# Budget app vs Expense Tracker

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Budget app at 16K against Expense Tracker's 861. Budget app also leads on device support (4 vs 1) and chart position (#60 vs #195). On price, rating, review sentiment and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Budget app sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Expense Tracker sells 16 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Budget app against 4.8 for Expense Tracker. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Budget app has 16K ratings behind it against 861, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 79% of Budget app's written reviews are positive against 82% of Expense Tracker's.

Budget app ships an update every 9 days, Expense Tracker fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Budget app | Expense Tracker |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (16K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/budget-app-spending-tracker/id1525179720/reviews) | **[4.8 (861 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/expense-tracker-monai/id6447112647/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **16K** | 861 |
| Positive reviews | 79.2% of reviews | **82.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 9 days** | Fortnightly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#60** | #195 |
| Size | 231 MB | 56 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 18.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [InnerGrow](https://appshunter.io/developer/1828382777) | [Florian Vates](https://appshunter.io/developer/1544416478) |

## 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


### Expense Tracker

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/expense-tracker-monai/id6447112647)

**Currently charting:** #195 Top Grossing · Finance (US App Store)

Effortlessly track your daily expenses using AI-powered voice input or manual entry. The app automatically categorizes and splits your spending with a beautiful, clutter-free interface. Your data is securely stored in your personal iCloud, with no login required.

**Highlights:** AI-powered voice expense entry, Automatic expense categorization, Manual expense entry, Custom category creation, Beautiful and simple UI/UX, Privacy-friendly iCloud storage, No login required

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

**In-app purchases (16)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Student Monthly | $2.99 | per month |
| Basic monthly intro | $2.99 | per month |
| Advanced | $2.99 | per month |
| Family month intro | $3.99 | per month |
| Basic monthly | $3.99 | per month |
| Family | $3.99 | per month |
| Student Monthly | $4.49 | per month |
| Family month | $5.49 | per month |
| Monthly | $7.99 | per month |
| Student Yearly | $24.99 | per year |
| Basic yearly intro | $24.99 | per year |
| Advanced | $24.99 | per year |
| Basic yearly | $29.99 | per year |
| Family yearly intro | $34.99 | per year |
| Family | $34.99 | per year |
| Family yearly | $39.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Dictate transactions, no need to enter individually
- 🚀 Simple and easy to use
- 👍 Shared account for couples
- 👍 Practical, solves the problem of writing down expenses
- 👍 Intuitive and effective

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Doesn't register all transactions, especially Apple Pay
- 🔒 Requires payment to use, no free trial
- 🔒 Stops working on alternative devices after paying
- 🔒 Limited features in free version
- 🐛 Voice input sometimes gets stuck or has errors

**Reported bugs**

- Doesn't register all bank transactions
- Incompatible with some devices or iOS versions
- Sharing large lists doesn't work

**Requested features**

- Weekly/daily expense view
- Separate savings category
- Ability to add past expenses
- Multi-currency support
- Improved reporting and analytics


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Budget app free?

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

### Is Expense Tracker free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Budget app or Expense Tracker?

Expense Tracker is rated higher. Budget app averages 4.7 out of 5 from 16K ratings, while Expense Tracker averages 4.8 from 861 ratings.

### Do Budget app or Expense Tracker have ads?

Neither Budget app nor Expense Tracker shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Budget app or Expense Tracker?

Budget app ships an update every 9 days, and Expense Tracker fortnightly. Most recently, Budget app was updated on September 25, 2026 and Expense Tracker on September 24, 2026.

### Which is more popular, Budget app or Expense Tracker?

Budget app currently peaks at #60 in the App Store charts, and Expense Tracker at #195. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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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.*