# Simple Budget Planner vs Nickel

The clearest difference is update cadence: Nickel at every 5 days against Simple Budget Planner's fortnightly. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Simple Budget Planner sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days and Nickel sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Simple Budget Planner ships an update fortnightly, Nickel every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Simple Budget Planner | Nickel |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.4 (283 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simple-budget-planner/id1370056290/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **283** | — |
| Positive reviews | 59.6% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 24 MB | 5 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Mehmet Cetin](https://appshunter.io/developer/1370056289) | [Andrii Zakharov](https://appshunter.io/developer/6779217338) |

## What reviewers say

### 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


### Nickel

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nickel-expense-tracker/id6781781933)

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Cashflow Pro | $2.99 | per month |
| Nickel Pro | $19.99 | per year |
| Nickel Pro Lifetime | $24.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Simple Budget Planner free?

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

### Is Nickel free?

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

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

Neither Simple Budget Planner nor Nickel shows ads.

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

Simple Budget Planner ships an update fortnightly, and Nickel every 5 days. Most recently, Simple Budget Planner was updated on October 26, 2026 and Nickel on October 28, 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.*