Comparison

HMRC vs Pensions By Penfold

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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

About

Pensions By Penfold

Manage your retirement savings with an intuitive platform that simplifies pension transfers and contributions. Easily track down old pensions, make flexible payments, and choose from various investment funds. Get expert support and transparent fees for a confident financial future.

Highlights
  • Transfer old pensions for free
  • Find lost pensions
  • Flexible contributions
  • Multiple investment funds
  • Low transparent fees
  • Expert customer support
Features
Read full description

Feel empowered by your pension with Penfold’s intuitive interface, powerful tools and friendly customer service. We make pensions easy so you can have confidence about life after work. Capital at risk. Get started in under 5 minutes • Create an account with an email and password • Enter some details like your name and address • Transfer an old pension or pay in some cash • All done! Complete access to a modern pension Transfer your pensions for free • Combine old workplace and private pensions • Enter a few details about your old pension in-app • Our transfer specialists do the paperwork for you • Get transfer progress updates on your dashboard It's important to compare providers’ fees and any guaranteed benefits when deciding on whether to transfer, and be sure that the investments available are suitable for you. If your employer is paying into your pension currently, transferring that pot may mean you lose out on their contribution. Track down lost pensions • Use our in-app Find My Pension tool • Simply enter your previous employer’s name • We’ll tell you the provider and contact details Completely flexible pension contributions • No minimum monthly contribution amount • Set up recurring or make one-off payments • Easily top-up, adjust and stop your contributions • Receive a 25% tax relief top-up automatically Switch pension investment fund any time • Lifetime: Automatically adjusts risk level over time • Standard: Choose your preferred risk level • Sustainable: Invest in high ESG rated companies • Sharia: Investments approved by a Sharia board Low pension fees and no hidden charges • An annual fee of 0.4% to 0.88% depending on your investment fund and account balance • No charges for anything else including exits, transfers and drawdown Friendly, expert pension service • Our UK-based team are on hand to support you • Ask questions via in-app chat, email, or phone • No waiting lines, call centres or jargon! Securing your pension savings • Investments are managed by the largest money managers in the world - BlackRock and HSBC • We safeguard your data with the most up-to-date security technology and strictly comply with GDPR Penfold are part of the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) as well as being authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

Screenshots

HMRC4 screens
Pensions By Penfold4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: HMRC at none against Pensions By Penfold's shown. HMRC also leads on monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). Pensions By Penfold's advantage is review sentiment (76% vs 48%). On price, update cadence, 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

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

HMRC ships an update monthly, Pensions By Penfold every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
HMRC versus Pensions By Penfold: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHMRCPensions By Penfold
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (604 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews47.9% of reviews76.1% of reviews — better
Number of ratings604 — better—
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 6 weeks
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size34 MB23 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHMRCPenfold

Customer experience

HMRC

All ratings600 ratings
Positive95.2%
Neutral1.7%
Negative3.2%
Written reviews889 reviews
Positive47.9%
Neutral4.8%
Negative47.2%

Pensions By Penfold

Written reviews46 reviews
Positive76.1%
Neutral4.3%
Negative19.6%

Bugs and requests

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

Pensions By Penfold

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

HMRC

No in-app purchases

None

Pensions By Penfold

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is HMRC free?
HMRC is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Pensions By Penfold free?
Pensions By Penfold is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do HMRC or Pensions By Penfold have ads?
Pensions By Penfold shows ads; HMRC does not.
Which is updated more often, HMRC or Pensions By Penfold?
HMRC ships an update monthly, and Pensions By Penfold every 6 weeks. Most recently, HMRC was updated on October 21, 2026 and Pensions By Penfold on October 22, 2026.

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