# Budget app vs Marlo

The clearest difference is update cadence: Budget app at every 4 days against Marlo's every 6 weeks. Budget app also leads on ratings volume (16K vs 1) and chart position (#62 vs unranked). Marlo's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.7). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Budget app sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month and Marlo sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Marlo 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.

Budget app ships an update every 4 days, Marlo every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Budget app | Marlo |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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/marlo-budget-expense-tracker/id6778914533/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **16K** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 78.8% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 4 days** | Every 6 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Best chart rank | **#62** | — |
| Size | 247 MB | 17 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | +4 |
| Developer | [InnerGrow](https://appshunter.io/developer/1828382777) | [Anicca LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/6771920747) |

## What reviewers say

### Budget app

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

**Currently charting:** #62 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


### Marlo

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/marlo-budget-expense-tracker/id6778914533)

This app calculates your 'safe to spend' amount by subtracting fixed costs, budgets, and savings from your income. It provides a clear, guilt-free number for discretionary spending, with budgeting and savings goal features. All data is stored locally for privacy.

**Highlights:** Calculates 'Safe to Spend' amount, Budget tracking by category, Savings goal setting and tracking, Recurring income and bill setup, Optional daily logging reminders, Private, on-device data storage

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

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Marlo Pro Monthly | $6.99 | per month |
| Marlo Pro Annual Intro | $24.99 | per year |
| Marlo Pro Annual | $29.99 | per year |
| Marlo Pro — Lifetime | $39.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Budget app free?

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

### Is Marlo free?

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

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

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

### Do Budget app or Marlo have ads?

Neither Budget app nor Marlo shows ads.

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

Budget app ships an update every 4 days, and Marlo every 6 weeks. Most recently, Budget app was updated on November 4, 2026 and Marlo on October 31, 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.*