Essential CU vs PB Mobile Banking
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!
PB Mobile Banking
Manage your finances conveniently from your mobile device. Check balances, transfer funds, pay bills, and deposit checks securely. Access your accounts anytime, anywhere.
- Check account balances
- Search recent transactions
- Transfer funds between accounts
- Schedule one-time bill payments
- Deposit checks remotely
- Find bank locations
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Start banking wherever you are with PB Mobile Banking for mobile banking! Available to all Plaquemine Bank and Trust Company consumer online banking customers PB Mobile Banking allows you to check balances, make transfers, pay bills, make deposits and find locations. Available features include: Accounts - Check your latest account balance and search recent transactions by date, amount, or check number. Transfers - Easily transfer cash between your accounts. Bill Pay -Schedule one time payments Check Deposit - Deposit checks while on the go. All features may not be available in the tablet application.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is monetization model: PB Mobile Banking at free against Essential CU's free with in-app purchases. PB Mobile Banking also leads on update cadence (monthly vs every 3 months) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). Essential CU's advantage is ratings volume (4.5K vs 49) and review sentiment (82% vs 67%). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases 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 4.7 for PB Mobile Banking. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Essential CU has 4.5K ratings behind it against 49, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 82% of Essential CU's written reviews are positive against 67% of PB Mobile Banking's.
Essential CU ships an update every 3 months, PB Mobile Banking monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Essential CU | PB Mobile Banking |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (4.5K ratings) — better | 4.7 (49 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 81.7% of reviews — better | 66.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 4.5K — better | 49 |
| 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 | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 114 MB | 148 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Essential Credit Union | Plaquemine Bank and Trust Company |
Customer experience
Essential CU
PB Mobile Banking
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
PB Mobile Banking
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Essential CU
No in-app purchases
PB Mobile Banking
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Essential CU free?
Is PB Mobile Banking free?
Which has better reviews, Essential CU or PB Mobile Banking?
Do Essential CU or PB Mobile Banking have ads?
Which is updated more often, Essential CU or PB Mobile Banking?
Other comparisons
