Comparison

Gem vs 42 Foundation Tools

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

Head to head
About

Gem

Track your spending, manage budgets, and organize your finances with this comprehensive money management tool. It offers detailed budgeting options, expense organization by category, and bill tracking. Automate entries with Apple Pay and import/export data for a complete financial overview.

Highlights
  • Budgeting (daily, weekly, monthly, yearly)
  • Expense organization by category
  • Bill tracking and reminders
  • Savings goals and income tracking
  • Apple Pay integration for instant recording
  • CSV import/export
  • Customizable categories with icons
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Log expenses and stay on budget. No subscription. In-app purchases are tips :) BUDGET - Daily, weekly, monthly and yearly - Average & daily spending, breakdown by category - Compare against same day last month - Rearrange your budgets, and other lists - Explore your costs and salary over time ORGANIZE - By category, budget, wallet, account, tag… - Customize category colors & icons (500+ from Apple) - Favorite accounts, custom sorting, merge categories - Add attachments and receipts BILLS - Repeat: day, week, month, year - View paid & upcoming subscriptions MONEY TOOLS - Savings goals, income, transfers, balance - Multiple currencies, exchange rates - Calculator & journal view WALLET SYNC & AUTOMATIONS - Instant recording when paying in store with Apple Pay (requires setup) - Auto-organize expensesbased on merchant names - App shortcuts and “Send to Gem” in share sheet - Import CSV files, sub-categories, notes. Import into specific wallet. Skip duplicates when importing - Export everything MORE - Customize the way your create entries - Widgets. Lock Screen shortcut - Daily iCloud backup - Daily reminders - Custom main screen, list layouts, app menu and theme - Insights in search results PREVIEW FEATURES May not work as expected :) - Type “Rent” → it’s categorized in “Household” - Detect receipt prices from attachments Need help? Have a suggestion? Email me at human@shelftwo.com. Terms & privacy: shelftwo.com/gem/terms

About

42 Foundation Tools

This app provides retirement planning tools specifically for first-responder and public-sector families. It helps estimate pensions, project income, and analyze various savings and insurance options. All data is saved locally on your device for privacy.

Highlights
  • Retirement income projection
  • CalPERS pension estimation
  • 457(b) deferred comp analysis
  • Life insurance gap analysis
  • College savings planner
  • Local data saving
Features
Read full description

42 Foundation Retirement Planning Tools brings clear, plain-English planning to first-responder and public-sector families. Estimate your CalPERS pension, project your retirement income, and see how your 457(b), overtime, and outside savings add up over time. Includes: • Master Retirement Projector — your projected monthly income vs. your target, by age. • CalPERS Pension Optimizer — estimate your pension from your formula, age, and years of service. • 457(b) Deferred Comp Analyzer — model contributions and tax-advantaged growth. • Survivor Benefit & Life Insurance Gap — right-size a term life policy to protect your family. • College Savings Planner — project 529 growth against the rising cost of college. Your inputs save automatically on your device. No account, no sign-in, and no data leaves your phone. Educational planning tools only — not personalized financial, tax, or legal advice. Figures reflect current-year rules and change annually.

Screenshots

Gem4 screens
42 Foundation Tools4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: 42 Foundation Tools at Free against Gem's $0.49. 42 Foundation Tools also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 4) and rating (5.0 vs 4.8). Gem's advantage is ratings volume (89 vs 1) and chart position (#151 vs unranked). On update cadence and ads 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

42 Foundation Tools is free to download; Gem costs $0.49 up front. Gem sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. 42 Foundation Tools asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

42 Foundation Tools holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Gem has 89 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Gem ships an update every 4 weeks, 42 Foundation Tools fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Gem versus 42 Foundation Tools: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGem42 Foundation Tools
Price$0.49Free — better
Rating4.8 (89 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews87.9% of reviews—
Number of ratings89 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 4 weeksFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank#151 — better—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size42 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperOz PinhasPALMER CHRISTIEN MAHONEY

Customer experience

Gem

All ratings89 ratings
Positive93.3%
Neutral2.2%
Negative4.5%
Written reviews140 reviews
Positive87.9%
Neutral4.3%
Negative7.9%

42 Foundation Tools

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

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Gem

One-time4
  • Gem PowerpackFree
  • Thanks tip$0.99
  • Amazing tip$2.99
Show 1 more
  • Spectacular tip$4.99
None

42 Foundation Tools

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Gem free?
Gem costs $0.49, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is 42 Foundation Tools free?
42 Foundation Tools is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Gem or 42 Foundation Tools?
42 Foundation Tools is rated higher. Gem averages 4.8 out of 5 from 89 ratings, while 42 Foundation Tools averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Gem or 42 Foundation Tools have ads?
Neither Gem nor 42 Foundation Tools shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Gem or 42 Foundation Tools?
Gem ships an update every 4 weeks, and 42 Foundation Tools fortnightly. Most recently, Gem was updated on October 12, 2026 and 42 Foundation Tools on October 7, 2026.

Other comparisons