# DarkBook vs Trading Lab

The clearest difference is monetization model: DarkBook at free with in-app purchases against Trading Lab's subscription. DarkBook also leads on review sentiment (80% vs 60%) and rating (4.3 vs 4.1). Trading Lab's advantage is ratings volume (14 vs 3). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. DarkBook sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.49 per year and Trading Lab sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

DarkBook holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 4.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 14 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 80% of DarkBook's written reviews are positive against 60% of Trading Lab's.

DarkBook ships an update weekly, Trading Lab every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on September 19, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | DarkBook | Trading Lab |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.3 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/darkbooklite-spending-tracker/id1521821145/reviews)** | [4.1 (14 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/trading-lab/id1554935189/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 3 | **14** |
| Positive reviews | **80.0% of reviews** | 59.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Weekly | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Subscription |
| Size | 26 MB | 3.6 GB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Chongqing Zhouhu Technology Co.,Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/1469907105) | [菁晶 王](https://appshunter.io/developer/1345734860) |

## What reviewers say

### DarkBook

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/darkbooklite-spending-tracker/id1521821145)

A minimalist budget tracker with a focus on a dark, eye-friendly interface. It offers fast, simplified bookkeeping with multi-ledger, multi-account, and multi-member support. Analyze your spending and asset trends with clear visualizations.

**Highlights:** Optimized dark theme, Local data storage, Fast bookkeeping with gestures, Multi-ledger support, Multi-account management, Revenue and expenditure analysis, Asset trend tracking

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pay per year | $1.49 | per year |
| Life member | $3.99 | one-time |


### Trading Lab

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/trading-lab/id1554935189)

Practice trading with historical market data across stocks, forex, and crypto. Analyze performance with advanced indicators and charts, and utilize dynamic playback for realistic training. Offers a variety of trading tools and order types for comprehensive practice.

**Highlights:** Historical data playback, Multi-market symbols, Full timeframes support, High-performance indicators and charts, Dynamic market replay, Advanced trading tools, Template function for indicators

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pro Monthly User | $5.99 | per month |
| Pro Yearly User | $19.99 | per year |
| Pro Permanently User | $44.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is DarkBook free?

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

### Is Trading Lab free?

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

### Which has better reviews, DarkBook or Trading Lab?

DarkBook is rated higher. DarkBook averages 4.3 out of 5 from 3 ratings, while Trading Lab averages 4.1 from 14 ratings.

### Do DarkBook or Trading Lab have ads?

Neither DarkBook nor Trading Lab shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, DarkBook or Trading Lab?

DarkBook ships an update weekly, and Trading Lab every 5 days. Most recently, DarkBook was updated on September 19, 2026 and Trading Lab on September 21, 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.*