Comparison

Kakeibo! vs Kakeibo

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Kakeibo!

This app helps you track daily expenses using a Japanese budgeting method. Visualize your spending to identify areas for saving and make wiser financial decisions. It also offers features for family budgeting and shared financial goals.

Highlights
  • Daily spending recording
  • Expense visualization
  • Budgeting insights
  • Family sharing
  • Financial goal setting
Features
Read full description

"Kakeibo" is a Japanese method of saving money - record, review, and reflect your daily spendings. Visualizing how much you spent for what, you see where you spend most, where you spend too much, and therefore where you could spend more wisely next round. It’s really a fun to play. Kakeibo! helps you to join this game, and way more - now you can share the fun with your family. Let your kids learn money, keep a joint wallet for two, or even track how much your good partner drinks... Happy saving, happy spending!

About

Kakeibo

This app encourages mindful spending by having users manually record expenses and reflect on their financial habits. It uses a simple four-category system to help build intentional spending and saving habits.

Highlights
  • Manual expense recording
  • Four spending categories
  • Savings goal setting
  • Monthly reflection prompts
  • Offline functionality
  • Minimalist interface
Features
Read full description

Save first. Live on the rest. Kakeibo is the Japanese art of mindful spending, created in 1904 by journalist Hani Motoko. Unlike modern budget apps that sync your bank and automate everything, Kakeibo asks you to slow down, write it down, and reflect. WHY KAKEIBO WORKS The secret is friction. When you manually record each expense, you build awareness. When you ask yourself "Do I truly need this?" before every purchase, impulse spending drops. The Kakeibo method is designed to help you spend more intentionally and build a steadier saving habit. THE FOUR PILLARS Every expense falls into one of four categories: - Needs (necessities you cannot avoid) - Wants (things you enjoy but can live without) - Culture (education, books, experiences) - Unexpected (repairs, medical, surprises) This simplicity is intentional. No 47 sub-categories. No decision fatigue. Just four honest buckets that reveal where your money really goes. HOW IT WORKS 1. Set your monthly income 2. Decide your savings goal FIRST 3. Budget what remains across the four pillars 4. Record every expense mindfully 5. Reflect at month's end: What went well? What can improve? WHAT MAKES THIS APP DIFFERENT - No bank linking, no cloud servers — your data stays on YOUR device - Designed for the Kakeibo philosophy, not generic expense tracking - Monthly reflection prompts based on the original Japanese method - Beautiful, minimal interface inspired by Japanese aesthetics - Works completely offline - Widget support to keep your budget visible KAKEIBO PRO Unlock personal coaching insights, spending trends, recurring-expense detection, the large Home Screen widget, and CSV import with Kakeibo Pro. - Monthly and yearly plans. Eligible new subscribers can start with a free trial. Prices are shown in the app and on the App Store. Payment will be charged to your Apple ID account at the confirmation of purchase. Subscription automatically renews unless it is canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. You can manage and cancel your subscriptions by going to your account settings on the App Store after purchase. Whether you follow Dave Ramsey's envelope method, practice zero-based budgeting, or simply want to spend more intentionally — Kakeibo gives you the mindful framework to save first and live better. 「千里の道も一歩から」 A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Privacy Policy: https://batuhangoktepe.github.io/kakeibo/privacy.html Terms of Use: https://batuhangoktepe.github.io/kakeibo/terms.html

Screenshots

Kakeibo!4 screens
Kakeibo4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Kakeibo at every 9 days against Kakeibo!'s every 12 months. Kakeibo!'s advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and ratings volume (3 vs 1). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Kakeibo! sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Kakeibo sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Kakeibo! against 5.0 for Kakeibo. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 1 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Kakeibo! ships an update every 12 months, Kakeibo every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Kakeibo! versus Kakeibo: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterKakeibo!Kakeibo
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (3 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews66.7% of reviews—
Number of ratings3 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 12 monthsEvery 9 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS12.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size19 MB13 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperShoji KonishiHALIL GOKTEPE

Customer experience

Kakeibo!

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%

Kakeibo

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Kakeibo!

One-time1
  • Expert License$3.99
2 purchases

Kakeibo

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Premium3 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Yearly Subscription7 Days trial$29.991 Year

Questions

Is Kakeibo! free?
Kakeibo! is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Kakeibo free?
Kakeibo is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Kakeibo! or Kakeibo?
Kakeibo! and Kakeibo are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 3 and 1 ratings respectively.
Do Kakeibo! or Kakeibo have ads?
Neither Kakeibo! nor Kakeibo shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Kakeibo! or Kakeibo?
Kakeibo! ships an update every 12 months, and Kakeibo every 9 days. Most recently, Kakeibo! was updated on October 12, 2026 and Kakeibo on October 28, 2026.

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