# Emma vs Paymaster

The clearest difference is rating: Emma at 4.7 against Paymaster's 4.0. Emma also leads on ratings volume (1.4K vs 4) and update cadence (every 6 days vs monthly). Paymaster's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (63% vs 38%). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Emma sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Paymaster sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Emma holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Emma has 1.4K ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 38% of Emma's written reviews are positive against 63% of Paymaster's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Emma ships an update every 6 days, Paymaster monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Emma | Paymaster |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (1.4K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/emma-budget-planner-tracker/id1270062373/reviews)** | [4.0 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/paymaster-my-spending-tracker/id1462048413/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **1.4K** | 4 |
| Positive reviews | 38.4% of reviews | **62.5% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 6 days** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Size | 165 MB | 135 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | **15.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Emma Technologies LTD.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1202559061) | [Sergey Kolyoskin](https://appshunter.io/developer/1462048412) |

## What reviewers say

### Emma

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/emma-budget-planner-tracker/id1270062373)

Consolidate all your financial accounts in one place to track spending, manage subscriptions, and set budgets. Receive weekly reports, daily balance notifications, and overdraft alerts. Offers bank-level security with SSL encryption and biometric authentication.

**Highlights:** Consolidate all accounts, Track subscriptions, Set budgets, Weekly spending reports, Overdraft alerts, Bank-level security

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

**In-app purchases (8)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Emma Plus Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Emma Pro Monthly | $9.99 | per month |
| Monthly Pro Subscription | $9.99 | per month |
| Emma Pro | $9.99 | per month |
| Emma Ultimate | $14.99 | per month |
| Emma Plus Yearly | $41.99 | per year |
| Emma Pro | $83.99 | per year |
| Subscription | $83.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Helpful for budgeting and tracking spending
- 🚀 Efficient at categorizing transactions
- 💡 Useful for detecting subscriptions and recurring payments
- 👍 Intuitive and user-friendly interface
- 👍 Provides good financial insights and analytics

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔒 Concerns about data privacy and security
- 💰 Expensive subscription model, features locked behind paywall
- 🐛 Syncing issues, transactions not always accurately categorized
- 🔍 Difficult to cancel subscription or delete account
- 📢 Aggressive upselling and notifications

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes or freezes frequently
- Transactions not syncing properly or showing incorrect balances
- Issues connecting to certain bank accounts
- Recurring payments not being tracked accurately

**Requested features**

- Add support for more banks and financial institutions
- Improve budgeting features with better categorization and goal-setting
- Provide more customization options for categories and reporting
- Integrate with investment accounts and track net worth
- Offer a more affordable pricing model or free tier with core features


### Paymaster

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/paymaster-my-spending-tracker/id1462048413)

Take control of your finances with this app. Track expenses and income across multiple currencies, plan budgets, and analyze spending patterns. It offers features like SMS transaction import and payment reminders to help you manage your money effectively.

**Highlights:** Expense and income tracking, Budget planning, Multi-currency support (170+), Transaction creation from SMS, Scheduled payment reminders, Graphical reports, Configurable categories

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| "SAVE UP" monthly plan | $2.99 | per month |
| "MANAGE" monthly plan | $5.99 | per month |
| "SAVE UP" yearly plan | $17.99 | per year |
| "MANAGE" yearly plan | $35.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Emma free?

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

### Is Paymaster free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Emma or Paymaster?

Emma is rated higher. Emma averages 4.7 out of 5 from 1.4K ratings, while Paymaster averages 4.0 from 4 ratings.

### Do Emma or Paymaster have ads?

Emma shows ads; Paymaster does not.

### Which is updated more often, Emma or Paymaster?

Emma ships an update every 6 days, and Paymaster monthly. Most recently, Emma was updated on September 24, 2026 and Paymaster on September 23, 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.*