Empower - Your ride, your way

Review by eFreeware

Empower is a rideshare app from Yazam Inc, listed under Maps & Navigation and available free of charge. It has been on Google Play since December 2019, has passed 100,000 installs, and carries a 4.8 average from more than 17,000 ratings, which is a strong signal for a service in a category dominated by a couple of very large names. The pitch is simple: a decentralized model where drivers keep the whole fare, which the developer says lets them earn more while charging riders less.

That combination is the main reason to consider it. Most ride-hailing apps sit between passenger and driver and take a cut; Empower is built around removing that cut, and the savings are meant to flow in both directions. Whether the fares you see on a given day beat what you would pay elsewhere is something only your own comparison can settle, but the structure behind the app is clearly aimed at riders who care about price and about where their money ends up.

It is not a general-purpose navigation tool despite the category it sits in. Everything in the app revolves around booking a ride, choosing who provides it and building up credit for future trips. If your main need is a way to get from one place to another with more control over the details, that focus is a feature rather than a limitation.

Booking a ride and choosing your vehicle

The core of the app is the booking flow, and the developer has built choice into it at the point where most services give you the least. When you request a ride you can pick from four vehicle tiers: Everyday, Everyday XL, Premium and PremiumXL. The XL options point to larger vehicles and the Premium tiers to a higher class of car.

What I like about this setup is that it puts the decision in front of you rather than defaulting you into whatever the system decides. A solo trip across town and a group outing with luggage are different problems, and separate tiers mean you are not paying for space you do not need.

The app also lets you select a favorite driver. Regular riders tend to develop preferences, and being able to request someone you have ridden with before turns a series of anonymous trips into something closer to a standing arrangement. It depends, of course, on that driver being online and nearby when you need them.

Picking who drives you

The other distinctive option is the ability to choose a same-gender driver. The developer presents this as part of putting transportation decisions back in riders' hands, and for anyone who feels more comfortable with a driver of the same gender, having it as a selectable preference is a meaningful difference.

Both the favorite-driver and same-gender options share the same practical caveat: they are preferences, not guarantees. A rideshare marketplace only works with the drivers who happen to be available, and no app can conjure a specific person to your curb on demand. What Empower does is let you express the preference up front, which is more than many services offer, and then match you as best it can.

I would expect these two features to be the deciding factor for a certain set of riders. Someone who has had an uncomfortable experience, or who simply values consistency, is likely to weigh them more heavily than a slightly lower fare. That is a reasonable trade to make, and it is the sort of thing that is hard to put a number on.

Ride credit and the promo code system

The referral scheme is straightforward: you bring someone onto the platform, and you get something back to spend on future trips. The developer frames it as a way to help the service grow while saving more on rides, which is honest enough about what it is.

For regular riders, credit is the most direct route to a cheaper trip. It stacks on top of the base fare, so the more people you bring in, the more of your travel it can absorb. The limit is that it only works if you have people to share the code with.

I would treat the promo code as a bonus rather than the reason to install the app. The core offer is the fare structure and the driver choices; the credit is a nudge that rewards you for spreading the word. It is a sensible way to grow a challenger service, and it costs you nothing to use if you are already recommending the app to people anyway.

What the app asks of you

Empower is free to download and use, with no ads and no in-app purchases. That is worth stating plainly because it removes a whole category of friction that riders often run into elsewhere. The vehicle tiers, the driver preferences and the promo code are all part of the same free service.

The trade-offs are the ones that come with any marketplace challenger. The app's value depends on there being drivers near you who use it, and on the specific driver you would prefer being available when you book. A favorite driver or a same-gender match is a request, not a reservation, so on a busy evening or in a thin market you may end up accepting whatever is closest.

The app is updated frequently, with quality, speed and usability as the stated goals, and the latest version is recommended. That is standard advice for any app that depends on live matching, and it suggests the team is still actively working on the product rather than leaving it to sit. The most recent update listed is from October 2026, so the app is being maintained on a current cadence.

Who Empower is built for

This is an app for riders who want a say in the details of their trip. If you have ever wished you could request the same driver again, or choose the gender of the person picking you up, those preferences are the heart of what Empower offers.

The promo code angle adds a second audience: people who travel often and are willing to recommend a service to friends and colleagues in exchange for credit. That is a natural fit for someone who already talks about the apps they use. It is less relevant if you mostly book rides for yourself and rarely discuss them with anyone.

I would not describe Empower as a replacement for every trip you take. It is a service you choose when the fare and the driver options line up with what you need, and it rewards riders who are willing to check it against their alternatives. For the right person, that is a small amount of effort for a meaningful amount of control.

A rideshare app for riders who want the choice

Empower takes a clear position: drivers keep the entire fare, riders get more control over who drives them and in what kind of car, and a referral code puts credit back in your account when you bring other people in. Those are the three ideas the app is built on.

The 4.8 average across more than 17,000 ratings suggests the people using it are happy with what they get, and the steady update history points to a team that is still improving the product. The caveats are the ones inherent to a smaller marketplace: availability depends on drivers in your area, and the preferences you set are requests rather than guarantees. Fares are worth comparing before you commit to a trip.

If you want a ride-hailing app where the driver choice and the vehicle tier are yours to make, and where the fare structure is designed to leave more in the driver's pocket, Empower is worth installing and trying on your next trip. If you mainly want the fastest possible match with no decisions to make, the extra options here will feel like extra steps. For riders who care about the details, that trade is the whole point.

What's new in version 2.15.3

We frequently update the Empower Rider app to increase quality, speed and usability. We recommend that you always use the latest version.