Zara

Review by eFreeware

Zara is the shopping app from Inditex, the fashion retailer behind the Zara chain. It is free, it carries no ads or in-app purchases, and it has been on Google Play since October 2012. The app has more than 50 million installs and a 4.8 average across 865,580 ratings, so it clearly holds a large and satisfied audience.

The reason to consider it is straightforward: it puts the current Zara catalog on your phone. If you already buy from the brand, or you like to keep an eye on what lands each week, the app is built for exactly that. It is rated for Everyone, and the developer's own summary is simply "Shop Online".

What the app is built around

The core of the app is browsing. It covers clothing for women, men and kids, and it gathers new arrivals, fashion catalogs, collections and look books in one place. Rather than a single fixed storefront, the emphasis is on what has just come in.

That content is refreshed every week, which shapes how the app is meant to be used. It is less a reference catalog you work through once and more something you check in on as the collections turn over. A recent update brought a redesign aimed at a better shopping experience, with the new arrivals from the collection front and center.

The app is simply about shopping online, and that is a fair description of its scope. This is a way to reach the Zara range from a phone, not a broader fashion service.

Catalogs, look books and weekly arrivals

New arrivals answer the question of what just landed, while catalogs and look books are better for seeing how pieces are put together and for getting a sense of a collection as a whole.

Because the mix changes weekly, the app rewards people who enjoy browsing rather than searching for one specific item. If you like seeing a season take shape over several visits, the weekly rhythm gives you a reason to come back. If you already know exactly what you want, the app's advantage is convenience rather than access to anything extra.

The developer also redesigned the app recently, so the current version differs from what long-time users may remember. Anyone returning after a break should expect a different layout rather than the one they left.

What it asks of you, and the limits

There is nothing to pay for here and nothing to sit through. The app is free, contains no ads, and offers no in-app purchases, so the browsing experience is not interrupted by either. That is a clean arrangement for a retail app, and it removes the usual questions about what a free tier includes.

The trade-off is that the app is a window onto one brand. The weekly refresh also means the value depends on how often you want to look; someone who buys twice a year will find less to do in it than a regular shopper.

The developer directs any query to the CONTACT section at Zara.com, so questions about an order, a return or a product are not resolved inside the app itself.

A good fit for regular Zara shoppers

The app suits people who buy from Zara often enough that seeing each week's arrivals matters to them. It also works for anyone who enjoys browsing fashion catalogs and look books without a specific purchase in mind, since that is where the app puts its effort.

It is a narrower proposition for occasional shoppers. The catalog is one brand's, the content turns over weekly, and there is no charge or advertising to weigh against that. With a 4.8 average from a very large number of ratings, the people using it appear to find it does its job.

My recommendation is to install it if Zara is already part of how you shop and you want the current collection on your phone. If you only buy now and then, the app's weekly rhythm has less to offer you.

What's new in version 18.25.0

We have redesigned our app to provide you with a better shopping experience. Discover all the new arrivals from the collection now.