# Budget app vs Cashews

The clearest difference is monetization model: Budget app at free with in-app purchases against Cashews's subscription. Budget app also leads on review sentiment (79% vs 50%) and ratings volume (16K vs 69). Cashews's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs every 9 days). On price, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Budget app sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Cashews sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Budget app holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Budget app has 16K ratings behind it against 69, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 79% of Budget app's written reviews are positive against 50% of Cashews's.

Budget app ships an update every 9 days, Cashews every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 10, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Budget app | Cashews |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (16K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/budget-app-spending-tracker/id1525179720/reviews)** | [4.4 (69 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cashews/id1582436070/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **16K** | 69 |
| Positive reviews | **79.2% of reviews** | 50.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 9 days | **Every 3 days** |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Subscription |
| Best chart rank | **#60** | — |
| Size | 231 MB | 76 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [InnerGrow](https://appshunter.io/developer/1828382777) | [Cashews Finance LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1582436072) |

## What reviewers say

### Budget app

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/budget-app-spending-tracker/id1525179720)

**Currently charting:** #60 Top Grossing · Finance, #189 Top Free · Finance (US App Store)

This personal finance app helps you track spending, plan budgets, and save money to achieve financial freedom. It offers features like AI-powered tracking, shared budgeting, and detailed stats to understand your financial habits.

**Highlights:** Budget Planner, Spending Tracker, Money Management, Recurring Transactions, Shared Budgeting, AI Tracking, Stats & Charts

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (8)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Budget Premium Monthly | $2.99 | per month |
| Financial Empowerment | $5.99 | per year |
| Yearly Premium | $6.99 | per year |
| Lifetime Premium Sale | $4.99 | one-time |
| lifetime member sale | $6.99 | one-time |
| Budget Lifetime Member | $8.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime Premium Global | $8.99 | one-time |
| Family Premium | $14.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 User-friendly interface
- 🚀 Straightforward and intuitive
- 💰 Affordable one-time purchase
- 🎨 Customizable categories and colors
- 🗓️ Helpful calendar and transaction views

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Recurring bills/payments not working as expected
- 🔍 Lack of advanced reporting and analytics
- 🤝 Sharing/collaboration features not reliable
- 🇨🇦 Limited support for Canadian banks/accounts
- 🔀 Difficulty moving money between budgets

**Reported bugs**

- Syncing issues between devices
- Transactions not always loading correctly
- Upgrade/premium features not working as expected

**Requested features**

- Ability to carry over surplus/deficit between months
- Option to view remaining budget instead of just spent
- Multiple savings account/ledger support
- Automatic recurring bill/subscription tracking
- Web/desktop app version for easier data entry


### Cashews

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cashews/id1582436070)

This app analyzes your income and expenses to tell you how much you can safely spend. It offers a unique approach to budgeting by focusing on your current financial health rather than rigid categories. Make informed decisions with a 'Can I afford it?' widget and achieve your financial goals.

**Highlights:** Connect to bank accounts, Analyze income and expenses, Predictive cash flow algorithm, Spendable money calculation, Financial goal setting, 'Can I afford it?' widget, Automated account syncing

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

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Cashews Finance Monthly | $3.99 | per month |
| Monthly | $5.99 | per month |
| Monthly | $8.99 | per month |
| Quarterly | $13.49 | per 3 months |
| Quarterly | $19.99 | per 3 months |
| Cashews Finance Annual | $39.99 | per year |
| Yearly | $59.99 | per year |
| Yearly | $59.99 | per year |
| Yearly | $69.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Budget app free?

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

### Is Cashews free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Budget app or Cashews?

Budget app is rated higher. Budget app averages 4.7 out of 5 from 16K ratings, while Cashews averages 4.4 from 69 ratings.

### Do Budget app or Cashews have ads?

Neither Budget app nor Cashews shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Budget app or Cashews?

Budget app ships an update every 9 days, and Cashews every 3 days. Most recently, Budget app was updated on September 25, 2026 and Cashews on September 10, 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.*