Essential CU vs MyPelican
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Essential CU
Manage your credit union accounts conveniently from your mobile device. Access account information, transfer funds, pay bills, and deposit checks on the go. Easily locate ATMs and branches with this secure and user-friendly application.
- Check account balances
- View transaction history
- Transfer funds
- Pay bills
- Send money to contacts
- Deposit checks
- Find ATMs and branches
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The Essential Credit Union Mobile App allows you the power to access your account information on your mobile device at any time and from anywhere! Once you download the Essential mobile app, you simply login using the same credentials you have for Online Banking. The Essential app gives you the ability to: • Check balances • View your transaction history • Transfer funds • Pay bills • Pay or transfer money to friends and family in your device contacts • Deposit checks • Find ATMs and branches quickly and easily Download the convenient Essential Mobile App today!
MyPelican
Manage your finances with this comprehensive banking app. View accounts, loans, and credit cards, deposit checks, and transfer money. Features include budgeting tools, bill pay, and card management.
- View accounts, loans, and credit cards
- Mobile check deposit
- Send and receive money with Zelle
- Budgeting and net worth analysis
- Apply for new accounts and loans
- Bill pay and money transfers
- Card management (on/off, reorder)
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Meet the future of banking. Meet MyPelican! MyPelican puts everything you need in one sleek, secure place-so you can move money, make moves, and manage your financial life with confidence. Check balances, transfer funds, deposit checks, pay bills, and send money with ease. Open accounts in minutes and apply for loans on your schedule.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is monetization model: MyPelican at free against Essential CU's free with in-app purchases. MyPelican also leads on update cadence (monthly vs every 3 months). Essential CU's advantage is review sentiment (82% vs 58%). On price, rating, ratings volume 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
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 Essential CU against 4.8 for MyPelican. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4.5K and 12K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 82% of Essential CU's written reviews are positive against 58% of MyPelican's.
Essential CU ships an update every 3 months, MyPelican monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Essential CU | MyPelican |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (4.5K ratings) | 4.8 (12K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 81.7% of reviews — better | 58.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 4.5K | 12K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Monthly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 16.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 114 MB | 121 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Essential Credit Union | Pelican Credit Union |
Customer experience
Essential CU
MyPelican
User reviews
Essential CU
From 4.5K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Fast and easy to use
- 👍 User-friendly interface
- 💡 Useful features like check deposit
- 🔒 Secure with Touch ID login
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and technical issues
- ⚠️ Unreliable account access and information
- 💤 Outdated and frustrating interface
- 🤯 Poor customer support
MyPelican
From 12K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Excellent service and commitment
- 👍 Family culture and local vibes
- 🚀 Fast transactions
- 👍 User-friendly mobile app
- 👍 Great customer service
Room to improve
- 🐛 App crashes and login issues
- 🐛 Errors with account balance updates
- 🐛 Zelle function not available
- 🐛 ATM issues
- 👎 Confusing account management
Bugs and requests
Essential CU
Reported bugs
4 issues- Login screen freezes
- Account information not displaying correctly
- Deposit issues and delays
- Compatibility problems with newer devices
Requested features
4 requests- Ability to lock debit card
- Faster credit card payment updates
- More account management features
- Apple Pay integration
MyPelican
Reported bugs
4 issues- Login screen freezes
- Incompatible with older devices
- App crashes on update
- Account data loss
Requested features
3 requests- Checking account default option
- Dark mode
- Advanced analytics dashboard
In-app purchases
Essential CU
No in-app purchases
MyPelican
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Essential CU free?
Is MyPelican free?
Which has better reviews, Essential CU or MyPelican?
Do Essential CU or MyPelican have ads?
Which is updated more often, Essential CU or MyPelican?
Other comparisons
