# Budget Planner vs Mellow.io

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Mellow.io at none against Budget Planner's 4. Mellow.io also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 5 months) and rating (5.0 vs 4.6). Budget Planner's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (24 vs 5). On price and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Budget Planner sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Mellow.io asks for nothing beyond the download.

Mellow.io holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 24 and 5 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 83% of Budget Planner's written reviews are positive against 100% of Mellow.io's.

Budget Planner ships an update every 5 months, Mellow.io weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 4, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Budget Planner | Mellow.io |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (24 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/budget-planner-mellow/id1332401340/reviews) | **[5.0 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mellowio/id6504040913/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **24** | 5 |
| Positive reviews | 83.3% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Freemium | **Ad-supported** |
| Size | 8 MB | 61 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Barton Cone](https://appshunter.io/developer/1332401339) | [TMS SOLARWEB LIMITED](https://appshunter.io/developer/1535912029) |

## 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 |


### Mellow.io

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mellowio/id6504040913)

This app facilitates global freelance work by handling payments, contracts, and taxes. It offers automatic document generation for various jurisdictions and ensures secure transactions for freelancers and clients worldwide.

**Highlights:** International payments, Offer and e-invoicing, Automatic legal documents, Guaranteed remuneration, Secure deal feature

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Budget Planner free?

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

### Is Mellow.io free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Budget Planner or Mellow.io?

Mellow.io is rated higher. Budget Planner averages 4.6 out of 5 from 24 ratings, while Mellow.io averages 5.0 from 5 ratings.

### Do Budget Planner or Mellow.io have ads?

Mellow.io shows ads; Budget Planner does not.

### Which is updated more often, Budget Planner or Mellow.io?

Budget Planner ships an update every 5 months, and Mellow.io weekly. Most recently, Budget Planner was updated on October 8, 2026 and Mellow.io on October 4, 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.*