Comparison

Standard Life vs EQ Share Plans

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

Head to head
About

Standard Life

Manage your pension, top up funds, and view plan performance on the go. Securely message support, update beneficiaries, and explore retirement income options. Essential for existing customers to oversee their financial future.

Highlights
  • Manage pension payments
  • Top up pension funds
  • View plan value and performance
  • Update beneficiaries and retirement date
  • Transfer in other pensions
  • Secure messaging with support
  • Retirement income planning tool
Features
Read full description

The Standard Life app includes great features which can help you manage your money on the go. Our App provides the ability to: - Manage your pension payments: increase, setup, stop & reduce - Top up your pension - View recent transactions - View the value of your plan(s), fund performance and daily fund changes - Manage your beneficiaries - Update your retirement date - Transfer in other pensions - Change your investments - Withdraw cash if aged 55 or over - View charges & discounts on your pension plan Send and receive secure messages with attachments via the mailbox and there is an option to be notified when you receive a new message. Why not try our retirement income tool to see what your retirement could look like in 5 minutes and explore your options. We aim to provide access to the features listed wherever possible, but not all products are supported Help and support You can access FAQs from our Help page or send us a secure message about your plan from our Mailbox page. If you run into any issues with the App let us know at: mobile-app@standardlife.com Feedback We are always updating the App with new features and tools. We want to hear from you - you can leave us a review or leave feedback in the App within the help section. Getting started You must be a customer with us to use the App. If you are not registered for online servicing you can do this on the App. Once you are logged in you can choose to set a passcode, fingerprint or facial recognition if your device allows. Additional information The Standard Life app is not available for WRAP products and Aberdeen Standard Capital customers. Some With Profits Policies, along with some of our Bonds and Investment Fund products cannot be viewed. Transferring other pensions won’t be right for everyone. Payments and withdrawals Not all products support payments through the app and you may be prompted to contact us or your employer if you have a workplace pension. Any changes to regular payments will come from the bank account that you have set up with us. When making payments, topping up or amending a regular payment it’s important to note that investment returns aren't guaranteed. The value of your investment can go down as well as up and may be worth less than you paid in. Cookie policy Cookies do many different jobs like storing your preferences, helping you navigate effectively, and improving your overall experience of a website or app. Cookies make the interaction between you and the app quicker and easier. For example, a cookie might store information so you don't have to keep entering it. Some cookies are needed to make our app work and keep it secure so they can't be turned off. These are classed as 'essential cookies'. Others are optional and you can change your preferences, these are classed as 'experience and insight cookies'. Who we are Phoenix Life Limited, trading name as Standard Life, is registered in England and Wales (1016269) at 10 Brindleyplace, Birmingham, B1 2JB. Phoenix Life Limited is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority.

About

EQ Share Plans

Manage your investments and monitor your share plans with ease. Securely log in using biometric authentication and receive notifications for investment milestones. Take action on your goals directly through the app.

Highlights
  • Biometric login (fingerprint/Face ID)
  • Investment monitoring
  • Share plan management
  • Milestone event notifications
  • Instruction submission
Features
Read full description

Share plans at your fingertips! Set a biometric login using your fingerprint or Face ID and start monitoring your investments. When a milestone is reached on your share plan you can give your instruction via the app using the events functionality. Mobilise your goals using the EQ Share Plans app today.

Screenshots

Standard Life4 screens
EQ Share Plans4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Standard Life at 84% against EQ Share Plans's 21%. Standard Life also leads on rating (4.3 vs 1.4) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 6 weeks). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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

Standard Life holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 1.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 25 and 16 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 84% of Standard Life's written reviews are positive against 21% of EQ Share Plans's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Standard Life ships an update fortnightly, EQ Share Plans every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Standard Life versus EQ Share Plans: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStandard LifeEQ Share Plans
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (25 ratings) — better1.4 (16 ratings)
Positive reviews84.5% of reviews — better20.8% of reviews
Number of ratings25 — better16
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 6 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.114.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size78 MB222 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperStandard Life Assets and Employee Services LimitedEquiniti

Customer experience

Standard Life

All ratings25 ratings
Positive84.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative16.0%
Written reviews406 reviews
Positive84.5%
Neutral1.7%
Negative13.8%

EQ Share Plans

All ratings16 ratings
Positive12.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative87.5%
Written reviews144 reviews
Positive20.8%
Neutral5.6%
Negative73.6%

User reviews

Standard Life

From 25 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Easy to use
  • 🚀 Straightforward and intuitive
  • 🚀 Comprehensive pension management
  • 🔒 Secure and trustworthy
  • 👍 Clear and detailed information

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional login and connectivity issues
  • 🐛 Performance chart issues after recent updates
  • 🐛 Forced portrait mode on tablets
  • 🐛 Unreliable app stability

EQ Share Plans

From 16 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use interface
  • 📊 Clear display of investment information
  • 🔐 Biometric login options available
  • ⚡ Fast performance when logged in
  • 💼 Convenient for managing share plans

Room to improve

  • 🚫 Persistent login failures and errors
  • 🔄 Repeatedly forgets stored login credentials
  • ⏱️ Frequent unexpected logouts
  • 🔐 Biometric settings not retained
  • 🐛 App crashes on launch or during use

Bugs and requests

Standard Life

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Login screen freezes
  • App crashes on startup
  • Pension balance disappearing from web app

Requested features

3 requests
  • Add ability to update beneficiary details
  • Provide investment growth statistics
  • Improve compatibility with tablet landscape mode

EQ Share Plans

Reported bugs

12 issues
  • Login credentials not accepted despite being valid on website
  • App freezes when entering login details
  • Repeated account lockout warnings
  • Password reset not syncing between app and website
  • Face ID and PIN settings cleared after logout
Show 7 more
  • App crashes on landing screen
  • Charts fail to load reliably
  • App crashes when clicking 'SIP Planner'
  • Stock prices lag behind market values
  • Session timeout errors during normal use
  • Unable to login after app updates
  • App won't open or instantly closes

Requested features

10 requests
  • Add two-factor authentication (2FA)
  • Support for additional companies (GSK, AstraZeneca, Rolls-Royce, Howdens, HP, etc.)
  • Persistent biometric login storage
  • Withdrawal functionality in app
  • Display account numbers and fund withdrawal information
Show 5 more
  • Real-time stock price updates
  • Integration with Shareview platform
  • Improved login persistence across sessions
  • Skip 'Start Now' page on app launch
  • Feature parity with website version

In-app purchases

None

Standard Life

No in-app purchases

None

EQ Share Plans

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Standard Life free?
Standard Life is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is EQ Share Plans free?
EQ Share Plans is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Standard Life or EQ Share Plans?
Standard Life is rated higher. Standard Life averages 4.3 out of 5 from 25 ratings, while EQ Share Plans averages 1.4 from 16 ratings.
Do Standard Life or EQ Share Plans have ads?
Neither Standard Life nor EQ Share Plans shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Standard Life or EQ Share Plans?
Standard Life ships an update fortnightly, and EQ Share Plans every 6 weeks. Most recently, Standard Life was updated on November 8, 2026 and EQ Share Plans on November 7, 2026.

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