Comparison

first direct vs Simply Invoice

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in accordance with our App terms and conditions • Use in accordance with Apple terms and conditions • This app may be withdrawn at any time, but we’ll always keep you in the loop.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

Simply Invoice

Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Invoice in seconds. Pay once, keep it forever. Simply Invoices is the cleanest, fastest invoicing app for freelancers and small businesses on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. One small payment unlocks everything — no subscription, no tiers, no per-invoice fees. Everything included, nothing held back There is no Pro plan, no upgrade prompt, and no renewal date. Every feature below is in the app from the moment you buy it, on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Buy it once and it stays yours. Built for freelancers, contractors, and small businesses Whether you're a designer billing clients, a consultant tracking retainers, a tradesperson writing up jobs, or a sole trader who just needs to get paid — Simply Invoices handles it cleanly. Your business details prefill automatically on every new invoice so you never retype your name, email, or contact info. Create an invoice in under a minute • Add line items with quantities and unit prices • Automatic tax calculation — set your rate once, Simply Invoices does the maths • VAT, GST, and any tax rate supported — just enter the percentage • Bank transfer and cash payment methods built in • Currency shown in your local format automatically — no setup needed Always know where you stand Outstanding and collected totals are always visible on the main screen. Track every invoice from Draft through Sent, Paid, and Overdue. Archive old invoices to keep a clean list without losing the record. Your data, your way Export all your invoices to a backup file and save it to Google Drive, iCloud, Dropbox, or anywhere you store things. Import it on any other device — your data travels with you. Sort, search, and filter everything Find any invoice instantly. Filter by client, status, date range, or amount. Sort by newest, due date, or value. Nothing slips through the cracks. Cleaner than FreshBooks. Simpler than QuickBooks. Simply Invoices was designed from scratch to cut out the noise. No dashboards you don't need. No menus buried three levels deep. No plan you have to upgrade to. Just your invoices, right in front of you. One payment. Every platform. Yours to keep. Works natively on iPhone, iPad, and Mac including Apple Silicon — one purchase covers all three. Your invoices stay privately on your device. No account required to keep them, no renewal to forget, and no data held hostage behind a lapsed plan. Simply Invoices. Send it. Get paid.

Screenshots

first direct4 screens
Simply Invoice4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: first direct at Free against Simply Invoice's $0.99. first direct also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). Simply Invoice's advantage is chart position (#68 vs unranked). On update cadence, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

first direct is free to download; Simply Invoice costs $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

first direct ships an update monthly, Simply Invoice every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
first direct versus Simply Invoice: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parameterfirst directSimply Invoice
PriceFree — better$0.99
Rating4.9 (2K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews76.5% of reviews—
Number of ratings2K — better—
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 5 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
Best chart rank—#68 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size271 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developerfirst directStephen Mooney

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

Simply Invoice

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

first direct

No in-app purchases

None

Simply Invoice

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is first direct free?
first direct is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Simply Invoice free?
Simply Invoice costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do first direct or Simply Invoice have ads?
Neither first direct nor Simply Invoice shows ads.
Which is updated more often, first direct or Simply Invoice?
first direct ships an update monthly, and Simply Invoice every 5 weeks. Most recently, first direct was updated on October 17, 2026 and Simply Invoice on October 4, 2026.

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