# Expenses vs Simple Spender 2

The clearest difference is ads: Expenses at none against Simple Spender 2's shown. Expenses also leads on ratings volume (1.8K vs 5) and update cadence (every 4 days vs every 2 weeks). Simple Spender 2's advantage is iOS requirement (14.5 vs 16.0). On price, rating, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Expenses sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and Simple Spender 2 sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $0.99 per 6 months. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Expenses against 4.8 for Simple Spender 2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Expenses has 1.8K ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Expenses ships an update every 4 days, Simple Spender 2 every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and June 4, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Expenses | Simple Spender 2 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (1.8K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/expenses-spending-tracker/id1492055171/reviews) | [4.8 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simple-spender-2/id1586503194/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **1.8K** | 5 |
| Positive reviews | 86.9% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 4 days** | Every 2 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 70 MB | 48 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **14.5** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [BLUE COMET LABS LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1492055170) | [Kwok Chun Hin](https://appshunter.io/developer/446734044) |

## What reviewers say

### Expenses

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/expenses-spending-tracker/id1492055171)

Easily track your spending and income in any currency with this private finance app. Organize expenses with custom categories and gain insights into your spending habits through intuitive charts and trends. Collaborate with others on shared sheets and sync data across Apple devices.

**Highlights:** Expense and income tracking, Multi-currency support with auto exchange rates, Customizable categories, Spending trend analysis, Real-time sheet sharing, Private by design, no account needed, Data import/export (CSV)

**Features:** Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Expenses Pro - Monthly | $1.99 | per month |
| Expenses Pro - Yearly | $14.99 | per year |
| Expenses Pro - Lifetime | $39.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Simple and easy to use
- 🚀 Straightforward functionality
- 🔒 No bank account required
- 💡 Flexible customization options
- 🚀 Seamless iCloud sync

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional bugs and crashes
- 🔒 Sharing/collaboration issues
- 💡 Lack of advanced budgeting features
- 💡 Missing subcategories and reporting options
- 🔒 Requirement to pay for full access

**Reported bugs**

- Syncing issues between devices
- Disappearing transaction data after updates
- Inconsistent balance display
- Unresponsive UI elements

**Requested features**

- Ability to create folders/groups for sheets
- Option to view combined stats across sheets
- Recurring expense/income tracking
- Improved sorting and filtering of transactions
- Budget comparison and forecasting tools


### Simple Spender 2

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simple-spender-2/id1586503194)

Easily track expenses and income, create personalized budgets, and visualize your spending habits with insightful graphs. This app prioritizes data privacy by storing all information locally on your device.

**Highlights:** Expense and income tracking, Personalized monthly budgeting, Data visualization with graphs, Local data storage for privacy, CSV import and export, Multiple currencies and payment methods

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 6 Months Subscription | $0.99 | per 6 months |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Expenses free?

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

### Is Simple Spender 2 free?

Simple Spender 2 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Expenses or Simple Spender 2?

Expenses and Simple Spender 2 are both rated 4.8 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1.8K and 5 ratings respectively.

### Do Expenses or Simple Spender 2 have ads?

Simple Spender 2 shows ads; Expenses does not.

### Which is updated more often, Expenses or Simple Spender 2?

Expenses ships an update every 4 days, and Simple Spender 2 every 2 weeks. Most recently, Expenses was updated on September 29, 2026 and Simple Spender 2 on June 4, 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.*