# Surplus vs Basic Expense Tracker

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Basic Expense Tracker at 100% against Surplus's 83%. Basic Expense Tracker also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.8) and update cadence (fortnightly vs monthly). Surplus's advantage is ratings volume (27 vs 7). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Surplus sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and Basic Expense Tracker sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Basic Expense Tracker holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 27 and 7 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 83% of Surplus's written reviews are positive against 100% of Basic Expense Tracker's.

Surplus ships an update monthly, Basic Expense Tracker fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on June 4, 2026 and September 19, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Surplus | Basic Expense Tracker |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (27 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/surplus-expense-tracker/id1578612881/reviews) | **[5.0 (7 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/basic-expense-tracker/id1644294113/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **27** | 7 |
| Positive reviews | 83.3% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 67 MB | 2 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 16 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Dev Harvest LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1526293285) | [Ivo Maag](https://appshunter.io/developer/1619751397) |

## What reviewers say

### Surplus

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/surplus-expense-tracker/id1578612881)

This app helps you manage your monthly finances by tracking income, expenses, and upcoming payments. It provides insights into your spending habits, categorizes transactions, and offers customizable reports. Sync your accounts automatically or manually for a clear overview of your leftover spend.

**Highlights:** Monthly income and expense tracking, Categorization of spending, Customizable reports with CSV export, Transaction grouping, Home and lock screen widgets, Automation via Shortcuts app

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Surplus Pro Monthly | $3.99 | per month |
| Surplus Pro Yearly | $14.49 | per year |
| Surplus Pro Yearly | $29.99 | per year |
| Surplus Pro Lifetime | $29.99 | one-time |


### Basic Expense Tracker

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/basic-expense-tracker/id1644294113)

Easily track your daily spending and cash flow with this finance app. It syncs across your iOS devices and offers features like expense rating and currency switching. Export your data to spreadsheets for further analysis.

**Highlights:** Daily expense tracking, iCloud sync across devices, Expense rating indicator, Currency switcher, CSV export/import, Daily reminders

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Tip | $1.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Surplus free?

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

### Is Basic Expense Tracker free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Surplus or Basic Expense Tracker?

Basic Expense Tracker is rated higher. Surplus averages 4.8 out of 5 from 27 ratings, while Basic Expense Tracker averages 5.0 from 7 ratings.

### Do Surplus or Basic Expense Tracker have ads?

Neither Surplus nor Basic Expense Tracker shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Surplus or Basic Expense Tracker?

Surplus ships an update monthly, and Basic Expense Tracker fortnightly. Most recently, Surplus was updated on June 4, 2026 and Basic Expense Tracker on September 19, 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.*