Comparison

HMRC vs MoneySavingExpert

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

MoneySavingExpert

Access UK's largest personal finance site for deals, switching tips, and budgeting tools. Get expert guidance and alerts for money-saving opportunities on bills, credit, and everyday costs.

Highlights
  • Bill comparison and switching
  • Credit score and report access
  • Energy tariff comparison
  • Budgeting tools
  • Insurance quotes
  • Deal finder
Features
Read full description

Save money on your bills, credit, banking and everyday costs with the MoneySavingExpert app - the UK's biggest personal finance help site packed with deals, switching tips, budgeting tools and expert guidance from Martin Lewis. Get quick access to MSE’s top guides, breaking news, weekly deals, and Martin Lewis’ updates. Turn on notifications and we’ll alert you to money-saving opportunities as they happen. You’ll get access to MSE’s money saving tools in one place, including our: - Credit Club: See your credit score, credit report and credit eligibility rating - Cheap Energy Club: Compare energy tariffs and switch to save £100s - Amazon Discount Finder: Snag the cheapest UK deals on the retail giant - Bill Buster: Budget planner that tracks your bills and tells you when to switch - Broadband Comparison: Find the best UK broadband deals - Car Insurance Compare+: Get competitive quotes for car insurance - Cheap Mobile Finder: Discover affordable mobile plans - Council Tax Rebanding Calculator: Calculate savings on your council tax band - Credit Card Eligibility calculator: See your odds of getting the top credit cards - Home Insurance Compare+: Get home insurance quotes, switch and save - Income Tax Calculator: See how much pay you'll take home - 10-minute Benefit Calculator: Check your entitlement to government benefits - Mortgage Best Buys: Compare mortgage deals to find the best rates - Tax Code Checker: Ensure you're paying the correct amount of tax - Travel Insurance : Compare travel insurance policies for cheap deals - Stamp Duty Calculators: Estimate stamp duty costs when buying a property - Student Loan Calculators: Manage and understand your repayments MoneySavingExpert is acting as an agent of TrueLayer, who is providing the regulated Account Information Service, and is Authorised and Regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority under the Payment Services Regulations 2017 and the Electronic Money Regulations 2011 (Firm Reference Number: 901096)

Screenshots

HMRC4 screens
MoneySavingExpert4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: HMRC at free against MoneySavingExpert's free with in-app purchases. HMRC also leads on ratings volume (583 vs 126) and device support (3 vs 1). MoneySavingExpert's advantage is review sentiment (71% vs 47%) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs monthly). On price, rating, 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

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for HMRC against 4.8 for MoneySavingExpert. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 583 and 126 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 47% of HMRC's written reviews are positive against 71% of MoneySavingExpert's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

HMRC ships an update monthly, MoneySavingExpert every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on September 26, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
HMRC versus MoneySavingExpert: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHMRCMoneySavingExpert
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (583 ratings)4.8 (126 ratings)
Positive reviews47.3% of reviews70.8% of reviews — better
Number of ratings583 — better126
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size34 MB57 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHMRCMoneySavingExpert.com

Customer experience

HMRC

All ratings583 ratings
Positive95.0%
Neutral1.7%
Negative3.3%
Written reviews857 reviews
Positive47.3%
Neutral5.0%
Negative47.7%

MoneySavingExpert

All ratings126 ratings
Positive96.0%
Neutral1.6%
Negative2.4%
Written reviews373 reviews
Positive70.8%
Neutral5.6%
Negative23.6%

User reviews

HMRC

From 583 App Store ratings

What 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

MoneySavingExpert

From 126 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Helpful and informative
  • 🚀 Up-to-date information
  • 💡 Great savings tips
  • 🔒 Trusted and reliable advice
  • 👍 Easy to navigate

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Login and registration issues
  • 🐛 Functionality problems
  • 🐛 Slow performance
  • 🐛 Compatibility issues
  • 🔒 Security concerns

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

MoneySavingExpert

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Cloudflare issues causing app to get stuck
  • Inability to input verification codes
  • Mortgage calculator not working
  • Inconsistent user experience

Requested features

4 requests
  • Dark mode option
  • Improved iPad support
  • Better in-app navigation
  • Faster response times

In-app purchases

None

HMRC

No in-app purchases

None

MoneySavingExpert

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is HMRC free?
HMRC is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is MoneySavingExpert free?
MoneySavingExpert is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, HMRC or MoneySavingExpert?
HMRC and MoneySavingExpert are both rated 4.8 out of 5 on the App Store, from 583 and 126 ratings respectively.
Do HMRC or MoneySavingExpert have ads?
Neither HMRC nor MoneySavingExpert shows ads.
Which is updated more often, HMRC or MoneySavingExpert?
HMRC ships an update monthly, and MoneySavingExpert every 2 weeks. Most recently, HMRC was updated on September 26, 2026 and MoneySavingExpert on September 26, 2026.

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