Comparison

PocketSmith Sidekick vs Before You Buy!

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

PocketSmith Sidekick

Manage your finances on the go with this companion app. Track spending, view account balances, and categorize transactions from your bank, credit card, and investments. Organize financial documents and customize your dashboard for personalized insights.

Highlights
  • Track spending activity
  • View and categorize transactions
  • Add notes and labels to transactions
  • View all account balances
  • Organize financial documents
  • Customize mobile dashboard
Features
Read full description

PocketSmith Sidekick works alongside the web app so you can check your budgets, balances and spending - wherever you are! This mobile app makes staying on top of your PocketSmith account a breeze. See all your bank, credit card, investment and loan accounts in one place without needing to use different apps. Bank Feeds keep PocketSmith automatically updated, so you can see where your money is going. You need a PocketSmith web account to use the mobile app. Learn more and sign up at pocketsmith.com. APP FEATURES - Stay on top of your spending activity - View, categorize and edit your transactions on-the-go - Add notes and labels to your spending to record your memories - View all your account balances at a glance - Organize household documents like receipts and warranties by attaching them as images and documents to transactions - Customize your mobile dashboard to see the insights that matter to you We're constantly improving the app to help you make better money decisions. --- Also available POCKETSMITH PLANS Premium - monthly $14.49 - Bank feeds - Automatic and manual transaction importing - Automatic categorization - Unlimited budgets - 10 accounts - 10 years' projection Super - monthly $28.49 - Bank feeds - Automatic and manual transaction importing - Automatic categorization - Unlimited budgets - Unlimited accounts - 30 years' projection Price may vary by location. Subscriptions will be charged to your credit card through your iTunes account. Your subscription will automatically renew unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during the active subscription period. Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase. Any unused portion of a free trial period, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription.

About

Before You Buy!

Features
Read full description

A quick reality check before you buy. When you’re about to spend money, you usually don’t need a full budgeting app. You need one clear answer. Before You Buy! gives you that answer instantly: • Safe • Risky • Not a great idea Enter the item price, and the app evaluates the purchase against your monthly income, expenses, savings, and work-time impact. You also get plain-language insights that make the decision feel real, not abstract. What you’ll see • % of your monthly free cash this purchase uses • Days/hours of work it represents • Estimated savings left after buying • Optional lifespan and cost-per-use breakdown Built for speed and simplicity • One-screen flow • No login required • No bank connection needed • No ads, no clutter • Fully offline, on-device only If you’ve ever asked, “Is this a smart buy right now?” this app is for you.

Screenshots

PocketSmith Sidekick4 screens
Before You Buy!4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: PocketSmith Sidekick at Free against Before You Buy!'s $2.99. PocketSmith Sidekick also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.6). Before You Buy!'s advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 6 weeks). On ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

PocketSmith Sidekick is free to download; Before You Buy! costs $2.99 up front. PocketSmith Sidekick sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $10.99 per month. Before You Buy! asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PocketSmith Sidekick ships an update every 6 weeks, Before You Buy! every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
PocketSmith Sidekick versus Before You Buy!: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPocketSmith SidekickBefore You Buy!
PriceFree — better$2.99
Rating3.1 (53 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews34.6% of reviews—
Number of ratings53 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS13.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size26 MB6 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPocketSmithRukshan Marapana

Bugs and requests

PocketSmith Sidekick

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Transactions not syncing properly
  • Duplicate transactions appearing
  • Categorization issues and inconsistencies
  • App crashes and freezes
  • Incompatibility with certain bank accounts

Requested features

5 requests
  • Google login option
  • Ability to manually add transactions
  • Custom date ranges for budgets
  • Receipt scanning and attachment
  • More detailed transaction history and reporting

Before You Buy!

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

2 purchases

PocketSmith Sidekick

Subscriptions2
  • Premium$10.991 Month
  • Super$18.991 Month
None

Before You Buy!

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is PocketSmith Sidekick free?
PocketSmith Sidekick is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Before You Buy! free?
Before You Buy! costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do PocketSmith Sidekick or Before You Buy! have ads?
Neither PocketSmith Sidekick nor Before You Buy! shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PocketSmith Sidekick or Before You Buy!?
PocketSmith Sidekick ships an update every 6 weeks, and Before You Buy! every 2 weeks. Most recently, PocketSmith Sidekick was updated on November 6, 2026 and Before You Buy! on November 9, 2026.

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