# Beancount vs BeanFlow

The clearest difference is rating: BeanFlow at 4.0 against Beancount's 3.4. BeanFlow also leads on review sentiment (86% vs 67%). Beancount's advantage is monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and ratings volume (9 vs 2). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

BeanFlow holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 3.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 9 and 2 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 67% of Beancount's written reviews are positive against 86% of BeanFlow's.

Beancount ships an update every 2 weeks, BeanFlow every 10 days. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Beancount | BeanFlow |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.4 (9 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/beancount-plain-text-ledger/id1527950512/reviews) | **[4.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/beanflow-expense-tracker/id6755234354/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **9** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 66.7% of reviews | **85.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | **Every 10 days** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 51 MB | 30 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.4** | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Stargately, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1486062039) | [昆 杨](https://appshunter.io/developer/1512080973) |

## What reviewers say

### Beancount

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/beancount-plain-text-ledger/id1527950512)

This app helps you manage your finances by recording transactions in text files. It then generates financial statements like income statements and balance sheets to provide insights into your financial health.

**Highlights:** Record financial transactions, Generate income statements, Create balance sheets, Visualize financial data, Improve financial life

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### BeanFlow

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/beanflow-expense-tracker/id6755234354)

This app offers a flexible approach to personal finance management, supporting both simple daily tracking and structured double-entry accounting. It features OCR import from screenshots and videos to easily add transactions, and supports the Beancount data format for portability and integration.

**Highlights:** Simple and Beancount accounting modes, OCR import from screenshots and videos, Track daily income and expenses, Double-entry accounting support, Import and export .bean files, Offline-first operation

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Beancount free?

Beancount is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is BeanFlow free?

BeanFlow is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Beancount or BeanFlow?

BeanFlow is rated higher. Beancount averages 3.4 out of 5 from 9 ratings, while BeanFlow averages 4.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do Beancount or BeanFlow have ads?

Neither Beancount nor BeanFlow shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Beancount or BeanFlow?

Beancount ships an update every 2 weeks, and BeanFlow every 10 days. Most recently, Beancount was updated on October 24, 2026 and BeanFlow on October 24, 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.*