Comparison

IRS vs Apple Wallet

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

IRS

Access your IRS account securely from your mobile device to view your balance, make payments, and check refund status. You can also access tax records, manage your profile, and opt-in to email notifications. The app offers guest payment options and tax preparation assistance without signing in.

Highlights
  • Secure account sign-in
  • View account balance
  • Make payments
  • Check refund status
  • Access tax records
  • Manage profile
Currently charting
Read full description

Use the same secure sign-in you already use on IRS.gov to access your account anytime, anywhere from your mobile device. Sign in to your account on the app: - View account balance - Make payments - Check refund and amended return status - Access tax records - View notices and letters - Opt in to email notifications - Manage your profile - And more Use the app without signing in: Check your refund status, make a guest payment, find free tax preparation assistance, sign up for helpful tax tips, and follow the latest news from the IRS.

About

Apple Wallet

Securely store and manage digital versions of your credit/debit cards, IDs, transit passes, tickets, and keys. Use it to make payments, send money, and access venues and transportation with your iPhone or Apple Watch.

Highlights
  • Store credit/debit cards
  • Digital driver's license/state ID
  • Transit and event tickets
  • Digital keys for car, home, hotel
  • Secure contactless payments
  • Send and receive money
Features
Read full description

The Wallet app lives right on your iPhone. It’s where you securely keep your credit and debit cards, eligible driver’s license or state ID, transit cards, keys, event tickets, and more — all in one place. And it all works with iPhone or Apple Watch, so you can take less with you but always bring more. Apple Pay Apple Pay is an easy, secure way to pay in stores or online.1 Pay for a ride, a pizza, or even a new sofa — with Touch ID or Face ID. Apple Card Apple Card is the credit card created by Apple. You earn up to 3% unlimited Daily Cash back on every purchase every day, and it’s designed with all the privacy and security you’d expect from Apple. You can apply in as little as minute with no impact to your credit score.2 Apple Cash Apple Cash is an easy and secure way to send and receive money in Messages or Wallet.3 And because it’s a digital card that lives in Wallet, you can use it to make purchases in stores, online, or in apps with Apple Pay. With Tap to Cash, you can send and receive Apple Cash simply by holding your iPhone near someone else’s iPhone — without having to share phone numbers. Driver’s License and State ID Add your eligible driver’s license or state ID to Wallet, and with just a tap of your iPhone or Apple Watch you can present your ID without handing over your device.4 The security of Face ID and Touch ID means only you can present your ID. Boarding Passes After you add your airline passes to Wallet, just show up at your gate and easily present your pass directly from your lock screen. And receive timely flight information and notifications along the way.5 Transit Set your card to Express Mode, then just tap and hop on to ride the next train or bus.5 Breeze through the turnstiles by holding your iPhone or Apple Watch to the reader. Sports & Live Events With Wallet, your tickets are always at the ready. Enter a concert venue, sports stadium or festival with just your iPhone or Apple Watch.5 Tickets in Apple Wallet now bring fans a richer experience including venue maps, recommended Apple Music playlists, and more. Keys Store keys to your car, home, workplace, and hotel room in Wallet.5 Unlock doors with just a tap of your iPhone or Apple Watch, and securely share keys in Wallet through messaging apps, including Messages, Mail, and more. Loyalty and Rewards Add your favorite coffee shop, drugstore, or retail rewards cards to Wallet, and next time you’re at checkout, just tap and pay to receive and redeem rewards.5 1 Apple Pay is a service provided by Apple Payments Services LLC, a subsidiary of Apple Inc. Neither Apple Inc. nor Apple Payments Services LLC is a bank. Any card used in Apple Pay is offered by the card issuer. 2 Accepting an Apple Card after your application is approved will result in a hard inquiry, which may impact your credit score. To access and use all Apple Card features and products available only to Apple Card users, you must add Apple Card to Wallet on an iPhone or iPad that supports and has the latest version of iOS or iPadOS. Apple Card is subject to credit approval, available only for qualifying applicants in the United States, and issued by Goldman Sachs Bank USA, Salt Lake City Branch. 3 Apple Cash services are provided by Green Dot Bank. Member FDIC. Apple Payments Services LLC, a subsidiary of Apple Inc., is a service provider of Green Dot Bank for Apple Cash accounts. Neither Apple Inc. nor Apple Payments Services LLC is a bank. To learn more about the  Terms and Conditions visit https://applecash.greendot.com/termsconditions. Only available in the U.S. on eligible devices. 4 ID cards in Wallet are currently available for use in select states at select TSA checkpoints. ID verifier is available at select merchants. Requires eligible device and OS version. See apple.com/wallet for details. 5 Only available with select partners and locations, and requires eligible device and OS version. See apple.com/wallet for details.

Screenshots

IRS4 screens
Apple Wallet4 screens

Verdict

The call

IRS and Apple Wallet both sit at 4.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 54% of Apple Wallet's written reviews are positive against 28% of IRS's. Apple Wallet also leads on ratings volume (7.5M vs 13K) and iOS requirement (10.0 vs 16.4). IRS's advantage is chart position (#86 vs unranked). On price, rating, update cadence and ads 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

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for IRS against 4.8 for Apple Wallet. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Apple Wallet has 7.5M ratings behind it against 13K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 28% of IRS's written reviews are positive against 54% of Apple Wallet's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 months. Both last shipped on November 6, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
IRS versus Apple Wallet: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterIRSApple Wallet
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (13K ratings)4.8 (7.5M ratings) — better
Positive reviews27.9% of reviews54.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings13K7.5M — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
Best chart rank#86 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS16.410.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size43 MB9 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperInternal Revenue ServiceApple

Customer experience

IRS

All ratings11,228 ratings
Positive90.4%
Neutral1.7%
Negative7.9%
Written reviews305 reviews
Positive27.9%
Neutral4.9%
Negative67.2%

Apple Wallet

All ratings7,410,534 ratings
Positive94.3%
Neutral1.5%
Negative4.2%
Written reviews9,696 reviews
Positive54.0%
Neutral5.5%
Negative40.5%

User reviews

IRS

From 13K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Easy to use
  • 💰 Helps with tax payments
  • 🔍 Provides refund status updates
  • ⏱️ Convenient for checking tax info

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent errors and glitches
  • 📱 Limited functionality compared to website
  • 🔒 Security/authentication issues
  • 🕰️ Slow/delayed updates

Apple Wallet

From 7.5M App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Convenient and easy to use
  • 🔒 Secure with Face ID/Touch ID
  • 💳 Integrates credit/debit cards well
  • 🎟️ Stores tickets and passes
  • 🏠 Stores digital keys and IDs

Room to improve

  • 🚫 Limited ability to add loyalty/membership cards
  • 🤔 Inconsistent card detection and adding
  • 💰 Unauthorized charges and payment issues
  • 🔍 Lack of customization options (nicknames, images)
  • 🇨🇦 Limited support for Canadian features

Bugs and requests

IRS

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Login/authentication problems
  • Incorrect refund information displayed
  • Inability to check status after multiple attempts
  • Lack of compatibility with older devices

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to view tax transcripts
  • Improved payment scheduling options
  • Notifications for refund status changes
  • Expanded historical data access

Apple Wallet

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Card adding/removal issues
  • Transactions not properly recorded
  • Face ID/Touch ID failures
  • Wallet app freezing or not responding

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add ability to add loyalty/membership cards
  • Improve card detection and adding process
  • Provide better transaction history and categorization
  • Allow customization of card names and images
  • Expand support for international features (e.g. Presto card)

In-app purchases

None

IRS

No in-app purchases

None

Apple Wallet

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is IRS free?
IRS is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Apple Wallet free?
Apple Wallet is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, IRS or Apple Wallet?
Apple Wallet is rated higher. IRS averages 4.6 out of 5 from 13K ratings, while Apple Wallet averages 4.8 from 7.5M ratings.
Do IRS or Apple Wallet have ads?
Neither IRS nor Apple Wallet shows ads.
Which is updated more often, IRS or Apple Wallet?
IRS ships an update every 3 months, and Apple Wallet every 3 months. Most recently, IRS was updated on November 6, 2026 and Apple Wallet on November 6, 2026.

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