# Budget Box vs Surplus

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Surplus at 83% against Budget Box's 11%. Surplus also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.5) and update cadence (monthly vs every 3 months). Budget Box's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Budget Box sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.49 per month and Surplus sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Surplus holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 26 and 28 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 11% of Budget Box's written reviews are positive against 83% of Surplus's.

Budget Box ships an update every 3 months, Surplus monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 20, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Budget Box | Surplus |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (26 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/budget-box-expense-tracker/id1234941976/reviews) | **[4.8 (28 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/surplus-expense-tracker/id1578612881/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 26 | **28** |
| Positive reviews | 11.1% of reviews | **83.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Monthly** |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 30 MB | 67 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Natalia Alekseenko](https://appshunter.io/developer/1687799743) | [Dev Harvest LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1526293285) |

## What reviewers say

### Budget Box

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/budget-box-expense-tracker/id1234941976)

Easily track expenses, manage bills, and create budgets to save money and build wealth. Organize your spending with daily reports and visualize your financial habits.

**Highlights:** Expense tracking, Budget creation, Bill organization, Daily spending reports, Customizable interface, Monthly and yearly budgeting

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Budget Box Premium Monthly | $4.49 | per month |
| Budget Box Premium Yearly | $13.49 | per year |


### Surplus

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/surplus-expense-tracker/id1578612881)

This app helps you manage your monthly finances by tracking income, expenses, and upcoming payments. It provides insights into your spending habits, categorizes transactions, and offers customizable reports. Sync your accounts automatically or manually for a clear overview of your leftover spend.

**Highlights:** Monthly income and expense tracking, Categorization of spending, Customizable reports with CSV export, Transaction grouping, Home and lock screen widgets, Automation via Shortcuts app

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Surplus Pro Monthly | $3.99 | per month |
| Surplus Pro Yearly | $14.49 | per year |
| Surplus Pro Yearly | $29.99 | per year |
| Surplus Pro Lifetime | $29.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Budget Box free?

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

### Is Surplus free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Budget Box or Surplus?

Surplus is rated higher. Budget Box averages 4.5 out of 5 from 26 ratings, while Surplus averages 4.8 from 28 ratings.

### Do Budget Box or Surplus have ads?

Neither Budget Box nor Surplus shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Budget Box or Surplus?

Budget Box ships an update every 3 months, and Surplus monthly. Most recently, Budget Box was updated on September 20, 2026 and Surplus on October 22, 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.*