Comparison

first direct vs myAncoria

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Check account balances
  • View transaction history
  • Pay family and friends
  • Simplified money management
  • Mobile banking convenience
Features
Read 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in accordance with our App terms and conditions • Use in accordance with Apple terms and conditions • This app may be withdrawn at any time, but we’ll always keep you in the loop.

About

myAncoria

Manage your finances effortlessly by tracking expenses and visualizing your remaining budget. Set monthly or yearly budgets per category, receive overspending alerts, and redefine your financial future. Secure biometric login and easy money transfers are also available.

Highlights
  • Biometric login (Fingerprint/Face Recognition)
  • Comprehensive transaction history with automatic categorization
  • Receipt photo and note-taking for transactions
  • Money transfers with contact list integration
  • Monthly/yearly budget setting and monitoring per category
  • Spending analysis and overspending alerts
Features
Read full description

Be on top of your financials without the pressure that comes with them. myAncoria is the handy aid to help you manage your spending not only by tracking your expenses so far but by also showing you how much you have left to spend monthly and even yearly. This will be easily calculated for you based on the budget you have set. With myAncoria by your side, you don’t focus only on the present state of your finances but you get to redefine their future too. APP Features: Biometric login - Fingerprint / Touch ID - Face Recognition Transactions: - View transactions from the day you became a customer - Viewing with automatic categorization - Change category or allocate to multiple categories - Take a photo of what you bought or the receipt, add a note - View the total amount you spend on specific merchants Money Transfers: - Easy transfers with Fingerprint / Touch ID - Transfer money through your Contacts List: Ancoria Bank customers, who have consented, are automatically displayed. For everyone else you can enter their details only once and they can be stored for future use - Take a photo of what you are transferring money for - Keep a note Budget: - Set and monitor your monthly or yearly budgets, per category - View your spending analysis and visualize impact - Set overspending alerts - Make adjustments to keep up with your initial budget More features coming soon.

Screenshots

first direct4 screens
myAncoria4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: myAncoria at 100% against first direct's 77%. 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
first direct versus myAncoria: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parameterfirst directmyAncoria
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (2K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews76.5% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2K — better—
Update frequencyMonthlyMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size271 MB104 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developerfirst directAncoria Bank

Customer experience

first direct

All ratings1,964 ratings
Positive97.3%
Neutral1.0%
Negative1.7%
Written reviews996 reviews
Positive76.5%
Neutral5.0%
Negative18.5%

myAncoria

Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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

myAncoria

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

first direct

No in-app purchases

None

myAncoria

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is first direct free?
first direct is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is myAncoria free?
myAncoria is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do first direct or myAncoria have ads?
Neither first direct nor myAncoria shows ads.
Which is updated more often, first direct or myAncoria?
first direct ships an update monthly, and myAncoria monthly. Most recently, first direct was updated on October 20, 2026 and myAncoria on October 4, 2026.

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