first direct vs CardStash
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 banking app. Check balances, view transactions, and send money to friends and family with ease. This app simplifies everyday money management with a host of features designed for convenience.
- Check account balances
- View transaction history
- Pay friends and family
- Simplified money management
- Intuitive user interface
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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in accordance with our App terms and conditions • Use in accordance with Apple terms and conditions • This app may be withdrawn at any time, but we’ll always keep you in the loop.
CardStash
Effortlessly organize all your digital and physical gift cards in one secure, on-device location. Track card balances to always know how much you have left to spend. Simplify gift card management for any occasion.
- All-in-one gift card storage
- Track card balances
- Secure on-device data storage
- Organize digital and physical cards
- Simple and sleek interface
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CardStash – Your Gift Cards, Organised Effortlessly Tired of rummaging through drawers or scrolling endlessly to find that elusive gift card? Meet CardStash, the sleek, simple app designed to store all your gift cards in one secure place. Why You’ll Love CardStash: All-in-One Storage: Keep digital and physical gift cards neatly organised. Just upload, save, and you’re sorted. Never Miss a Balance: Track your card balances effortlessly so you always know what’s left to spend. Secure & Private: Your data stays safe, it is all on-device, and nothing is uploaded anywhere else. From birthdays to holidays, treat yourself to an app that makes managing gift cards as easy as spending them.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: first direct at Free against CardStash's $0.99. first direct also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). CardStash's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 77%) and update cadence (weekly vs monthly). On ads, in-app purchases 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
first direct is free to download; CardStash costs $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
first direct ships an update monthly, CardStash weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | first direct | CardStash |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $0.99 |
| Rating | 4.9 (2K ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 76.6% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 2K — better | — |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 319 MB | 1 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | first direct | Harry Stanford |
Customer experience
first direct
CardStash
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
CardStash
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
first direct
No in-app purchases
CardStash
No in-app purchases








