# Budget app vs Simple Budget

The clearest difference is ads: Budget app at none against Simple Budget's shown. Budget app also leads on ratings volume (16K vs 1) and review sentiment (79% vs 67%). Simple Budget's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.7). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Budget app sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month and Simple Budget sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Simple Budget holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Budget app has 16K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 79% of Budget app's written reviews are positive against 67% of Simple Budget's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Budget app ships an update every 4 days, Simple Budget weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Budget app | Simple Budget |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (16K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/budget-app-spending-tracker/id1525179720/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simple-budget-expense-manager/id6746043320/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **16K** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | **78.8% of reviews** | 66.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 4 days** | Weekly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#55** | — |
| Size | 247 MB | 73 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **15.6** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [InnerGrow](https://appshunter.io/developer/1828382777) | [Waheed Nazir](https://appshunter.io/developer/1612955852) |

## What reviewers say

### Budget app

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

**Currently charting:** #55 Top Grossing · 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 | $5.99 | per month |
| Yearly Premium | $6.99 | per year |
| Financial Empowerment | $9.99 | per year |
| Lifetime Premium Sale | $4.99 | one-time |
| Budget Lifetime Member | $8.99 | one-time |
| lifetime member sale | $14.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime Premium Global | $19.99 | one-time |
| Family Premium | $29.99 | 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


### Simple Budget

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simple-budget-expense-manager/id6746043320)

Manage your personal finances with this straightforward expense tracker. Monitor spending, set savings goals, and track bills and debt. Offers offline access, automatic cloud backup, and customizable reports to help you stay on top of your money.

**Highlights:** Expense and income tracking, Budget planning and savings goals, Debt and bill management, Offline finance management, Automatic cloud backup, Customizable expense categories, Forecasting future expenses

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium (Weekly) | $1.99 | per 7 days |
| Monthly Subscription | $4.99 | per month |
| Premium (Yearly) | $44.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Budget app free?

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

### Is Simple Budget free?

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

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

Simple Budget is rated higher. Budget app averages 4.7 out of 5 from 16K ratings, while Simple Budget averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Budget app or Simple Budget have ads?

Simple Budget shows ads; Budget app does not.

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

Budget app ships an update every 4 days, and Simple Budget weekly. Most recently, Budget app was updated on November 7, 2026 and Simple Budget on October 30, 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.*