# Saudia vs Emirates

The clearest difference is ads: Saudia at none against Emirates's shown. Saudia also leads on monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and rating (4.7 vs 4.5). Emirates's advantage is review sentiment (57% vs 39%) and chart position (#171 vs unranked). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

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

Saudia holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Saudia has 59K ratings behind it against 9.8K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 39% of Saudia'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.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Saudia | Emirates |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (59K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/saudia/id892721808/reviews)** | [4.5 (9.8K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/emirates/id935307149/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **59K** | 9.8K |
| Positive reviews | 38.8% of reviews | **56.6% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | **#171** |
| Size | 459 MB | 295 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [SAUDI AIRLINES AIR TRANSPORT COMPANY OF A SINGLE-PERSON COMPANY](https://appshunter.io/developer/892721811) | [Emirates](https://appshunter.io/developer/331907534) |

## What reviewers say

### Saudia

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/saudia/id892721808)

This travel app allows users to book flights, manage trips, and check in for flights seamlessly. It also provides access to loyalty program information and allows for the purchase of ancillaries like extra baggage and seat upgrades.

**Highlights:** Book flights and purchase ancillaries, Online check-in and digital boarding passes, Manage bookings and change seats, ALFURSAN member dashboard, Store passenger details and bookings offline, Book hotels and rent cars

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Wallet, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- ✨ Smooth and easy to use app
- 🕰️ Convenient for booking and managing flights
- 🤝 Helpful and friendly staff
- 🍽️ Good in-flight experience with quality food and service

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy and glitchy app with frequent crashes
- ⏱️ Slow and unresponsive performance
- 🤖 Lack of human touch in customer service
- 💳 Issues with payment processing and seat selection
- 🧳 Problems with baggage handling and lost luggage

**Reported bugs**

- Inability to log in to Alfursan account
- Boarding pass not working with Apple Wallet
- Seat selection not working properly
- Booking process getting stuck or not completing

**Requested features**

- Add multi-destination booking option
- Integrate Apple Pay and other digital wallets
- Improve Alfursan loyalty program integration
- Enhance mobile app functionality to match website


### Emirates

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/emirates/id935307149)

**Currently charting:** #171 Top Free · Travel (US App Store)

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:** Apple Wallet, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

- 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


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Saudia free?

Saudia 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, Saudia or Emirates?

Saudia is rated higher. Saudia averages 4.7 out of 5 from 59K ratings, while Emirates averages 4.5 from 9.8K ratings.

### Do Saudia or Emirates have ads?

Emirates shows ads; Saudia does not.

### Which is updated more often, Saudia or Emirates?

Saudia ships an update every 3 weeks, and Emirates every 3 weeks. Most recently, Saudia was updated on October 16, 2026 and Emirates on October 15, 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.*