# Central Banks vs FRED Economic Data

The clearest difference is rating: Central Banks at 4.6 against FRED Economic Data's 3.4. Central Banks also leads on review sentiment (75% vs 37%). FRED Economic Data's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ads (none vs shown). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Central Banks sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. FRED Economic Data asks for nothing beyond the download.

Central Banks holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 33 and 90 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 75% of Central Banks's written reviews are positive against 37% of FRED Economic Data's.

Central Banks ships an update every 5 months, FRED Economic Data every 4 months. Both last shipped on October 23, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Central Banks | FRED Economic Data |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (33 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/central-banks/id417019913/reviews)** | [3.4 (90 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fred-economic-data/id451715489/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 33 | **90** |
| Positive reviews | **75.0% of reviews** | 37.1% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | **Every 4 months** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 24 MB | 26 MB |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 | 14.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Kelly Technology Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/393931941) | [Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis](https://appshunter.io/developer/451715492) |

## What reviewers say

### Central Banks

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/central-banks/id417019913)

Stay informed on global monetary policy with the latest news from major central banks. This app organizes financial developments chronologically, covering institutions like the US Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank.

**Highlights:** Latest monetary policy news, Developed-world central banks coverage, Chronological data presentation, US Federal Reserve updates, European Central Bank updates, Bank of England updates, Bank of Japan updates, Bank of Canada updates

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove Ads | $6.99 | one-time |


### FRED Economic Data

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fred-economic-data/id451715489)

Access a vast collection of economic data from numerous sources on the go. Visualize trends with custom graphs and easily share insights. Stay updated with the latest economic news and research.

**Highlights:** Access 149,000+ economic data series, Browse data by category, source, or popularity, Create custom data graphs, Store favorite data series, Share data series and graphs, Receive economic news and updates

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Access to economic data
- 👍 Useful for fact-checking
- 👍 Comprehensive data source
- 👍 Handy for quick conversations
- 👍 Great content

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 App is non-functional
- 🐛 Broken experience
- 🐛 Web slop or React Native
- 🐛 Cropped graph images
- 🐛 Unreadable charts

**Reported bugs**

- App is non-functional
- Graph images are cropped
- Graph images are cropped, only top half visible
- Saving photo only saves top half of graph
- Cannot login with Apple account

**Requested features**

- Include widgets for favorites
- Include all web version edit graph features
- Allow saving and sharing in multiple formats (PDF, Excel)
- View saved dashboards
- Use graphing editor tool


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Central Banks free?

Central Banks is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is FRED Economic Data free?

FRED Economic Data is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Central Banks or FRED Economic Data?

Central Banks is rated higher. Central Banks averages 4.6 out of 5 from 33 ratings, while FRED Economic Data averages 3.4 from 90 ratings.

### Do Central Banks or FRED Economic Data have ads?

Central Banks shows ads; FRED Economic Data does not.

### Which is updated more often, Central Banks or FRED Economic Data?

Central Banks ships an update every 5 months, and FRED Economic Data every 4 months. Most recently, Central Banks was updated on October 23, 2026 and FRED Economic Data on October 23, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*