# Budgets vs Simple Budget Planner

Budgets and Simple Budget Planner both sit at 4.3 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of Budgets's written reviews are positive against 60% of Simple Budget Planner's. Budgets also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). Simple Budget Planner's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (283 vs 3). On price, rating, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Budgets sells 6 one-off in-app purchases and Simple Budget Planner sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.3 for Budgets against 4.4 for Simple Budget Planner. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Simple Budget Planner has 283 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 100% of Budgets's written reviews are positive against 60% of Simple Budget Planner's.

Budgets ships an update every 6 weeks, Simple Budget Planner fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Budgets | Simple Budget Planner |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.3 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/budgets-expense-tracker/id1118397541/reviews) | **[4.4 (283 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simple-budget-planner/id1370056290/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 3 | **283** |
| Positive reviews | **100.0% of reviews** | 59.6% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Size | 12 MB | 26 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [MoneyBudgie](https://appshunter.io/developer/354069981) | [Mehmet Cetin](https://appshunter.io/developer/1370056289) |

## What reviewers say

### Budgets

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/budgets-expense-tracker/id1118397541)

Track your spending against custom budgets to avoid overspending. See how much money you have left to spend with visual displays and review your purchase history. This app helps you regain control of your finances.

**Highlights:** Create custom budgets (monthly, weekly, etc.), Log purchases against budgets, View remaining budget amounts visually, Track spending history, Secure passcode protection

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Descriptions with Purchases | $0.99 | one-time |
| Carry Over Under & Over Spend to next Period | $0.99 | one-time |
| No Ads | $1.99 | one-time |
| Transaction CSV Export, Multi-Delete & Filter | $1.99 | one-time |
| App Customisation using Themes | $1.99 | one-time |
| PRO - All Features | $4.99 | one-time |


### Simple Budget Planner

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simple-budget-planner/id1370056290)

Manually track your household expenses and income without connecting bank accounts. Plan your monthly budget with customizable categories and recurring bill reminders. Share your budget with family and gain clear insights into your spending habits.

**Highlights:** Manual expense and income tracking, Envelope-style budgeting, Bill and recurring payment reminders, Household budget sharing, Savings goals tracking, Spending insights by category, Offline functionality

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

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlimited Weekly | $1.99 | per 7 days |
| Unlimited Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Unlimited Annually | $17.99 | per year |
| Unlimited Semiannually | $24.99 | per 6 months |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Simple and easy to use
- 👍 User-friendly interface
- 👍 Good for manual tracking
- 👍 Customizable categories
- 👍 No bank account connection needed

**What reviewers complain about**

- 👎 Not free, hidden costs
- 👎 Limited free version
- 👎 Forces purchase before trial
- 👎 Lacks advanced budgeting features
- 👎 Inconsistent transaction recording

**Reported bugs**

- Periodic transactions not recorded automatically
- App freezes or becomes unusable after declining to rate
- Glitching UI elements
- Data export errors
- Subscription sharing/family plan issues

**Requested features**

- Add dark mode option
- Allow sorting expenses by due date
- Add bi-weekly pay period option
- Add weekly budget option
- Improve screen resolution and UI scaling


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Budgets free?

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

### Is Simple Budget Planner free?

Simple Budget Planner is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Budgets or Simple Budget Planner?

Simple Budget Planner is rated higher. Budgets averages 4.3 out of 5 from 3 ratings, while Simple Budget Planner averages 4.4 from 283 ratings.

### Do Budgets or Simple Budget Planner have ads?

Budgets shows ads; Simple Budget Planner does not.

### Which is updated more often, Budgets or Simple Budget Planner?

Budgets ships an update every 6 weeks, and Simple Budget Planner fortnightly. Most recently, Budgets was updated on November 2, 2026 and Simple Budget Planner on November 6, 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.*