# DESCO vs Mess Book

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Mess Book at 79% against DESCO's 16%. Mess Book also leads on rating (4.1 vs 2.9) and update cadence (every 9 days vs monthly). DESCO's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and ads (none vs shown). On price, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Mess Book sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. DESCO asks for nothing beyond the download.

Mess Book holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 2.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: DESCO has 158 ratings behind it against 19, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 16% of DESCO's written reviews are positive against 79% of Mess Book's.

DESCO ships an update monthly, Mess Book every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on September 13, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | DESCO | Mess Book |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [2.9 (158 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/desco/id1196216622/reviews) | **[4.1 (19 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mess-book/id1517101316/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **158** | 19 |
| Positive reviews | 15.9% of reviews | **78.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Every 9 days** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 57 MB | 63 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 15.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Software Shop Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/536603585) | [Muhammed Iqbal PA](https://appshunter.io/developer/1185281700) |

## What reviewers say

### DESCO

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/desco/id1196216622)

Manage both postpaid and prepaid electricity bills in one place. Pay bills, recharge accounts, and view past usage with ease. Access service and emergency contacts, and find your local office location.

**Highlights:** Postpaid and prepaid bill management, Bill payment and account recharge, View electricity usage history, Usage bar chart, Contact S&D office, Find S&D office location

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### Mess Book

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mess-book/id1517101316)

This app helps people living together manage shared expenses and gain insights into their spending habits. It simplifies tracking by moving away from traditional ledgers to a digital group-based system.

**Highlights:** Create and manage groups, Track shared expenses, Gain spending insights, Invite members via email/group ID, Admin user management

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

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Plan | $0.99 | per month |
| Monthly | $1.99 | per month |
| Yearly Plan | $9.99 | per year |
| Yearly | $14.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is DESCO free?

DESCO is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Mess Book free?

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

### Which has better reviews, DESCO or Mess Book?

Mess Book is rated higher. DESCO averages 2.9 out of 5 from 158 ratings, while Mess Book averages 4.1 from 19 ratings.

### Do DESCO or Mess Book have ads?

Mess Book shows ads; DESCO does not.

### Which is updated more often, DESCO or Mess Book?

DESCO ships an update monthly, and Mess Book every 9 days. Most recently, DESCO was updated on September 13, 2026 and Mess Book on September 24, 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.*