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June 1, 2026 — No Comments

Mobbin New Apps (June 2026): Lumy, Hype and AI Refreshes

Last updated: 1 June 2026

By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance

Tracking Mobbin new apps each month remains one of the quickest ways to see where real product design is actually heading, without trawling the App Store for sport. June's batch is a treat, too. Lumy turns the sunrise into something close to UI poetry, Hype drags fashion culture onto your home screen, and three of the biggest names in tech, ChatGPT, Gemini and Telegram, all turned up wearing the same new outfit.

So grab a coffee, because there is plenty worth stealing this month. If you are new to the platform, start here first: our Mobbin review.

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Published by Stiv in Apps, Designers, Services
Tags: app design, ChatGPT, design inspiration, design tools, ElevenLabs, Google Gemini, Hype, iOS apps, Liquid Glass, Lumy, mobbin, Telegram, UI design, ux design, Vocabulary app
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May 10, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

Mobbin New Apps (May 2026): Fi, Alan and Afterpay Refresh

Last updated: 10 May 2026

By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance

Tracking Mobbin new apps each month is one of the fastest ways to spot where real product UX is heading without scrolling app stores for sport. May's batch is a proper mix: pet-tech, regulated healthcare with a fluffy mascot, and a high-profile fintech rebrand. In other words, three completely different categories, all worth opening side by side.

If you are new to the platform, start here first: Mobbin review: is it worth it? If you already know you want it and just want the cheaper route, head straight to our Mobbin promo code page.

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Published by Stiv in Apps, Designers, Services
Tags: ai ux, brand voice, design research, fintech ux, mobbin, mobbin new apps, pet tech, product design, ui patterns, ux design
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May 9, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

XTB App Review UK 2026: One Star Opinion (1/5)

Last updated: 6 May 2026

By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance

I have used investing apps for over a decade, including Freetrade, Lightyear, Trading 212, Interactive Brokers and JPMorgan Personal Investing. This XTB app review is based on real, recent first-hand use on iPhone over the past few weeks.

This is an opinion piece. Views expressed are my own personal experience and observations. Other XTB customers have reported very different experiences, both better and worse, and you can read those views directly on the App Store, Google Play and Trustpilot. Nothing in this review constitutes professional, financial or legal advice, nor an allegation of wrongdoing by XTB. Capital is at risk when investing.

This post does not contain any XTB referral links. Where alternative brokers are mentioned, those links may include CoolCuration referral codes. We do not benefit financially from publishing this XTB app review.

Cool Factor: 1/5

Welcome to our XTB app review. After spending the last few weeks battling with the broker's iOS app, surviving a verification process worthy of a Kafka novella, and being chased around the screen by stock notifications I never asked for, I have reached a personal verdict. It is not flattering. So if you have seen the ads and the free share offers, this XTB app review explains exactly what you would be signing up for, in my experience.

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Published by Stiv in Apps, Personal finance, Reviews
Tags: broker app, broker review, Freetrade alternative, investment apps, Lightyear alternative, opinion, uk investing, XTB, XTB app, XTB review
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April 29, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

Sprive vs Plum vs Chip: Honest Comparison (2026)

Last updated: 29 April 2026

By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance

I've been using Sprive with my Nationwide mortgage since October 2021, making £100 monthly overpayments through the app. This comparison is based on over four years of real use alongside Chip and Plum.

Sprive vs Plum vs Chip is the question that keeps coming up whenever anyone in the UK talks about saving money automatically. All three apps promise to do the hard bit for you. But they are not the same thing, and picking the wrong one means you are either missing features you need or paying for ones you do not. Here is how they actually compare after months of using all three.

Between the team, we run all three. Sprive handles mortgage overpayments. Chip is our primary auto-saver. Plum runs alongside Chip so we can see how the two compare in real life. Each has earned its place on someone's home screen, but for very different reasons.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Some apps in this comparison offer investing features, which carry risk including the possible loss of capital. CoolCuration is not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority. Some links below are referral links which support the site at no cost to you.

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Published by Stiv in Apps, Finance, Money saving, Personal finance, Saving
Tags: app comparison, auto-saving apps, Chip, Chip vs Plum, fintech UK, money apps UK, mortgage overpayment, personal finance uk, Plum, savings apps UK, Sprive, Sprive vs Chip
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April 24, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

Plum App Review UK 2026: Honest Verdict After 3 Months

Last updated: 24 April 2026

This is an opinion piece. Views expressed are the author's own and do not constitute professional advice.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Some features of Plum involve investing, which carries risk including the possible loss of capital. Always do your own research or consult a qualified financial adviser. CoolCuration is not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority.

Cool Factor

★★★☆☆

3 out of 5

This Plum app review is based on three months of genuine use. We set up Plum to run alongside our existing auto-saver to see whether it would earn a permanent place on our home screen. Plum is one of those apps that does a lot and wants you to know it. Auto-saving, round-ups, investing, bills management, cashback offers, interest-earning pockets. After three months of testing, here's whether all that activity translates into genuinely saving more money.

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Published by Stiv in Apps, Finance, Reviews
Tags: auto-saving, Finance Apps, money apps, Plum, Plum app, reviews, Round-Ups, Saving Apps
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April 22, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

Best Apps to Save Money UK 2026: The Ones We Actually Use

Last updated: 22 April 2026

There are hundreds of money-saving apps in the UK app stores. Most of them are rubbish. The best apps to save money are the ones we've tested over the past few years, narrowed down and kept on our phones because they genuinely work. No fluff, no apps we downloaded once and forgot about. Just the ones that earned a permanent spot.

Between the team we've got about 12 money apps installed. Half of them we actually use. The other half sit there judging us. We tried about 20 apps before settling on this list. Some were too fiddly. Some had great ideas but terrible execution. A couple were genuinely brilliant but shut down. These are the survivors.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Some apps in this list offer savings and investment features. Your capital may be at risk. CoolCuration is not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority. Many of the links below are referral links, which means we may earn a small reward if you sign up. This costs you nothing and in most cases gives you a bonus too.

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Published by Stiv in Apps, Finance, Money saving, Personal finance, Saving
Tags: airtime rewards, auto-saving, budgeting apps, cashback apps, chip app, emma app, JamDoughnut, money saving apps, monzo, personal finance uk, Plum app, saving apps UK, Sprive, TopCashback, TrainPal
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April 13, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

How to Get Cashback on Groceries UK: Save £100+ a Year (2026)

Last updated: 13 April 2026

If you want cashback on groceries UK, there are a handful of apps that genuinely deliver. We have been using JamDoughnut, TopCashback, and Sprive for our own weekly food shops for months now, and the savings quietly stack up. This is not couponing. This is not switching to own-brand everything. It is simply routing your existing spending through an app that gives you a percentage back.

We ran the numbers on a typical £80 weekly Tesco shop using JamDoughnut and, at a standard rate of around 2%, that works out at roughly £83 back over a year. When rates get "pumped up" (more on that below), it could be closer to £125 or more. That is not life-changing money, but it is a free tank of petrol for doing absolutely nothing different.

For cashback beyond groceries, see our full cashback apps roundup.

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Published by Stiv in Apps, Discount, Money, Services
Tags: Aldi, Asda, cashback, gift card cashback, groceries, grocery shopping, JamDoughnut, money saving, mortgage cashback, Sainsbury’s, Sprive, supermarket cashback, Tesco, TopCashback
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April 11, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

Chip Prize Saver vs Premium Bonds UK 2026: Which Is Actually Better?

Last updated: 11 April 2026

Over 24 million people in the UK hold Premium Bonds, making them the nation's most popular savings product. Yet most holders have never compared Chip Prize Saver vs Premium Bonds side by side, and the numbers might surprise you. Around 62% of Premium Bonds holders have never won a single prize, according to data from AJ Bell. The prize fund rate has just dropped to 3.30%, and the odds of winning with each £1 bond have lengthened to 23,000 to 1.

Meanwhile, Chip's Prize Savings Account has been quietly building an alternative: a prize draw savings account that claims 3.5 times better odds than Premium Bonds, with quarterly big prizes reaching £250,000. We are not saying Premium Bonds are bad. They are backed by the Treasury and pay tax-free prizes, which is a genuine advantage. But if you have not compared them to anything in years, this is worth ten minutes of your time.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. It is not a recommendation to open, close, or switch any savings or investment product. Always do your own research or consult a qualified financial adviser before making financial decisions. CoolCuration is not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority. Tax treatment depends on individual circumstances and may change. All product details were verified at the time of writing but may have changed since publication. Always check the provider's website for current terms.

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Published by Stiv in Apps, Finance, Money, Money saving, Saving, UK Made
Tags: Chip, Chip Prize Saver, FSCS, NS&I, Premium Bonds, prize draw savings, savings, savings comparison, tax-free savings, UK savings
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