# Budget Planner vs Simple Budget Planner

The clearest difference is update cadence: Simple Budget Planner at fortnightly against Budget Planner's every 5 months. Simple Budget Planner also leads on ratings volume (283 vs 24). Budget Planner's advantage is review sentiment (83% vs 60%) and rating (4.6 vs 4.4). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Budget Planner sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Simple Budget Planner sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Budget Planner holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Simple Budget Planner has 283 ratings behind it against 24, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 83% of Budget Planner's written reviews are positive against 60% of Simple Budget Planner's.

Budget Planner ships an update every 5 months, Simple Budget Planner fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Budget Planner | Simple Budget Planner |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (24 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/budget-planner-mellow/id1332401340/reviews)** | [4.4 (283 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simple-budget-planner/id1370056290/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 24 | **283** |
| Positive reviews | **83.3% of reviews** | 59.6% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 8 MB | 24 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPad** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Barton Cone](https://appshunter.io/developer/1332401339) | [Mehmet Cetin](https://appshunter.io/developer/1370056289) |

## What reviewers say

### Budget Planner

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/budget-planner-mellow/id1332401340)

A straightforward budgeting and expense tracking application designed for simplicity. It allows users to create custom budgets, track income and transactions, and manage funds using an envelope system.

**Highlights:** Customizable budget titles, Track income and transactions, Envelope budgeting system, Biweekly and monthly budget options, Simple expense tracking

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

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Mellow Pro | $2.99 | per month |
| Mellow Pro | $14.99 | per year |
| Mellow Pro | $2.99 | one-time |
| Mellow Pro | $24.99 | one-time |


### Simple Budget Planner

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simple-budget-planner/id1370056290)

Manage your money effortlessly with this intuitive app. Track income and expenses, utilize the envelope system for category budgeting, and set savings goals. Automate recurring transactions and gain insights into your spending habits.

**Highlights:** Expense and income tracking, Envelope budgeting system, Savings goal setting, Scheduled transactions, Income and expense statistics, Customizable budgets and categories

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

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlimited Weekly | $1.99 | per 7 days |
| Unlimited Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Unlimited Annually | $17.99 | per year |
| Unlimited Semiannually | $24.99 | per 6 months |
| Remove Ads | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Simple and easy to use
- 👍 User-friendly interface
- 👍 Good for manual tracking
- 👍 Customizable categories
- 👍 No bank account connection needed

**What reviewers complain about**

- 👎 Not free, hidden costs
- 👎 Limited free version
- 👎 Forces purchase before trial
- 👎 Lacks advanced budgeting features
- 👎 Inconsistent transaction recording

**Reported bugs**

- Periodic transactions not recorded automatically
- App freezes or becomes unusable after declining to rate
- Glitching UI elements
- Data export errors
- Subscription sharing/family plan issues

**Requested features**

- Add dark mode option
- Allow sorting expenses by due date
- Add bi-weekly pay period option
- Add weekly budget option
- Improve screen resolution and UI scaling


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Budget Planner free?

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

### Is Simple Budget Planner free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Budget Planner or Simple Budget Planner?

Budget Planner is rated higher. Budget Planner averages 4.6 out of 5 from 24 ratings, while Simple Budget Planner averages 4.4 from 283 ratings.

### Do Budget Planner or Simple Budget Planner have ads?

Neither Budget Planner nor Simple Budget Planner shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Budget Planner or Simple Budget Planner?

Budget Planner ships an update every 5 months, and Simple Budget Planner fortnightly. Most recently, Budget Planner was updated on October 29, 2026 and Simple Budget Planner on October 26, 2026.

---

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