# SMART Keys vs Waiter Pal

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: SMART Keys at none against Waiter Pal's 12. SMART Keys also leads on iOS requirement (8.0 vs 16.6). Waiter Pal's advantage is update cadence (every 11 days vs every 76 months) and chart position (#193 vs unranked). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Waiter Pal sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per 7 days. SMART Keys asks for nothing beyond the download.

SMART Keys ships an update every 76 months, Waiter Pal every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | SMART Keys | Waiter Pal |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | **[4.9 (795 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/waiter-pal-tip-tracker/id1619187216/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **795** |
| Positive reviews | — | 63.6% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 76 months | **Every 11 days** |
| Monetization | — | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | **#193** |
| Size | 36 MB | 74 MB |
| Requires iOS | **8.0** | 16.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Smart Technology Group GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/1227640841) | [Maervince Gonzales](https://appshunter.io/developer/1551779252) |

## What reviewers say

### SMART Keys

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smart-keys/id1449780812)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Waiter Pal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/waiter-pal-tip-tracker/id1619187216)

**Currently charting:** #193 Top Grossing · Finance (US App Store)

Easily track cash and credit tips, calculate your average hourly pay, and monitor daily, weekly, and monthly income. This app helps tipped workers manage their earnings accurately and efficiently, even offline.

**Highlights:** Hourly rate calculation, Categorize cash and credit tips, Offline tip entry, Customizable reminders, Track multiple jobs, Income summaries (daily, weekly, monthly), Data export to CSV

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Waiter Pal PRO - Weekly | $5.99 | per 7 days |
| Waiter Pal PRO - Monthly | $7.99 | per month |
| Waiter Pal PRO - Monthly | $9.99 | per month |
| Waiter Pal PRO - Yearly | $19.99 | per year |
| Waiter Pal PRO - 6 Months | $21.99 | per 6 months |
| Waiter Pal PRO - Yearly | $26.99 | per year |
| Waiter Pal PRO - Yearly | $26.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Simple and user-friendly
- 🚀 Great functionality and UI/UX
- 💡 Useful for tracking tips and income
- 🚀 Best tip tracking app on the market

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔒 Aggressive upgrade prompts and ads
- 🔒 Limited functionality without paying
- 🐛 Inability to edit or delete entries
- 🐛 Buggy and needs updates

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes and freezes
- Incompatibility with older devices

**Requested features**

- Ability to set custom work week start day
- Automatic tip-out calculation
- Option to track shift times, not just hours
- Annual income reporting


## Frequently asked questions

### Is SMART Keys free?

SMART Keys is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Waiter Pal free?

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

### Do SMART Keys or Waiter Pal have ads?

Neither SMART Keys nor Waiter Pal shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, SMART Keys or Waiter Pal?

SMART Keys ships an update every 76 months, and Waiter Pal every 11 days. Most recently, SMART Keys was updated on October 18, 2026 and Waiter Pal on October 27, 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.*