Smart Spend vs Costs
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Smart Spend
This app helps you actively understand and transform your spending habits through hands-on learning and financial insights. It offers customized budgeting tools, engaging trivia, and advanced analysis without linking bank accounts, prioritizing your privacy. Receive daily feedback and earn rewards for improving your financial discipline.
- Active spending and savings tracking
- Financial pattern identification
- Spending knowledge trivia game
- Customizable budgeting (Cash Pool, MicroBudgets)
- Advanced search and filter tools
- Privacy-focused, no bank linking
- Siri integration and iOS widgets
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Revolutionize Your Finances with Smart Spend – The Active Budgeting App Why Smart Spend? Unlike traditional budgeting apps, Smart Spend focuses on empowering you to understand and transform your spending habits actively. Our approach is hands-on and educational, ensuring that you're not just tracking expenses but learning from them. Key Features: - Hands-On Learning: Track spending and savings actively, without linking bank accounts. - Financial Insights: Discover patterns in your spending and identify saving opportunities. - Spending Trivia: Engage with our unique trivia game to test your spending knowledge and improve your 'Smart Score'. - Customized Budgeting: Tailor your budget with features like 'Cash Pool' and 'MicroBudgets' – perfect for irregular incomes and special occasions. - Advanced Analysis: Utilize powerful search and filter tools to dissect your spending. - Privacy First: Your data stays on your device. No need for personal details or bank logins. What Sets Us Apart? - Forever Free: We believe that managing money shouldn't come with a price tag. - Real-World Impact: Quickly see how everyday purchases affect your budget. - Innovative Modes: 'First Mile' and 'Cash Pool' cater to unique financial situations. - Interactive Learning: Earn trophies and points as your spending habits improve. - Convenient Integration: Use Siri for entries, import .csv files, and enjoy iOS widgets. - Daily Feedback: Receive personalized spending notifications each evening. Our Philosophy: We believe in old-school budgeting where you're aware and in control. It's about practice, repetition, and leveraging technology and discipline to meet your financial goals. Start Your Journey Today with Smart Spend! Download now to transform your financial habits, save more, and enjoy a healthier financial life. Privacy Policy: https://smartspendapp.com/privacy User Agreement: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Costs
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The application allows you to enter your expenses, set categories and currencies, and receive detailed spending analytics with graphs for a specified period of time - you can set your own expense categories and currencies - cost analytics - currency converter (coming soon)
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Smart Spend at none against Costs's shown. Smart Spend also leads on update cadence (every 8 days vs every 2 months). Costs's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.0). On price 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Smart Spend ships an update every 8 days, Costs every 2 months. Both last shipped on October 25, 2026.
| Parameter | Smart Spend | Costs |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (258 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 84.6% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 258 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 8 days — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 75 MB | 110 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Scicotherapy Labs LLC | Alexandr Pogorelov |
Bugs and requests
Smart Spend
Reported bugs
4 issues- App crashes immediately upon opening after update
- Hourly income input glitch, defaults to $45
- Cannot edit/delete previous entries
- Cannot edit bill information, only delete and re-enter
Requested features
8 requests- Visualize cash pool growth
- Add additional income sources (bonus, etc.)
- Ability to change savings by numbers, not just percentage
- Show difference when adding a purchase to see remaining spendable amount
- Add more themes/color options
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- Watch compatibility for quick transactions and basic overview
- Option for weekly expense entries
- Ability to edit bill information directly
Costs
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Smart Spend
No in-app purchases
Costs
No in-app purchases
