Comparison

first direct vs Co

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in accordance with our App terms and conditions • Use in accordance with Apple terms and conditions • This app may be withdrawn at any time, but we’ll always keep you in the loop.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

Co

Manage your finances securely and conveniently with this mobile banking app. Perform everyday banking tasks like transfers, payments, and account management anytime, anywhere. Offers features for card management, transaction history, and fraud protection.

Highlights
  • Secure login with TouchID/FaceID
  • Manage current, savings, and loan accounts
  • Quick money transfers
  • Pay and manage payees
  • Freeze/unfreeze cards
  • View up to seven years of statements
  • Mortgage calculator
Features
Read full description

New to our app? The Co-operative Bank mobile banking app is designed to keep things simple & secure, helping you complete your everyday banking tasks quickly. Benefits • Access & manage your finances anywhere, at any time • Quick & secure money transfers between your accounts & other people • Search your transactions & view your pending payments to find your incomings & outgoings Key features Enjoy secure, convenient & efficient banking at your fingertips • Quick & secure login with TouchID, FaceID or passnumber • Browse & search transactions on your current, savings & loan accounts • View your pending payments • Create & pay new payees • Pay, view & delete your saved payees • Transfer money between your accounts (including to your credit card) • View & delete your scheduled payments • Freeze and unfreeze your card securely 24/7 for extra peace of mind or if you’ve temporarily misplaced your card • View up to seven years of statements for current accounts, savings, ISAs & loans • Use our easy to navigate account dashboard to help to you with your daily banking tasks • Update your email address & phone number • Share your account details with your contacts • Switch your current account to us & access exclusive savings accounts • Use our mortgage calculator to check how quickly you could pay off your mortgage & how much interest you could save • Apply for some products directly • Find answers to your questions quickly on our help page Fraud protection The app also gives you additional protection from fraud. This is because we alert you of any account changes such as new device registration & if there are a change of details. We also have a fraud hub with a wide range of educational resources to help protect you from fraud. Make sure you always install the latest update to get the latest improvements & security measures. Logging in You’ll need your online banking username, password & 6-digit security code to log in. If you’re not registered for online banking, you can either do this by tapping 'Register for online banking' in the app, or register for online banking on our website. Device compatibility For security reasons, you’ll need to be using iOS 15 or above. You also will not be able to use the app if your device is jailbroken. If you are not able to update, you can log into online banking to access your accounts. Terms of use We collect non-personal user data to monitor how well the app works. For example, measuring how long you spend on a particular screen. We collect a limited amount of personal data to allow you to use the app, for fraud prevention purposes & to help us to fix problems & improve the app for everyone. Everyone is opted in to this feature. If you do not want us to process your personal data in this way, please delete the app. If you download the app, you consent to sharing how you use it. Find out more about how we use this in our Privacy Policy, available within the app. Important information We will not charge you for downloading or using the app. However, your mobile network provider may charge you for data use, depending on your tariff or contract. Contact your operator for details. You may also use this service when connected to a Wi-Fi network. Apple, Touch ID & FaceID are trademarks of Apple Inc. registered in the US & other countries. The Co-operative Bank p.l.c. is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority (Financial Services Register No: 121885). Registered office: 1 Balloon Street, Manchester, M4 4BE. Registered in England and Wales (Company No: 990937). Credit facilities are provided by The Co-operative Bank p.l.c. & are subject to status & our lending policy. The Bank reserves the right to decline any application for an account or credit facility.

Screenshots

first direct4 screens
Co4 screens

Verdict

The call

first direct and Co both sit at 4.9 stars, but that hides the real split: 77% of first direct's written reviews are positive against 59% of Co's. first direct also leads on ratings volume (2K vs 162). 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

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

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for first direct against 4.8 for Co. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: first direct has 2K ratings behind it against 162, 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 59% of Co's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

first direct ships an update monthly, Co every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
first direct versus Co: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parameterfirst directCo
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (2K ratings) — better4.8 (162 ratings)
Positive reviews76.5% of reviews — better59.2% of reviews
Number of ratings2K — better162
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 6 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size271 MB98 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developerfirst directThe Co-operative Bank

Customer experience

first direct

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

Co

All ratings161 ratings
Positive96.9%
Neutral1.2%
Negative1.9%
Written reviews664 reviews
Positive59.2%
Neutral10.7%
Negative30.1%

User reviews

first direct

From 2K App Store ratings

What 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

Co

From 162 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 🚀 Straightforward banking
  • 🔒 Secure and reliable
  • 🎨 Simple and clean interface

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent app outages and downtime
  • 🔍 Limited functionality compared to other banking apps
  • 🕰️ Slow transaction processing and updates
  • 🤖 Outdated and lacking modern features

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

Co

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Login issues and app crashes
  • Inconsistent app behavior across devices
  • Delayed or missing transaction updates

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to freeze/unfreeze debit cards
  • Detailed transaction history and pending payments
  • Push notifications for account activity
  • Option to nickname/label accounts

In-app purchases

None

first direct

No in-app purchases

None

Co

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is first direct free?
first direct is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Co free?
Co is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, first direct or Co?
first direct is rated higher. first direct averages 4.9 out of 5 from 2K ratings, while Co averages 4.8 from 162 ratings.
Do first direct or Co have ads?
Neither first direct nor Co shows ads.
Which is updated more often, first direct or Co?
first direct ships an update monthly, and Co every 6 weeks. Most recently, first direct was updated on October 28, 2026 and Co on October 27, 2026.

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