# Purchase Tracker vs Budget app

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Purchase Tracker at none against Budget app's 8. Budget app's advantage is update cadence (every 9 days vs every 35 months) and ratings volume (16K vs 15). On price, rating, review sentiment and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Budget app sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Purchase Tracker asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Purchase Tracker against 4.7 for Budget app. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Budget app has 16K ratings behind it against 15, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 83% of Purchase Tracker's written reviews are positive against 79% of Budget app's.

Purchase Tracker ships an update every 35 months, Budget app every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on September 14, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Purchase Tracker | Budget app |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (15 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/purchase-tracker/id1457110640/reviews)** | [4.7 (16K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/budget-app-spending-tracker/id1525179720/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 15 | **16K** |
| Positive reviews | **83.3% of reviews** | 79.2% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | — | No |
| Update frequency | Every 35 months | **Every 9 days** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | **#59** |
| Size | 25 MB | 231 MB |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | 13.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Khanh Steffen](https://appshunter.io/developer/1223668802) | [InnerGrow](https://appshunter.io/developer/1828382777) |

## What reviewers say

### Purchase Tracker

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/purchase-tracker/id1457110640)

A privacy-focused expense tracker that works entirely offline. Log daily spending, set budgets, and gain insights into your financial habits with simple charts and graphs. Ideal for users seeking a straightforward and secure way to manage their money without ads or subscriptions.

**Highlights:** Log daily expenses, 100% offline functionality, Set monthly spending limits, Customizable categories, Spending insights with charts, Data export/import

**In-app purchases:** none


### Budget app

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/budget-app-spending-tracker/id1525179720)

**Currently charting:** #59 Top Grossing · Finance, #196 Top Free · Finance (US App Store)

This personal finance app helps you track spending, plan budgets, and save money to achieve financial freedom. It offers features like AI-powered tracking, shared budgeting, and detailed stats to understand your financial habits.

**Highlights:** Budget Planner, Spending Tracker, Money Management, Recurring Transactions, Shared Budgeting, AI Tracking, Stats & Charts

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (8)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Budget Premium Monthly | $2.99 | per month |
| Financial Empowerment | $5.99 | per year |
| Yearly Premium | $6.99 | per year |
| Lifetime Premium Sale | $4.99 | one-time |
| lifetime member sale | $6.99 | one-time |
| Budget Lifetime Member | $8.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime Premium Global | $8.99 | one-time |
| Family Premium | $14.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 User-friendly interface
- 🚀 Straightforward and intuitive
- 💰 Affordable one-time purchase
- 🎨 Customizable categories and colors
- 🗓️ Helpful calendar and transaction views

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Recurring bills/payments not working as expected
- 🔍 Lack of advanced reporting and analytics
- 🤝 Sharing/collaboration features not reliable
- 🇨🇦 Limited support for Canadian banks/accounts
- 🔀 Difficulty moving money between budgets

**Reported bugs**

- Syncing issues between devices
- Transactions not always loading correctly
- Upgrade/premium features not working as expected

**Requested features**

- Ability to carry over surplus/deficit between months
- Option to view remaining budget instead of just spent
- Multiple savings account/ledger support
- Automatic recurring bill/subscription tracking
- Web/desktop app version for easier data entry


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Purchase Tracker free?

Purchase Tracker is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Budget app free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Purchase Tracker or Budget app?

Purchase Tracker is rated higher. Purchase Tracker averages 4.8 out of 5 from 15 ratings, while Budget app averages 4.7 from 16K ratings.

### Which is updated more often, Purchase Tracker or Budget app?

Purchase Tracker ships an update every 35 months, and Budget app every 9 days. Most recently, Purchase Tracker was updated on September 14, 2026 and Budget app on September 25, 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.*