# Emma vs Impulse

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Impulse at none against Emma's 11. Impulse also leads on ads (none vs shown). Emma's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). On price and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Emma sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Impulse asks for nothing beyond the download.

Emma ships an update every 6 days, Impulse every 4 days. Both last shipped on October 29, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Emma | Impulse |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (1.4K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/emma-budget-planner-tracker/id1270062373/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **1.4K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 38.3% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 6 days | **Every 4 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 161 MB | 2 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.1** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Emma Technologies LTD.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1202559061) | [Eric Fan](https://appshunter.io/developer/6794065404) |

## 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


### Impulse

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/impulse-cost-to-work-hours/id6794065401)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Emma free?

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

### Is Impulse free?

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

### Do Emma or Impulse have ads?

Emma shows ads; Impulse does not.

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

Emma ships an update every 6 days, and Impulse every 4 days. Most recently, Emma was updated on October 29, 2026 and Impulse on October 29, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*