# CostDiary vs PennyDay

The clearest difference is rating: PennyDay at 3.7 against CostDiary's 3.0. PennyDay also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks) and monetization model (ad-supported vs freemium). CostDiary's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, review sentiment and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. CostDiary sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and PennyDay sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

PennyDay holds the better App Store score, 3.7 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PennyDay has 7 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 68% of CostDiary's written reviews are positive against 73% of PennyDay's.

CostDiary ships an update every 3 weeks, PennyDay weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 5, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | CostDiary | PennyDay |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/costdiary/id1055571460/reviews) | **[3.7 (7 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pennyday-expense-tracker/id1593342865/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 1 | **7** |
| Positive reviews | 68.4% of reviews | **72.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Freemium | **Ad-supported** |
| Size | 108 MB | 76 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [JiunJiue Liou](https://appshunter.io/developer/508043293) | [EFFENDY EKA SAPUTRA](https://appshunter.io/developer/1016446377) |

## 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 |


### PennyDay

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pennyday-expense-tracker/id1593342865)

Manage your finances with a calendar-based budget planner and expense tracker. Visualize cash flow by day, track multiple accounts, and gain insights into spending trends. Personalize categories with emojis for a more intuitive financial overview.

**Highlights:** Calendar budgeting, Expense tracking, Multi-account support, Emoji category customization, Insights and reports, Privacy features

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| PennyDay Pro | $1.99 | per month |
| PennyDay Pro | $3.99 | per 3 months |
| PennyDay Pro | $11.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is CostDiary free?

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

### Is PennyDay free?

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

### Which has better reviews, CostDiary or PennyDay?

PennyDay is rated higher. CostDiary averages 3.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while PennyDay averages 3.7 from 7 ratings.

### Do CostDiary or PennyDay have ads?

PennyDay shows ads; CostDiary does not.

### Which is updated more often, CostDiary or PennyDay?

CostDiary ships an update every 3 weeks, and PennyDay weekly. Most recently, CostDiary was updated on October 5, 2026 and PennyDay on October 17, 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.*