Comparison

Essentials Tracker vs BulkBuddy

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Essentials Tracker

This app helps users find essential items like toilet paper and baby food that are in low inventory. It relies on community input to report item availability and wait times at local stores, reducing frustration and store visits.

Highlights
  • Community-reported item availability
  • Track essential goods
  • Report store wait times
  • Real-time inventory updates
  • Reduce shopping frustration
  • Avoid store crowds
Read full description

This year introduced panic buying around the world. As a result, a lot of people are experiencing long queues and low inventory when they are in need of essential items. Essentials Tracker is a free app that aims to help mitigate the frustration that comes with the time people spend shopping for essential goods. Powered by local community input, the information on this app is provided by its users - not the individual stores. Items that have been hard to locate, such as: toilet paper, paper towels, disinfectant wipes, baby food, and even eggs can be found. Shoppers report which items are available at their local supermarket or wholesaler, as well as the time they waited to enter the store. The number of results displayed are then representative of the aggregate number of times an item has been reported in the last 48 hours, not the amount of stock for that particular item. Use Essentials Tracker to stay inside your home as much as possible, and avoid the gatherings of people the next time you are in need of essential goods.

About

BulkBuddy

Features
Read full description

Split warehouse-club, bulk, and grocery receipts without awkward math. BulkBuddy helps roommates, families, couples, and shopping groups divide shared grocery hauls fairly. Scan or enter a receipt, assign items to the right people, see exactly who owes what, then send everyone their share in one tap. SPLIT YOUR WAY Split by item, equally, by percentage, or by exact amounts. Need to tweak someone's share? Tap their total and adjust it by hand: everyone else rebalances automatically and the total always adds up to the cent. SCAN RECEIPTS Scan a receipt with your camera or choose a photo. BulkBuddy reads the items on your phone, keeps each item with its price, and ignores card-terminal and payment lines. Review and edit before you split. SEND EACH PERSON THEIR SHARE Send a short, friendly message with the exact amount and a breakdown by text or your favorite messaging app, or copy it anywhere. Add the people you split with straight from your phone's contacts. GET PAID BACK YOUR WAY Save how you like to be paid in your country, such as bank transfer, e-transfer or a payment-request link, and share the right details with each person. Mark payments as received and keep balances clear across repeat trips. BULK PACK SPLITTING Warehouse packs are useful but awkward to divide. Split paper towels, snacks, drinks, pantry staples, and household supplies by quantity or share. BulkBuddy keeps the math penny-accurate. ENGLISH, SPANISH AND FRENCH BulkBuddy follows your phone's language and shows amounts in your local currency. FREE FEATURES - Create and split receipts manually - 5 receipt scans per month - Split equally, by item, by percentage, or by amount - Send each person their share - Use the bulk pack splitter - Track basic balances - Review recent receipt history PREMIUM FEATURES - Unlimited receipt scans - Saved shopping groups - Unlimited split history - Savings insights and price memory for items you buy often - Export your split records WHY PEOPLE USE BULKBUDDY - Roommates splitting household supplies - Families sharing warehouse runs - Friends dividing party, meal prep, or event groceries - Couples separating personal and shared purchases - Budget-conscious shoppers who want item-level clarity PRIVACY BulkBuddy uses account, receipt, purchase, and app activity data to provide receipt splitting, sync, subscriptions, and support. Contacts are only opened when you choose to import someone. We do not sell your personal data. TERMS OF USE BulkBuddy uses Apple's standard End User License Agreement: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Download BulkBuddy and make the next shared grocery run easier to settle.

Screenshots

Essentials Tracker4 screens
BulkBuddy4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Essentials Tracker at none against BulkBuddy's 3. Essentials Tracker also leads on iOS requirement (13.2 vs 15.1). BulkBuddy's advantage is device support. On price 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. BulkBuddy sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Essentials Tracker asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
Essentials Tracker versus BulkBuddy: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEssentials TrackerBulkBuddy
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (4 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings4 — better—
Update frequency—Weekly
Ads—No
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
Devices—iPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS13.2 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB40 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperImmanuel PhillipsRoyal Nation LLC

In-app purchases

None

Essentials Tracker

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

BulkBuddy

Subscriptions2
  • Pro Monthly$1.991 Month
  • Pro Annual$12.991 Year
One-time1
  • BulkBuddy Pro Lifetime$24.99

Questions

Is Essentials Tracker free?
Essentials Tracker is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is BulkBuddy free?
BulkBuddy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

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