# Expenses vs Heron

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Expenses at 1.8K against Heron's 1. Expenses also leads on update cadence (every 6 days vs every 3 weeks). Heron's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.8). On price, ads, 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 Heron sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Heron holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Expenses has 1.8K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Expenses ships an update every 6 days, Heron every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Expenses | Heron |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (1.8K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/expenses-spending-tracker/id1492055171/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/heron-budget-planner/id6739427896/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **1.8K** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 86.8% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 6 days** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Size | 71 MB | 69 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **15.1** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [BLUE COMET LABS LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1492055170) | [Feathered Tech Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1785216670) |

## 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, iPhone Duo support

**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


### Heron

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/heron-budget-planner/id6739427896)

This app helps you manage your money by forecasting your financial future, tracking expenses, and offering secure connections to financial institutions. It provides a simple yet powerful interface to help you make informed financial decisions with confidence.

**Highlights:** Financial forecasting, Expense tracking, Bank account connectivity, Manual transaction entry, Transaction file import, Ad-free experience

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Heron Membership | $3.99 | per month |
| Annual Heron Membership | $39.00 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Expenses free?

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

### Is Heron free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Expenses or Heron?

Heron is rated higher. Expenses averages 4.8 out of 5 from 1.8K ratings, while Heron averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Expenses or Heron have ads?

Neither Expenses nor Heron shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Expenses or Heron?

Expenses ships an update every 6 days, and Heron every 3 weeks. Most recently, Expenses was updated on November 7, 2026 and Heron on October 30, 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.*