# E1CU vs EducationFirstFCU

E1CU and EducationFirstFCU both sit at 4.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of E1CU's written reviews are positive against 70% of EducationFirstFCU's. E1CU also leads on monetization model (free vs ad-supported) and iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.4). EducationFirstFCU's advantage is ratings volume (4.5K vs 4). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

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

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for E1CU against 4.8 for EducationFirstFCU. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: EducationFirstFCU has 4.5K ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 100% of E1CU's written reviews are positive against 70% of EducationFirstFCU's.

E1CU ships an update every 2 weeks, EducationFirstFCU monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | E1CU | EducationFirstFCU |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/e1cu-education-first/id585374382/reviews) | **[4.8 (4.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/educationfirstfcu/id1579562961/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 4 | **4.5K** |
| Positive reviews | **100.0% of reviews** | 70.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Monthly |
| Monetization | **Free** | Ad-supported |
| Size | 33 MB | 197 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.0** | 18.4 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Education First Credit Union](https://appshunter.io/developer/1345672403) | [Education First Federal Credit Union](https://appshunter.io/developer/444478220) |

## What reviewers say

### E1CU

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/e1cu-education-first/id585374382)

Manage your finances on the go with this app. View account history, pay bills, transfer funds, and find nearby ATMs. It offers a comprehensive suite of banking tools for convenient financial management.

**Highlights:** View account history, Pay bills, Transfer funds, Locate ATMs, Financial management tools

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### EducationFirstFCU

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/educationfirstfcu/id1579562961)

Manage your finances with a personal financial advocate. Organize transactions with tags and notes, set balance alerts, and make payments. Deposit checks, manage debit cards, and aggregate accounts securely.

**Highlights:** Organize transactions with tags, notes, and photos, Set balance alerts, Make payments to companies and friends, Transfer money between accounts, Deposit checks via photo, Manage debit cards (reorder, turn off), Aggregate financial accounts

**Features:** Apple Wallet

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 💕 Convenient banking anywhere
- 👍 Easy to deposit and transfer money
- 🚀 Fast and intuitive app
- 🔒 Protects assets and provides peace of mind
- 👍 Customizable to user needs

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Glitchy app with frequent crashes
- 🤯 Difficult to find and do things
- 🤬 Poor customer service and lack of responsiveness
- 🤯 Redundant and non-user-friendly processes
- 🤯 Accounts not syncing properly

**Reported bugs**

- Login issues with constant verification codes
- Inability to view account information
- Bill pay stopped working after system update

**Requested features**

- Confirmation prompt before submitting payments
- Ability to see pending deposits
- Restore previous features that were removed


## Frequently asked questions

### Is E1CU free?

E1CU is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is EducationFirstFCU free?

EducationFirstFCU is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, E1CU or EducationFirstFCU?

EducationFirstFCU is rated higher. E1CU averages 4.8 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while EducationFirstFCU averages 4.8 from 4.5K ratings.

### Do E1CU or EducationFirstFCU have ads?

Neither E1CU nor EducationFirstFCU shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, E1CU or EducationFirstFCU?

E1CU ships an update every 2 weeks, and EducationFirstFCU monthly. Most recently, E1CU was updated on October 23, 2026 and EducationFirstFCU on November 3, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*