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Plum or Emma, which app should you use to help you save money? Plum and Emma are very different apps but have the same goal. So which one should you trust with your money? Read this Plum vs Emma comparison to find out.
Plum vs Emma App Comparison Overview
| Plum | Emma App | |
|---|---|---|
| Trustpilot rating | 4.2/5.0 | 3.9/5.0 |
| Cost | Free or up to £9.99 per month | Free or £4.99-£14.99 per month |
| Connect to bank account | Yes | Yes |
| Platform | App only Android and iPhone | App only Android and iPhone |
| Savings account available | Yes | Yes |
| Terms | Here | Here |
Backgrounds
Plum (withPlum) is an app connecting to your bank account to analyse your spending. Plum’s AI automatically calculates how much you can save and moves this money into a savings account. Plum Fintech was founded by Victor Trokoudes in 2017 and is based in the UK. Read more in my Plum review.
Emma is a budgeting and money-tracking app. It helps users to pay off debts, avoid overspending, and track their spending. This personal finance management app allows users to be in control of their finances. Emma App was founded in 2018 in the UK. Read more in my Emma App review.
Plum is more well-established. But does this mean it performs better?
User Ratings
Plum is popular on Trustpilot, with an average score of 4.2 out of 5.0. Of all Plum reviews, 85% rate Plum as great or excellent.
Emma has an average score of 4.2 out of 5.0. Overall, 74% of users gave Emma the highest ratings (great or excellent). Of note, Emma has fewer reviews than Plum.
What Is Trustpilot?
Overall, there are over 150 million reviews on Trustpilot. You can generally get a good understanding of the legitimacy and customer-friendliness of a company.
Fees and Prices
| Plum | Emma App |
|---|---|
| Free Pro: £2.99 per month Ultra: £4.99 per month Premium: £9.99 per month | Free Plus: £4.99 Pro: £9.99 Ultimate: £14.99 |
Plum is free to use. However, you must upgrade to the paid versions to get more features. Emma App is also free. You can update to one of the paid plans if you want extra features.
The paid plans start at £4.99 (Plus) and end at £14.99 (Ultimate) per month. The more you pay, the more features you get. In terms of pricing, the two apps are similar. Plum has a lite option costing £2.99, which Emma App does not have.
Plum lets you link unlimited bank accounts, even on the free version. However, automatic deposits are always from the main account.
Features
With Plum, you get automatic deposits and an app that calculates how much you can afford to save. This is great if you want a hands-off approach to saving. You can also invest your money with Plum. The investment account is only available to paid users.
With Emma, you can set a budget, categorise your spending, and earn 2.01% AER with Emma Saver. This helps you to understand your spending behaviour better. Emma also lets you open savings and investment accounts.
As you can see, both apps have a slightly different approach to helping you save money.
Saving and Investing
You can open savings and investment accounts with both apps. The savings accounts are as follows:
| Plum | Emma |
|---|---|
| Free: 3.51% AER Pro/Ultra: 3.72% AER Premium: 4.21% AER | Free: 2.01% AER Plus: 2.42% AER Pro: 3.24% AER Ultimate: 3.51% |
As for investing, Emma Invest is free, apart from currency exchange fees. You can buy over 1000 US stocks on the app. On Plum, investing is available on the paid plans. You can choose from over 1500 stocks and a few funds.
Plum pays more interest on savings, but Emma is more generous to investors on the free plan.
User Interface
The Plum App is easy to use and can easily find all functions. It is beginner friendly and has a clean design. With the Emma App, one of the most common comments in online communities is about the app’s design. Too purple and childish, it is not popular with the Emma userbase. However, Emma’s App is easy to use.
Customer Support
Plum and Emma App have an in-app live chat. They will not reply instantly, but you get a quick answer.
Plum vs Emma App Comparison Summary
As you can see from this Plum vs Emma App comparison, both apps fulfil their purpose and help you save money. In terms of categories, the outcome is as follows:
- Trustpilot rating: Tie
- Fees and prices: Plum
- Features on the free version: Plum
- User interface: Plum
- Customer support: Plum
Just because Plum wins in more categories does not mean it is the better app. If you want to track your spending, you may prefer Emma. Both apps are helpful, and which is better depends on your preferences.
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