# SpendNotes vs TraceSpend

The clearest difference is review sentiment: TraceSpend at 100% against SpendNotes's 69%. TraceSpend also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.8) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). SpendNotes's advantage is ratings volume (406 vs 3). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. SpendNotes sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 3 months and TraceSpend sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

TraceSpend holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SpendNotes has 406 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 69% of SpendNotes's written reviews are positive against 100% of TraceSpend's.

SpendNotes ships an update every 3 weeks, TraceSpend monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | SpendNotes | TraceSpend |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (406 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spendnotes-budget-tracker/id1505752740/reviews) | **[5.0 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tracespend-budget-and-expense/id6476685128/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **406** | 3 |
| Positive reviews | 69.2% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 15 MB | 49 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Suhaib Al-Absi](https://appshunter.io/developer/1505752739) | [Digital Wave SRL](https://appshunter.io/developer/1675934647) |

## What reviewers say

### SpendNotes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spendnotes-budget-tracker/id1505752740)

Easily track daily income and expenses with an intuitive interface. Organize transactions, set budgets, and monitor financial goals. Offers detailed analytics and customizable PDF reports for better financial control.

**Highlights:** Track expenses and income, Organize transactions by account, Create custom categories, Set daily, weekly, monthly, yearly budgets, Define saving goals, Finance overview with charts and tables, Detailed analytics and PDF reports

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| SpendNotes Plus - 3 Months | $4.99 | per 3 months |
| SpendNotes Plus - Yearly | $14.99 | per year |
| SpendNotes Plus - Lifetime | $59.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use and track spending
- ⭐️ Excellent for financial management
- 💰 Inexpensive subscription/purchase
- ✨ Highly customizable
- 💯 Best app of its kind

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Glitching during purchase
- 🤔 Some features not fully understood
- ⚠️ Widget issues after update
- 💸 Lifetime purchase price steep
- ❌ Inability to track category totals over time (initially)

**Reported bugs**

- App boots off when trying to purchase full version
- Widgets not showing properly after update
- Developer not responding to emails

**Requested features**

- Add a 'debts' section
- Add 'deposit', 'withdrawal', and 'savings' categories
- MAC compatibility
- Set budgets on a biweekly basis
- Add multiplication and division to the calculator


### TraceSpend

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tracespend-budget-and-expense/id6476685128)

Manage personal and shared finances with a zero-based budgeting system. Track expenses, plan spending by category, and get insights into your financial habits. Ideal for individuals, couples, and groups to simplify money management without spreadsheets.

**Highlights:** Zero-based budgeting system, Expense tracking with receipt attachment, Shared wallets for groups and couples, Spending plan creation by category, Real-time budget progress alerts, Financial insights and trends, Offline expense tracking

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly | $5.99 | per month |
| Yearly | $49.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is SpendNotes free?

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

### Is TraceSpend free?

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

### Which has better reviews, SpendNotes or TraceSpend?

TraceSpend is rated higher. SpendNotes averages 4.8 out of 5 from 406 ratings, while TraceSpend averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.

### Do SpendNotes or TraceSpend have ads?

Neither SpendNotes nor TraceSpend shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, SpendNotes or TraceSpend?

SpendNotes ships an update every 3 weeks, and TraceSpend monthly. Most recently, SpendNotes was updated on October 21, 2026 and TraceSpend on October 19, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*