Our 2026 Workplace Pension App Benchmark reveals how ten leading providers perform today. But our conversations with the teams behind these products also offer an early view of where the market is heading.
Ten workplace pension apps. Ten critical features. One independent benchmark.
Our research takes us behind the login, capturing and assessing what real members can actually experience, rather than what providers claim their products can do.
Another valuable part of the process sits in our conversations with the people designing and building these experiences.
And this year, those conversations have given us an exciting glimpse of what’s coming next.
An early look at what’s coming
One of the most encouraging aspects of this year’s research has been the pace of investment and development across the market.
Fidelity, Mercer, Aviva and The People’s Pension have shared insights into forthcoming product developments, giving us an early view of how their digital experiences are evolving.
These include developments in generative AI, one-to-one financial coaching, more engaging pension communications, member rewards and improvements to everyday servicing.
What’s particularly interesting is the range of challenges providers are tackling, from making pension information easier to understand to creating more compelling reasons for members to engage and take action.
We’re also seeing growing influence from digital experiences outside financial services. Banking has raised expectations for seamless servicing, while platforms such as Spotify, Uber and Airbnb have demonstrated how intuitive, personalised and convenient digital experiences can be.
It’s encouraging to see pension providers working to meet those expectations.
An unbiased benchmark
Importantly, none of these forthcoming developments influence the 2026 benchmark scores
Our assessment reflects only what members could access at the time of research.
Selected roadmap developments and their supporting UX/UI journey maps are included as additional insight in the full report, offering subscribers a broader view of how the competitive landscape is evolving.
Innovation is exciting. But the basics still matter.
For all this progress, I still find some aspects of today’s pension apps frustrating.
Eight of the ten apps are missing at least one of the critical features we’ve benchmarked. And even when functionality exists, the experience isn’t always good enough.
We still see unnecessarily long journeys, inconsistent interfaces and members being passed between native apps, webviews and external browsers to complete relatively simple tasks.
Too often, providers also miss the opportunity to explain why a member should take action, rather than simply presenting another feature or piece of information.
These aren’t necessarily problems that need groundbreaking technology to solve. Often, it’s about applying good interaction design, reducing friction and connecting journeys in ways that feel natural to customers.
After all, an impressive AI assistant means little if members still struggle to complete basic pension tasks.
A market moving in the right direction
Despite these frustrations, I’m genuinely encouraged by the ambition, openness and pace of delivery we’re seeing from the teams behind these products.
Our close relationships with providers are an important part of what makes BehindLogin’s research valuable. They allow us to combine an independent view of what members experience today with a deeper understanding of the thinking and investment shaping tomorrow’s products.
And that matters because the market doesn’t stand still.
While a benchmark captures a moment in time, our ongoing conversations help us identify emerging patterns, understand competitive priorities and recognise where meaningful progress is being made.
For me, the next generation of pension apps won’t be defined by how many features they offer, but by how effectively they help members understand their pensions, make better decisions and take action.
That’s what I’ll be watching most closely as we look towards 2027.
Explore the 2026 Workplace Pension App Benchmark
Discover how ten leading workplace pension apps compare across ten critical features, with independent scores, expert analysis and best-in-class examples.
The full report also includes selected provider roadmap insights and UX/UI journey maps, giving you a valuable perspective on both today’s experiences and what’s coming next.
Understanding that experience gives a much clearer view of the market you are actually entering. Because going global is not just about taking the business across the border. the product has to cross it too.
