Comparison

Qatar Airways vs Emirates

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

Head to head
About

Qatar Airways

Manage your entire travel experience, from booking flights and checking in to earning rewards and exploring destinations. This app offers personalized recommendations, AI assistance for bookings and in-flight services, and convenient payment options.

Highlights
  • Personalized travel recommendations
  • AI-powered booking assistant (Sama)
  • Earn and manage Avios rewards
  • Book stopover packages
  • Digital boarding passes
  • In-flight Wi-Fi access
  • Live Activity trip updates
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

At Qatar Airways, we believe your journey should be as rewarding as the destination itself. That’s why we’ve designed our mobile app to put you in complete charge – with everything you need for a seamless journey right in the palm of your hand. Get the most out of our app by becoming a Privilege Club member. It’s not just about being part of the ‘club’ – it’s about embracing a new lifestyle, a passport to more of everything you love. Think bigger rewards, better benefits and a richer travel experience. And the best part? The journey doesn’t stop after you land. Our app helps you find ways to earn Avios on your everyday life, even when you’re not flying. Travel smarter, live bolder and embrace the journey. This is the life. - Be inspired. Set your location and share your travel dreams, and we’ll handle the rest. You'll get tailored recommendations, exclusive promo codes and a whole lot of inspiration right at your fingertips. - Book like a pro. Save time and effort with our personalised search wizard that picks up right where you left off. We’re all about that smart interface. - Earn Avios on every booking. Make every trip count. Join Privilege Club to earn Avios on every flight you take with us or our oneworld® partners. Check your Avios balance anytime with a tap on your Profile. - Step into the future of travel. From bookings to bites, our AI-powered cabin crew, Sama, is here to help. Chat with Sama to book your dream destination or let her customise your menu in Business and First Class. - Double your adventure with a stopover. Explore Qatar during your journey with stopover packages starting from USD 14 per person. Easily tap to book for a taste of local culture, desert adventures, world-class shopping and more. - Fast, easy and secure. Simply pay and go with convenient payment options, including e-wallets and one-click payments like Apple Pay and Google Pay. - Take full control of your journey. Add your trip and manage your booking on the go. Check in and download your digital boarding pass, make flight changes, select seats and more. - Add more for less. Travelling with special baggage or need an e-SIM? We've got flexible options to handle it all. Purchase add-ons effortlessly and skip the queue. - Travel smart with Live Activities. Get dynamic updates and see trip details right from your Lock Screen. Think check-in and gate information, boarding reminders and more. - Raise the bar. Stream, scroll and double tap at 35,000 feet with Starlink – the fastest Wi-Fi in the sky. Remember, Starlink is available on select routes, at no extra cost to you. - It’s all in the hub. Explore your benefits, rewards and all the ways you can collect and spend Avios in your Profile dashboard. Plus, get a sneak peek at what’s available on the next tier.

About

Emirates

Book flights to over 150 destinations, manage your trip details like meals and seats, and check in online. Receive real-time flight updates and access your loyalty program information.

Highlights
  • Search and book flights
  • Manage trip details (meals, seats)
  • Online check-in and digital boarding pass
  • Real-time flight updates
  • Loyalty program management (Skywards Miles)
  • Apple Watch integration for travel alerts
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Explore the world your way with the personalised Emirates App for iPhone and Apple Watch. 1. SEARCH AND BOOK YOUR NEXT GETAWAY Search for flights to over 150 destinations around the world, and complete your entire booking through the app. 2. MANAGE YOUR TRIP ON THE GO Choose your meal and seat preference, and add services such as Chauffeur-drive. It’s easy to update your details, and you can view your full itinerary at any time - even when you’re offline. 3. DOWNLOAD YOUR BOARDING PASS Check in online and download your boarding pass. You can print it, or send it to your phone via SMS or email to use it as a digital boarding pass. On The Emirates App for iPhone and iPad you can download your boarding pass directly to Wallet. 4. GET REAL-TIME FLIGHT UPDATES We’ll send you real-time information about your check-in, departure gate, boarding time, baggage belt and more, straight to your personal device. Tailor the app to your needs by choosing which notifications you want to receive. 5. GET THE MOST OUT OF EMIRATES SKYWARDS Explore ways to earn and spend your Skywards Miles directly within the app. Enjoy easy access to information about your tier status, benefits and Skywards Miles balance, and manage your account wherever you are. 6. THE EMIRATES APP FOR APPLE WATCH Get live travel updates at a glance. The app reminds you when it’s time to board, lets you know if there’s a change to your flight and tells you where to pick up your bags when you land – all without you reaching for your phone.

Screenshots

Qatar Airways4 screens
Emirates4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Emirates at 57% against Qatar Airways's 22%. Qatar Airways's advantage is monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and rating (4.7 vs 4.5). On price, update cadence, 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

Qatar Airways holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 47K and 9.8K respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 22% of Qatar Airways's written reviews are positive against 57% of Emirates's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Qatar Airways ships an update every 2 weeks, Emirates every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on September 26, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Qatar Airways versus Emirates: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterQatar AirwaysEmirates
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (47K ratings) — better4.5 (9.8K ratings)
Positive reviews22.2% of reviews56.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings47K — better9.8K
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#128 — better#185
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS16.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size510 MB295 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperQatar AirwaysEmirates

Customer experience

Qatar Airways

All ratings47,339 ratings
Positive91.5%
Neutral2.2%
Negative6.3%
Written reviews1,869 reviews
Positive22.2%
Neutral8.7%
Negative69.1%

Emirates

All ratings9,781 ratings
Positive89.2%
Neutral3.0%
Negative7.8%
Written reviews1,505 reviews
Positive56.6%
Neutral8.0%
Negative35.3%

User reviews

Qatar Airways

From 47K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Great airline, excellent service
  • 🚀 Smooth booking experience
  • 💯 Best airline, amazing flights

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Buggy app with constant issues
  • 🔍 Difficult to navigate, poor UX
  • 🕰️ Slow and unresponsive app
  • 🔒 Login problems and security concerns
  • 🤖 Terrible customer service

Emirates

From 9.8K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Easy to use
  • 👍 Convenient features
  • 🚀 Smooth check-in process
  • 🚀 Informative and intuitive
  • 👍 Excellent app for frequent flyers

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and technical issues
  • 🐛 Bugs and glitches
  • 🐛 Unreliable app performance
  • 🐛 Slow and unresponsive at times
  • 🐛 Session timeouts and login problems

Bugs and requests

Qatar Airways

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Unable to create account due to password issues
  • Login issues, unable to access account
  • Seat selection not working, app crashes
  • Boarding passes not showing up in app

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add passkey (Face ID) login
  • Improve seat selection and upgrade process
  • Integrate with Apple Wallet for boarding passes
  • Provide better flight status updates

Emirates

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Inability to complete check-in through the app
  • Passport and personal details not saving properly
  • Seat selection and upgrade functionality not working
  • Skywards miles not displaying correctly
  • Boarding pass not showing all necessary information

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to manage family/group bookings with shared miles
  • Improved seat selection and upgrade options
  • Better integration with loyalty program and account management
  • More language support, especially for Arabic
  • Streamlined check-in and boarding pass handling

In-app purchases

None

Qatar Airways

No in-app purchases

None

Emirates

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Qatar Airways free?
Qatar Airways is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Emirates free?
Emirates is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Qatar Airways or Emirates?
Qatar Airways is rated higher. Qatar Airways averages 4.7 out of 5 from 47K ratings, while Emirates averages 4.5 from 9.8K ratings.
Do Qatar Airways or Emirates have ads?
Both Qatar Airways and Emirates show ads.
Which is updated more often, Qatar Airways or Emirates?
Qatar Airways ships an update every 2 weeks, and Emirates every 3 weeks. Most recently, Qatar Airways was updated on September 26, 2026 and Emirates on September 26, 2026.
Which is more popular, Qatar Airways or Emirates?
Qatar Airways currently peaks at #128 in the App Store charts, and Emirates at #185. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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