Standard Life vs HMRC
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Standard Life
Manage your pension and investments on the go. Increase, top up, or stop pension payments, view plan values, and track transactions. Secure messaging and a retirement income tool are also available.
- Manage pension payments
- Top up pension
- View plan value and performance
- Secure messaging
- Retirement income tool
- Update beneficiaries
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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.
HMRC
Manage your taxes, benefits, and savings securely and easily. Check your tax code, claim refunds, and track your State Pension. Access Self Assessment and Child Benefit information, and find your National Insurance number.
- Quick secure sign-in
- Check tax code and pay
- Claim tax refunds
- View State Pension details
- Self Assessment payments
- Manage Child Benefit
- Find National Insurance number
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Take control of your money and tax with the HMRC app It’s secure, free to download, and easy to use. Get on it, and join millions of people already saving time with the HMRC app. Key Features: - Quick setup: sign in using face recognition, fingerprint scan, or a six-digit PIN - Stay in control: check your tax code and see your pay before it even shows in your bank, so you know you're paying the right amount - Claim a tax refund: find out if you’re due any tax back from us and quickly claim a refund if you’re owed one - Check your State Pension: see how much State Pension you could get, when you can get it and how to increase it, if you can - Self Assessment: a safe and secure way to make Self Assessment payments and get information you'll need to file - Child Benefit support: claim, manage, and update your Child Benefit details - National Insurance: find and save your National Insurance number so you have it when you need it - Go paperless: opt to receive key messages from HMRC online Download the HMRC app today and stay on top of your money and taxes
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Standard Life at 84% against HMRC's 47%. Standard Life also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs monthly). HMRC's advantage is rating (4.8 vs 4.3) and monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). On price, 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
HMRC holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: HMRC has 583 ratings behind it against 25, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 84% of Standard Life's written reviews are positive against 47% of HMRC's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Standard Life ships an update fortnightly, HMRC monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 28, 2026 and September 26, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Standard Life | HMRC |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.3 (25 ratings) | 4.8 (583 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 83.8% of reviews — better | 47.3% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 25 | 583 — better |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Monthly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 78 MB | 34 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Standard Life Assets and Employee Services Limited | HMRC |
Customer experience
Standard Life
HMRC
User reviews
Standard Life
From 25 App Store ratingsWhat 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
HMRC
From 583 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Straightforward payment process
- 💡 Useful information and updates
- 🔒 Secure authentication
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent login issues and app crashes
- 🤔 Confusing navigation and UI
- ⚠️ Lack of communication about tax changes
- 🕰️ Slow and unresponsive app
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
HMRC
Reported bugs
4 issues- Endless login loops and redirects
- App freezing and becoming unresponsive
- Inconsistent behavior after app updates
- Issues with Face ID and biometric authentication
Requested features
4 requests- Improved notification system for tax updates
- Ability to view and manage tax details in-app
- Better integration with banking apps for payments
- More user-friendly design and navigation
In-app purchases
Standard Life
No in-app purchases
HMRC
No in-app purchases









