# Money Journal vs Cashews

The clearest difference is rating: Cashews at 4.5 against Money Journal's 4.3. Money Journal's advantage is ratings volume (359 vs 70). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Money Journal sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month and Cashews sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Cashews holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Money Journal has 359 ratings behind it against 70, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 50% and 50% positive.

Money Journal ships an update every 5 days, Cashews every 3 days. Both last shipped on November 11, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Money Journal | Cashews |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.3 (359 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/money-journal-budget-planner/id1305691801/reviews) | **[4.5 (70 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cashews/id1582436070/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **359** | 70 |
| Positive reviews | **50.5% of reviews** | 50.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 days | **Every 3 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 177 MB | 75 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [DIMMPLE PTY LTD](https://appshunter.io/developer/1544019570) | [Cashews Finance LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1582436072) |

## What reviewers say

### Money Journal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/money-journal-budget-planner/id1305691801)

A privacy-first budget planner and expense tracker that helps you plan where your money will go without linking bank accounts. Organize finances, track bills, and set savings goals with flexible billing cycles and AI-powered transaction logging.

**Highlights:** Privacy-first expense tracking, Budget planning, Flexible billing cycles, AI receipt scanning, Customizable categories, Cross-device sync

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

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Pro | $5.99 | per month |
| Yearly Pro | $29.99 | per year |
| 1 Month Premium | $9.99 | one-time |
| 3 Months Premium | $21.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 💻 Clean and beautiful UI
- 🙌 Simple and easy to use
- 📊 Helpful for budgeting and tracking expenses
- 🔒 Doesn't require bank account connection
- 🎨 Customizable categories and themes

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Expensive premium features
- 🔒 Limited functionality in free version
- 🔀 Difficulty transferring money between accounts
- 🔄 Rigid budget cycle dates
- 🐛 Bugs and crashes reported

**Reported bugs**

- App freezing or crashing on launch
- Data loss or disappearance of existing budgets
- Syncing and migration issues with app updates

**Requested features**

- Add recurring payments and bills
- Improve budget rollover and carry-over options
- Allow custom budget cycle dates
- Add multi-user/family sharing capabilities
- Provide more detailed spending analytics and reports


### Cashews

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cashews/id1582436070)

Effortlessly track your spending without traditional budgeting. This app automatically finds recurring charges and provides a clear overview of your finances, helping you discover forgotten subscriptions and stay on top of your money.

**Highlights:** Automatic recurring charge detection, Simple transaction categorization, Household sharing for joint finances, Daily spending overview, Payment reminders, Customizable categories

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

**In-app purchases (8)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Cashews Finance Monthly | $3.99 | per month |
| Monthly | $5.99 | per month |
| Monthly | $8.99 | per month |
| Quarterly | $19.99 | per 3 months |
| Cashews Finance Annual | $39.99 | per year |
| Yearly | $59.99 | per year |
| Yearly | $59.99 | per year |
| Yearly | $69.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Money Journal free?

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

### Is Cashews free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Money Journal or Cashews?

Cashews is rated higher. Money Journal averages 4.3 out of 5 from 359 ratings, while Cashews averages 4.5 from 70 ratings.

### Do Money Journal or Cashews have ads?

Neither Money Journal nor Cashews shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Money Journal or Cashews?

Money Journal ships an update every 5 days, and Cashews every 3 days. Most recently, Money Journal was updated on November 11, 2026 and Cashews on November 11, 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.*