first direct vs Ribbon Global
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
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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in accordance with our App terms and conditions • Use in accordance with Apple terms and conditions • This app may be withdrawn at any time, but we’ll always keep you in the loop.
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.
- Zero-fee financial services
- AI-powered analytics
- Budgeting and goal setting
- Carbon footprint tracking
- Transaction rewards
- Split bills and money transfers
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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
Verdict
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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
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.
| Parameter | first direct | Ribbon Global |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (2K ratings) — better | 2.3 (3 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 76.5% of reviews — better | 64.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 2K — better | 3 |
| Update frequency | Monthly | — |
| Ads | No | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | — |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 14.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 271 MB | 67 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | first direct | Ribbon Limited |
Customer experience
first direct
Ribbon Global
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
first direct
No in-app purchases
Ribbon Global
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is first direct free?
Is Ribbon Global free?
Which has better reviews, first direct or Ribbon Global?
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