# Emirates vs Etihad

Emirates and Etihad both sit at 4.5 stars, but that hides the real split: 57% of Emirates's written reviews are positive against 20% of Etihad's. Emirates also leads on chart position (#185 vs unranked). Etihad's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks). On price, rating, ratings volume 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 — 4.5 for Emirates against 4.4 for Etihad. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 9.8K and 18K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 57% of Emirates's written reviews are positive against 20% of Etihad's.

Emirates ships an update every 3 weeks, Etihad weekly. Both last shipped on September 25, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Emirates | Etihad |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (9.8K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/emirates/id935307149/reviews)** | [4.4 (18K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/etihad/id988860942/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 9.8K | **18K** |
| Positive reviews | **56.6% of reviews** | 20.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#185** | — |
| Size | 295 MB | 188 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **16.0** |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Emirates](https://appshunter.io/developer/331907534) | [Etihad Airways](https://appshunter.io/developer/988860941) |

## What reviewers say

### Emirates

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

**Currently charting:** #185 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


### Etihad

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/etihad/id988860942)

This travel app allows users to book flights, manage bookings, and check in for their journeys. It provides mobile boarding passes, real-time flight status updates, and access to exclusive travel deals. Users can also upgrade their seats and add extras for a more comfortable experience.

**Highlights:** Flight booking and management, Fast and easy check-in, Live flight status updates, Upgrade and add extras, Exclusive travel deals, Etihad Guest program management

**Features:** Apple Wallet

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy to use
- 🚀 Convenient app
- 🚀 Reliable app
- 🚀 Exceptional experience
- 🚀 Convenient and simple

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy app
- 🐛 Slow and glitchy
- 🐛 Crashes frequently
- 🐛 Unstable app
- 🐛 Terrible app

**Reported bugs**

- Unable to log in
- Cancelled all booking details
- Issues with paying for seat changes
- Booked flights disappearing from app
- Incorrect flight information displayed

**Requested features**

- Allow copying and pasting of passwords
- Enable saving boarding passes to Apple Wallet
- Improve seat selection and management
- Add ability to book flights using miles
- Integrate loyalty program details


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Emirates free?

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

### Is Etihad free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Emirates or Etihad?

Emirates is rated higher. Emirates averages 4.5 out of 5 from 9.8K ratings, while Etihad averages 4.4 from 18K ratings.

### Do Emirates or Etihad have ads?

Both Emirates and Etihad show ads.

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

Emirates ships an update every 3 weeks, and Etihad weekly. Most recently, Emirates was updated on September 25, 2026 and Etihad on September 25, 2026.

---

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