Comparison

first direct vs Ribbon Global

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in accordance with our App terms and conditions • Use in accordance with Apple terms and conditions • This app may be withdrawn at any time, but we’ll always keep you in the loop.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

Ribbon Global

Manage your finances and financial wellbeing with a zero-fee super app. Open an account, track spending, set goals, and monitor your carbon footprint. Earn rewards for transactions and access AI-powered insights.

Highlights
  • Zero-fee financial services
  • AI-powered analytics
  • Budgeting and goal setting
  • Carbon footprint tracking
  • Transaction rewards
  • Split bills and money transfers
Read full description

A zero fee Hyper Personalised Carbon Neutral Financial Services Super App at your fingertips. Manage your money and financial wellbeing, all in one place. Open a personal account without any fees in a few minutes from your smartphone. Access Ribbon AI powered analytics and financial literacy tools such as Goals, Budget, and Piggy Bank. Account holders can view the carbon footprint generated by the purchases that they make from their Ribbon account, with an option to offset their carbon footprint. What more? Get rewarded with Ribbon Coins for all your transactions. A fully loaded Financial Services Super App: * No Joining or Monthly Fee * Open Current Account in Minutes * Free Contactless Debit Card * Smart Analytics * Budget Tool * CO2 Emission Tracking * Goals Set-up & Tracking * Piggy Bank for Spare Change * Split Bills * Money Transfers * Ribbon Coins * Lock and Unlock Card anytime * Easy Bank Transfers * Open Banking Integration * Link other bank accounts * AI driven Chatbot * Instant Payment Notifications * Send and Request Money Ribbon Plc (No. 119662) is authorised and regulated by the Gibraltar Financial Services Commission under Financial Services Act 2019 for issuance of electronic money and offering payment services. Registered address: 2 Irish Town, Gibraltar GX11 1AA.

Screenshots

first direct4 screens
Ribbon Global4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: first direct at 4.9 against Ribbon Global's 2.3. first direct also leads on ratings volume (2K vs 3) and review sentiment (77% vs 65%). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model and iOS requirement 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

first direct holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 2.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: first direct has 2K ratings behind it against 3, 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 65% of Ribbon Global's.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
first direct versus Ribbon Global: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parameterfirst directRibbon Global
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (2K ratings) — better2.3 (3 ratings)
Positive reviews76.5% of reviews — better64.7% of reviews
Number of ratings2K — better3
Update frequencyMonthly—
AdsNo—
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — better—
Requires iOS15.014.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size271 MB67 MB
Age rating4+17+
Developerfirst directRibbon Limited

Customer experience

first direct

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

Ribbon Global

Written reviews17 reviews
Positive64.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative35.3%

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

Ribbon Global

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

first direct

No in-app purchases

None

Ribbon Global

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is first direct free?
first direct is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Ribbon Global free?
Ribbon Global is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, first direct or Ribbon Global?
first direct is rated higher. first direct averages 4.9 out of 5 from 2K ratings, while Ribbon Global averages 2.3 from 3 ratings.

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