can’t log in
- Dashboard UI is like from 90’s
- Information missing, cannot update fund value
- Cannot find option to message customer service
- App stuck on a message with no back button
- Login with Google account not supported, app stuck on Google Developers website
- Hasn’t worked since getting iPhone 11
- Takes a long time to login
- Keeps logging out
- Error when logging in with normal details
- After updating, have to re-enter biometrics
- Login keeps asking for biometric and then password
- Can’t open app
- Cannot see beyond the front page
- App stops working
- Unable to login after upgrading
- App is slow
Requested features
5 requests- Show profit or loss on investment
- Receive notification for new contribution
- Improve app design and UI
- Implement in-app form for pension transfers
- Add dark mode
In-app purchases
first direct
No in-app purchases
Smart Pension
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is first direct free?
Is Smart Pension free?
Which has better reviews, first direct or Smart Pension?
Do first direct or Smart Pension have ads?
Which is updated more often, first direct or Smart Pension?
Other comparisons
