Comparison

first direct vs CashWise

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in accordance with our App terms and conditions • Use in accordance with Apple terms and conditions • This app may be withdrawn at any time, but we’ll always keep you in the loop.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

CashWise

Easily track your spending and income with this cash-book style finance app. Organize your finances into categories, view detailed breakdowns, and generate monthly statements. Upgrade for advanced features like annual statements and CSV imports.

Highlights
  • Cash-book style expense tracking
  • Categorize and break down spending
  • Generate monthly PDF statements
  • Secure encrypted vault
  • Export and import financial data
  • Demonstration mode for trying Pro features
Features
Read full description

CashWise is an easy-to-use cash-book style app, designed to help you look after your money with minimal fuss. Simply record what you spend when you spend it, and CashWise will keep track of how much money you have left. Keep track of the cash in your pocket, your savings or your debt, in any currency. CATEGORIES Get super-organised by arranging your finances into categories, then view or print them with summary totals and pie charts. BREAKDOWN A detailed breakdown lets you quickly see what you have spent money on. And with a quick search, you can view and change any transaction. STATEMENTS View and send monthly PDF statements by email, or upgrade to CashWise Pro (via a single in-app purchase) to produce annual statements and print directly to an AirPrint enabled printer. EXPORT & IMPORT Export all your financial information whenever you want, or Go Pro for the ability to export your data on a monthly or annual basis and import data from CSV files. SECURITY Your financial details are kept safe in an encrypted vault using state-of-the-art 256-bit AES encryption, simply set a passcode to restrict access. FREE vs PRO CashWise is a free app, and all the basic features will remain free forever - that is a promise. Go Pro and you can unlock all the Pro features with a single in-app purchase to: • Manage your money across several accounts at once (one account is included free). • Create recurring transactions. • Completely customise your categories (built-in categories are included free). • View an annual breakdown of your transactions (monthly breakdown is included free). • Export your financial data on a monthly or annual basis (full export is included free). • Import data from CSV files. • Produce annual PDF statements (monthly statements are included free) • Print a statement direct to an AirPrint enabled printer (emailing statements is included free) • Turn off adverts. TRY-BEFORE-YOU-BUY Try all the Pro features for free before you upgrade by using the built-in 'demonstration mode'. This also lets you show off CashWise to others without revealing your finances. NEED HELP? If you need help or want to make a suggestion, just drop us an email and we'll do our best — BeCashWise.com/Help - Be CashWise

Screenshots

first direct4 screens
CashWise4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: first direct at none against CashWise's 1. first direct also leads on ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (2K vs 9). CashWise's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and device support 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. CashWise sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. first direct asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for first direct against 4.9 for CashWise. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: first direct has 2K ratings behind it against 9, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 77% and 77% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

first direct ships an update monthly, CashWise every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
first direct versus CashWise: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parameterfirst directCashWise
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (2K ratings)4.9 (9 ratings)
Positive reviews76.5% of reviews76.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2K — better9
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 5 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size271 MB8 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developerfirst directAdam Wasiak

Customer experience

first direct

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

CashWise

All ratings9 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews13 reviews
Positive76.9%
Neutral7.7%
Negative15.4%

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

CashWise

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

first direct

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

CashWise

One-time1
  • CashWise Pro$9.99

Questions

Is first direct free?
first direct is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is CashWise free?
CashWise is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, first direct or CashWise?
first direct and CashWise are both rated 4.9 out of 5 on the App Store, from 2K and 9 ratings respectively.
Do first direct or CashWise have ads?
CashWise shows ads; first direct does not.
Which is updated more often, first direct or CashWise?
first direct ships an update monthly, and CashWise every 5 months. Most recently, first direct was updated on October 14, 2026 and CashWise on October 4, 2026.

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