The vast majority of digital banking users are reluctantly maintaining multiple financial apps due to feature gaps in their primary platform, with 91 per cent stating they would consolidate to a single app if it met all their needs, according to a new study by payment infrastructure provider DECTA.
In its new ‘Wallet Fatigue 2025’ study, DECTA highlights how having multiple financial apps is predominantly a forced necessity rather than a personal choice.
Through a survey of over 1,500 users across the UK and Europe, as well as analysis of over 50,000 app reviews, DECTA’s research found that 60 per cent of users add a second finance app specifically because their primary app lacks essential features.
Security, integration, and budgeting tools appear to be the most commonly missing features, each cited by over 45 per cent of users. Fifty-two per cent of users who supplement their main app also say budgeting and spending analysis features are lacking.
The study’s most striking finding addresses a fundamental assumption about consumer behaviour in digital banking. When asked if they would stop using multiple apps if their primary app added all needed features at no extra cost, 91 per cent answered ‘yes’ – revealing that multi-app usage is predominantly driven by necessity rather than preference.
Despite the wide range of choice when it comes to banking and financial apps, only two per cent of respondents revealed that they prefer maintaining multiple apps by choice.
The report also highlights that the tech proficiency of users has a significant impact on their satisfaction. In fact, advanced tech users emerged as the most satisfied with single-app solutions, with 85 per cent reporting high satisfaction.
Those categorised as intermediate tech users averaged the highest number of apps at 2.1 per person, while more basic tech users appeared more likely to stick to simpler setups, averaging just 1.1 apps.
Filling the feature gaps
Thirty-nine per cent of negative app reviews cite poor customer support, account freezes, or verification issues. Aside from these disappointing customer experiences, many users say that they keep secondary apps installed on their devices as ‘insurance’ should their primary app experience any failures or outages.
The research reveals that multi-app usage creates significant friction in users’ daily financial management, with over 80 per cent reporting at least occasional confusion about where key information is stored across different platforms.
The study found that daily spending users – those who rely on finance apps for everyday transactions – still struggle with this fragmentation. While 57.5 per cent manage with one app, 42.5 per cent use multiple apps, with 74 per cent citing missing features as the primary driver.
The findings suggest significant opportunities for financial service providers to capture market share by addressing feature gaps that currently force users to maintain multiple apps. The most in-demand missing features include:
- Integration capabilities (cited by 60 per cent of advanced users)
- Advanced security tools (mentioned by over 50 per cent across all user types)
- Comprehensive budgeting and analytics (the #1 feature gap overall)
- Better rewards and cashback programmes
- Reliable customer support and account stability
