Comparison

CBD vs Amex MENA

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

Head to head
About

CBD

Manage your finances on the go with a secure and fast mobile banking app. Open accounts, apply for credit cards and loans, and make instant transfers and payments. Enjoy exclusive lifestyle offers with your debit or credit card.

Highlights
  • Instant account opening
  • Credit card and loan applications
  • Instant money transfers
  • Utility bill payments
  • 1,000+ lifestyle offers
  • Secure mobile banking
Features
Read full description

Wherever you happen to be, our new mobile banking App is easy, fast, and secure. And now managing your money is easier than ever before. Commercial Bank of Dubai (CBD) is a leading banking and financial services institution in the UAE, backing ambitions since 1969. With over 55 years in the UAE and award-winning banking services, you can rest assured that all your banking needs are taken care of by a trusted financial partner. 120+ services Experience a feature-rich design with 120+ services for your everyday banking, most of which are processed instantly. Instant banking in minutes Sign up in minutes with just your Emirates ID and get a Current Account, Credit Card, Quick Loan, Home Loan Pre-Approval and more in the UAE’s highest rated Mobile Banking App. Transfers & payments in seconds Make instant transfers to Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and the Philippines as well as instant local transfers all with just a few taps. You can also make over 20 utility payments include Du, Etisalat, Dewa and so much more. 1,000+ lifestyle offers Enjoy over a thousand offers and discounts across dining, entertainment, lifestyle and so much more with the CBD App using your CBD Credit or Debit Card. This application is exclusively available to residents of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Non-residents are not permitted to log in or apply for financial services, including loans. Residency verification is mandatory prior to accessing any functionality.

About

Amex MENA

Manage your American Express account on the go with this mobile application. Track spending, view transactions, pay bills, and discover exclusive offers. Apply for cards, set spending goals, and earn rewards points.

Highlights
  • Digital card applications
  • Transaction tracking
  • Spending timeline by category
  • Supplementary card management
  • Card PIN management
  • Membership Rewards points
  • Exclusive local and online offers
Features
Read full description

The official Amex (Middle East) B.S.C. Mobile app allows you to access your account from anywhere, safely and securely. Track spend, find offers, pay your bill and enjoy many more features in the Amex MENA app. تطبيق Amex MENA الآن متاح باللغة العربية Benefits and features: - Apply digitally through the app for your Amex Card in the UAE - Choose to navigate in your preferred language, Arabic or English - Instant view of your transactions - View your Spending Timeline and track your spends by categories - Apply for Supplementary Cards for Family and manage with ease - Set up, view or unblock your Card PIN Explore rewards and benefits: - We reward your loyalty, by earning Membership Rewards® points on all your spend. Set up goals within the app to get the things you want, with points that never expire - Access to hundreds of local and online offers on shopping, entertainment, dining and wellness - Book your next trip with American Express, easily submit Concierge travel or lifestyle requests, whenever and wherever you are - Refer your friends and earn rewards when they get approved for a Card The Amex MENA app is for Personal and Corporate Cards issued by American Express Middle East. If your Card is not issued by American Express Middle East, then you will not be able to log-in to the Amex MENA app. All access to the app is subject to and governed by American Express Middle East End User License Agreement.

Screenshots

CBD4 screens
Amex MENA4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: CBD at 4.8 against Amex MENA's 2.4. CBD also leads on review sentiment (39% vs 15%) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 6 weeks). Amex MENA's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model 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.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

CBD holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 2.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: CBD has 1.8K ratings behind it against 101, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 39% of CBD's written reviews are positive against 15% of Amex MENA's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

CBD ships an update every 2 weeks, Amex MENA every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
CBD versus Amex MENA: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCBDAmex MENA
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (1.8K ratings) — better2.4 (101 ratings)
Positive reviews39.2% of reviews — better14.6% of reviews
Number of ratings1.8K — better101
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 6 weeks
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS15.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size419 MB203 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperCommercial Bank of DubaiAMEX (MIDDLE EAST) B.S.C. (C)

Customer experience

CBD

All ratings1,824 ratings
Positive95.0%
Neutral1.7%
Negative3.3%
Written reviews51 reviews
Positive39.2%
Neutral5.9%
Negative54.9%

Amex MENA

All ratings100 ratings
Positive33.0%
Neutral4.0%
Negative63.0%
Written reviews89 reviews
Positive14.6%
Neutral2.2%
Negative83.1%

User reviews

CBD

From 1.8K App Store ratings

What we love

  • ⭐ Excellent services
  • ⭐ Fast and easy
  • ⭐ Wonderful experience
  • ⭐ Very good bank
  • ⭐ Convenient and easy to use

Room to improve

  • 🚫 Hungry for money
  • 🚫 Worst customer service
  • 🚫 Slow and unhelpful chatbots
  • 🚫 Difficult to transfer money
  • 🚫 App not working after update

Amex MENA

From 101 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Covers all features (mentioned once)
  • 👍 User friendly (mentioned once)
  • 👍 Great UI (mentioned once)
  • 👍 Simple to use (mentioned once)
  • 👍 Extremely functional (mentioned once)

Room to improve

  • 👎 Extremely outdated app
  • 👎 App is barely working
  • 👎 Inability to book travel services
  • 👎 App is way behind competition
  • 👎 Login does not work

Bugs and requests

CBD

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • App crashes and login issues
  • Incompatibility with newer iOS versions
  • Transferring money not working

Requested features

4 requests
  • Improve app performance and stability
  • Enhance security features
  • Introduce advanced budgeting and money management tools
  • Provide better customer support

Amex MENA

Reported bugs

95 issues
  • Won't allow update
  • Barely working
  • Login does not work
  • App stopped working
  • Technical issues
Show 90 more
  • Non-functional
  • Buggy
  • Acts like browser while using app
  • Unstable
  • Poorly designed
  • Confusing interface
  • Slow interface
  • Full of bugs
  • Nothing works smoothly
  • App crashes during application process
  • Card scan not working
  • App crashes all the time
  • Offers page doesn't load
  • App keeps spinning for offers
  • App gets stuck
  • App blocked in Nigeria
  • Disconnecting during live chat
  • Not compatible with iOS 17
  • Instant crash loop after scanning ID
  • Login works 1/20 times
  • App not working after latest update
  • Full of bugs, low response
  • Loading on every command
  • Application not working
  • Scanning option for old Emirates ID
  • Fix your bugs
  • Not working after last update
  • App crashes
  • Login issues
  • App is slow
  • App is very slow
  • App freezes
  • App is not working
  • App hangs at welcome screen
  • App not optimized for iOS 8.1
  • App not optimized for iOS 8
  • App not optimized for iPhone X
  • App not optimized for iPhone plus
  • Fingerprint option not switched to Face ID
  • App is slow, clunky
  • App not designed for iPhone 6 and 6s screens
  • App freezes on transaction details
  • App not compatible with iOS 13
  • App is old and buggy
  • App looks obsolete
  • App is slow and unresponsive
  • Connection to server is lost
  • App looks like iOS 5
  • Doesn't let you fill boxes on forms
  • Payment terminal does not open
  • App needs to be faster
  • App looks like iOS 8 App
  • App doesn't support iPad screen
  • App uses Face ID to log in but logs in again after logout
  • App is old and needs a facelift
  • App doesn't respond quickly
  • App is slow sometimes
  • App needs to be faster
  • App is slow
  • App is not responsive
  • App is old
  • App is very old fashion
  • App needs a facelift
  • App is dated
  • App is buggy
  • App needs a total makeover
  • App looks 1000 years old
  • App looks like iOS 5
  • App looks like an elementary school project
  • App is 1000 years old
  • App is slow and unresponsive
  • App is buggy
  • App looks dated
  • App is not native iOS
  • App design and functionality very poor
  • App is below par
  • App looks like iOS 5
  • App needs to fix bugs
  • App is very slow
  • App does not log in
  • App needs to be up to date
  • App is old
  • App is slow
  • App is not responsive
  • App is slow
  • App is not responsive
  • App not optimized for iPhone X
  • App not optimized for iPhone plus
  • App is slow, clunky
  • App not designed for iPhone 6 and 6s screens

Requested features

24 requests
  • Allow booking travel services
  • Add Apple Pay and Google Pay support
  • More offers and services online
  • More merchants accepting payment online
  • Improve search engine and sort options for offers
Show 19 more
  • Improve user interface and easy access
  • Add manual option for ID scanning
  • Add Arabic language support
  • Add features like QR code payment
  • Allow selection of any amount for supplement card monthly limit
  • Add unlock blocked cards feature
  • Add redeem points feature
  • Improve UI and refresh functionality
  • Add Qpay (Qatar) payment option
  • Design for iPhone 6 and 6s screens
  • Update to match latest iPhone screen sizes
  • Support for iPhone X and newer iPhones
  • Implement Face ID instead of fingerprint
  • Support for big screen iPads
  • Improve supplementary card form
  • Add dark mode
  • Add advanced analytics dashboard
  • Support for Saudi Arabia accounts
  • Support for AMEX Saudi Arabia

In-app purchases

None

CBD

No in-app purchases

None

Amex MENA

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is CBD free?
CBD is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Amex MENA free?
Amex MENA is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, CBD or Amex MENA?
CBD is rated higher. CBD averages 4.8 out of 5 from 1.8K ratings, while Amex MENA averages 2.4 from 101 ratings.
Do CBD or Amex MENA have ads?
CBD shows ads; Amex MENA does not.
Which is updated more often, CBD or Amex MENA?
CBD ships an update every 2 weeks, and Amex MENA every 6 weeks. Most recently, CBD was updated on October 23, 2026 and Amex MENA on October 21, 2026.

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