# CostDiary vs Simple Spender 2

The clearest difference is rating: Simple Spender 2 at 4.8 against CostDiary's 3.0. Simple Spender 2 also leads on ratings volume (5 vs 1). CostDiary's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. CostDiary sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and Simple Spender 2 sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $0.99 per 6 months. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Simple Spender 2 holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Simple Spender 2 has 5 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

CostDiary ships an update every 3 weeks, Simple Spender 2 every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 5, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | CostDiary | Simple Spender 2 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/costdiary/id1055571460/reviews) | **[4.8 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simple-spender-2/id1586503194/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 1 | **5** |
| Positive reviews | 68.4% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 108 MB | 48 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **14.5** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [JiunJiue Liou](https://appshunter.io/developer/508043293) | [Kwok Chun Hin](https://appshunter.io/developer/446734044) |

## What reviewers say

### CostDiary

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/costdiary/id1055571460)

Track daily expenses and record life events with text and stickers. Visualize spending with charts, manage budgets, and secure your data with password protection and iCloud backup. Supports multiple accounts and currencies.

**Highlights:** Daily expense tracking, Diary/journal with stickers, Spending visualization (charts), Budget management, Multi-account and multi-currency support, iCloud data backup, Password protection

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| PRO plan (Monthly) | $0.99 | per month |
| PRO plan (Yearly) | $7.99 | per year |


### Simple Spender 2

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simple-spender-2/id1586503194)

Easily track expenses and income, create personalized budgets, and visualize your spending habits with insightful graphs. This app prioritizes data privacy by storing all information locally on your device.

**Highlights:** Expense and income tracking, Personalized monthly budgeting, Data visualization with graphs, Local data storage for privacy, CSV import and export, Multiple currencies and payment methods

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 6 Months Subscription | $0.99 | per 6 months |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is CostDiary free?

CostDiary is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Simple Spender 2 free?

Simple Spender 2 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, CostDiary or Simple Spender 2?

Simple Spender 2 is rated higher. CostDiary averages 3.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Simple Spender 2 averages 4.8 from 5 ratings.

### Do CostDiary or Simple Spender 2 have ads?

Simple Spender 2 shows ads; CostDiary does not.

### Which is updated more often, CostDiary or Simple Spender 2?

CostDiary ships an update every 3 weeks, and Simple Spender 2 every 2 weeks. Most recently, CostDiary was updated on October 5, 2026 and Simple Spender 2 on October 1, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*