Comparison

Purchasing Power vs Afterpay

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

Head to head
About

Purchasing Power

Access an employer-provided benefit to purchase name-brand products and services. Pay over 12 months via payroll deduction. Manage your account, track orders, submit documents, and browse the catalog.

Highlights
  • Search product catalog
  • Shop on mobile site
  • View order and shipping status
  • Access account statements
  • Submit documents via camera
  • Browse new arrivals
  • Contact support
Features
Read full description

A better way to buy is better than ever before! Purchasing Power is an exciting benefit offered by your employer or organization that allows you to buy name-brand products and services and pay for them over 12-months through payroll deduction. Exclusively available to Purchasing Power customers, this app gives you all of your Purchasing Power information at your fingertips. Want to check your order balance? Need to submit a document to process your order? Looking for the newest products? This app allows you to: o Search our catalog o Shop on our mobile site o View Order and Shipping Status o View Your Account Statement o Send Documents (Use your camera or use existing images) o Check Out New Arrivals o Contact Us (Send a message) o Call Us Now o Sign In with Touch ID New to Purchasing Power? You must be an employee or member of a participating organization to have access to our industry-leading employee purchase program. Register now (https://www.purchasingpower.com/) to access your employer’s customized storefront and start shopping today!

About

Afterpay

Shop your favorite brands online or in-store and split your purchases into manageable payments. Get what you want now and pay over time with flexible installment plans, including options to pay in 4 installments or monthly.

Highlights
  • Split purchases into 4 payments
  • Monthly payment options available
  • Discover exclusive deals and brands
  • Shop in-store with tap-to-pay
  • Manage payments and orders
  • Unlock spending power
  • Gift card purchases
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Buy now, pay later with Afterpay. Shop your favorite brands online, in-store, or in the app. Access exclusive deals by shopping in the Afterpay app. Get what you want now, and pay over time. Choose to pay in 4* generally over the course of 6 weeks, or up to 24 months**. With Afterpay you can discover and shop new brands and products, and get exclusive discount shopping. Buy now from fashion, beauty, home, toys, tech, and more. With over 700k five-star reviews, Afterpay is the app you need to split payments. Shop now when you download Afterpay. Access in-store or online shopping with your pre-approved spending limit and pay in 4 for your favorite products. AFTERPAY FEATURES: PAY IN 4 - Shop now and split your purchase to pay in 4 payments. - Split payments and pay generally over the course of 6 weeks. PAY MONTHLY - Discount shopping with Afterpay allows for payment flexibility with monthly payments on eligible orders at participating brands. - Buy now and pick the plan that works for you. Split payments in 3, 6, 12, or 24 months, depending on your order amount and merchant availability. SHOP NOW AND DISCOVER MORE IN THE APP - Discover even more app-exclusive brands in fashion, tech, travel, and more only in the app. - Explore curated round-ups and gift guides from our editors. GIFT IT WITH AFTERPAY - Gift even easier with gift cards from hundreds of top brands available exclusively in the Afterpay app. - Select your gift card, send it directly to your recipient’s inbox, and pay over time. BUY NOW WITH AFTERPAY IN-STORE - Shop now for your favorite brands in-store with Afterpay. - Tap to pay, and take it home today. MANAGE YOUR SPLIT PAYMENTS - Review your Afterpay orders and manage payments in the app. - Select your preferred payment day to make your payment schedule work for you. STAY INFORMED WITH NOTIFICATIONS - Manage your notifications to stay up to date on your account, new brands, and exclusives. - Get alerts on your activity, payment schedules, and special offers. BUY NOW TO UNLOCK MORE SPENDING POWER - Unlock higher spending limits when you pay on time. - Check your spend limit and keep on top of your finances in the Afterpay app. 24/7 CUSTOMER SUPPORT - Get support anytime you need. - Use our customer support chat or access FAQs in the app. By using the Afterpay app, you agree to the applicable Terms of Use (https://www.afterpay.com/en-US/terms-of-service) and Privacy Policy (https://www.afterpay.com/en-US/privacy-policy). *You must be 18 or older, a resident of the U.S. and meet additional eligibility criteria to qualify. For access to in-store, additional verification may be required. Late fees may apply. Payment amounts shown are estimates and depend on eligibility and exclude taxes and shipping charges, which are added at checkout. For complete terms see Afterpay terms (https://www.afterpay.com/en-US/installment-agreement) and Cash App terms (https://cash.app/legal/us/en-us/tos). Loans to California residents made or arranged pursuant to a California Finance Lenders Law license. **You must be 18 or older, a resident of the U.S. and meet additional eligibility criteria to qualify. Loans through the Afterpay Pay Monthly program are underwritten and issued by the First Electronic Bank. A down payment may be required. APRs range from 0.00% to 35.99%, depending on eligibility and merchant. As an example, a 12 month $1,000 loan with 21% APR would have 11 monthly payments of $93.11 and 1 payment of $93.19 for a total payment of $1,117.40. Loans are subject to credit check and approval and are not available in all states. Valid debit card and acceptance of final terms required to apply. Estimated payment amounts shown on product pages exclude taxes and shipping charges, which are added at checkout. See https://www.afterpay.com/en-US/loan-agreement for complete terms.

Screenshots

Purchasing Power4 screens
Afterpay4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Afterpay at fortnightly against Purchasing Power's every 2 months. Afterpay also leads on ratings volume (753K vs 32K) and chart position (#36 vs unranked). Purchasing Power's advantage is device support (3 vs 1). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads 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 Purchasing Power against 4.9 for Afterpay. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Afterpay has 753K ratings behind it against 32K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 21% of Purchasing Power's written reviews are positive against 19% of Afterpay's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Purchasing Power ships an update every 2 months, Afterpay fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Purchasing Power versus Afterpay: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPurchasing PowerAfterpay
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (32K ratings)4.9 (753K ratings) — better
Positive reviews21.1% of reviews — better19.5% of reviews
Number of ratings32K753K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#36 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.6 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size47 MB160 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperPurchasing PowerAfterpay

Customer experience

Purchasing Power

All ratings32,314 ratings
Positive97.1%
Neutral1.6%
Negative1.3%
Written reviews142 reviews
Positive21.1%
Neutral8.5%
Negative70.4%

Afterpay

All ratings752,755 ratings
Positive98.3%
Neutral0.6%
Negative1.1%
Written reviews1,084 reviews
Positive19.5%
Neutral5.7%
Negative74.8%

User reviews

Purchasing Power

From 32K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💳 Purchasing power
  • 🎁 Helps with gifts and essentials
  • 🙌 Convenient payment options
  • ⭐ Positive experiences

Room to improve

  • 💰 Overpriced items
  • 🚚 Shipping issues
  • 🤖 Buggy and unreliable app
  • 🙅‍♀️ Poor customer service
  • 🤔 Inconsistent policies

Afterpay

From 753K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Convenient payment plan
  • 💳 No interest or hidden fees
  • 🤝 Good customer service (initially)
  • 📈 Increasing credit limit with usage
  • 🛒 Wide range of participating stores

Room to improve

  • 🐛 App/website technical issues
  • 🔒 Security and privacy concerns
  • 🤖 Lack of human customer support
  • 🔽 Drastic credit limit reductions
  • 🚫 Accounts closed/banned for minor issues

Bugs and requests

Purchasing Power

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Frequent app crashes
  • Login issues
  • Order cancellation problems
  • Incorrect order information

Requested features

3 requests
  • More product variety
  • Improved app functionality
  • Better communication with customers

Afterpay

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Orders not processing properly
  • Payment issues and declined transactions
  • Inability to update payment information
  • App crashes and login problems

Requested features

4 requests
  • Report payments to credit bureaus
  • More flexible payment scheduling options
  • In-app customer service chat/phone support
  • Ability to use Afterpay for recurring bills/expenses

In-app purchases

None

Purchasing Power

No in-app purchases

None

Afterpay

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Purchasing Power free?
Purchasing Power is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Afterpay free?
Afterpay is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Purchasing Power or Afterpay?
Afterpay is rated higher. Purchasing Power averages 4.8 out of 5 from 32K ratings, while Afterpay averages 4.9 from 753K ratings.
Do Purchasing Power or Afterpay have ads?
Neither Purchasing Power nor Afterpay shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Purchasing Power or Afterpay?
Purchasing Power ships an update every 2 months, and Afterpay fortnightly. Most recently, Purchasing Power was updated on October 20, 2026 and Afterpay on October 21, 2026.

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