Comparison

Accounts 3 Lite vs Budget Stack

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Accounts 3 Lite

Manage your personal finances with this intuitive checkbook replacement app. Track daily transactions, schedule recurring payments, and capture photo receipts. Visualize your spending with detailed reports and graphs, and export your data for desktop use.

Highlights
  • Schedule recurring transactions
  • Capture photo receipts
  • Generate financial reports and graphs
  • Reconcile transactions with bank statements
  • Export data in CSV, QIF, and HTML
  • Supports Touch and Face ID
  • Split transactions across categories
Features
Read full description

Accounts 3 Lite is an easy to use application to replace your paper checkbook. With the Accounts 3 Lite application, you will have a quicker and more convenient way to track your daily finances. You can schedule transactions, transfer funds, capture photo receipts, reconcile, export data, view reports, graphs, and much more. * If you like this app, then please support us with a positive rating. Thank you! FEATURES * Touch and Face ID Support Use Touch ID to authenticate and launch the app quicker and more conveniently. * Optimized for Multitasking and Retina Display Supports fast app switching and higher resolution Retina display. * Universal Binary Designed for iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad devices. No need to buy separate apps for each device. * Graphs and Reports Review your monthly income vs. expense, spending by category, or income by category summaries with beautiful graphs and reports. * AirPrint Support Print reports directly from your iPhone or iPad (that have multitasking capability) to any AirPrint-enabled printer. * Photo Receipts Capture and store photo receipt as part of a transaction. * Search Quickly search for transactions and edit them from the same screen. * Recurring Transactions Schedule transactions to repeat weekly, biweekly, monthly, semimonthly, quarterly, biannually, or yearly on a start date that you choose. * Reconcile Transactions Reconcile by checking off cleared transactions and comparing the actual and outstanding balances against a bank statement. Accounts 3 now includes a running total for even easier reconciliation. * Split Transactions Split a transaction among several categories for more precise tracking. * Transfers Make a one-time transfer between accounts or set up recurring transfers to automatically repeat. * Multiple Accounts Track as many accounts as you need. * Export in CSV, QIF & HTML Formats Export transactions via email attachments for used with desktop applications such Numbers, Excel, or MS Money. * Description, Category, Memo, and Check # Fields All the necessary fields to track your transactions. * Smart Autocomplete As you type, a list will show you your previously entered descriptions and corresponding category. Selecting an entry from the list will fill both fields of the transaction. * Auto-increment Check # Field Accounts 3 will suggest the next check number for you based on the previously entered number. If you replace your checkbook, just enter the new starting number and Accounts 3 will auto-increment from there. * Customization Settings & Themes Configurable settings and themes to customize the Accounts 3 application based on your preferences. * Transaction Sorting/Hiding Sort transactions by date in either ascending or descending order. You can also hide reconciled transactions to keep your current list from being cluttered. * Accounts Reordering Reorder the accounts from the account list in any order you choose. * Accounts Delete Lock Prevents accidental deletion of all the transactions under an account. * Backup / Restore Backup your data to your computer for safekeeping. Then restore it to your device when you need to via email or iTunes file sharing interface. * Passcode Security Keep your accounts information private. * Sync Data via iCloud Sync your data across iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch devices (available when upgraded to full version) * Accounts 3 Lite is limited to 100 transactions.   At anytime, you can transfer all your data to the Full version by touching on the 'Export to Full Version' button from the Settings screen.

About

Budget Stack

Features
Read full description

Budget Stack helps you keep everyday spending organized without turning budgeting into a chore. Create simple spending lists, add transactions, sort purchases by category, and see totals at a glance. Whether you’re tracking a card balance, planning a home project, managing recurring expenses, or keeping a shared wish list tidy, Budget Stack gives you a clean place to capture what matters. Features: Create multiple spending lists Add transactions with merchants, amounts, dates, notes, and recurrence Organize spending with customizable categories and tags View totals and category breakdowns Sort and manage lists quickly Sync and recover your data with iCloud Privacy-first design with no analytics, tracking, or personal data collection Optional premium icons for a more personalized look Budget Stack is built for people who want a focused, private, lightweight way to understand where their money is going. Everything needed for one person. Budget Stack Premium (Families & Smart Features): Includes: * Shared Lists * Family Budget Sharing * Smart Lists * Future Siri AI features * Premium app icons * Future premium widgets

Screenshots

Accounts 3 Lite4 screens
Budget Stack4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Accounts 3 Lite at none against Budget Stack's 1. Budget Stack's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs every 3 weeks) and device support (4 vs 2). On price and ads there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Budget Stack sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Accounts 3 Lite asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Accounts 3 Lite ships an update every 3 weeks, Budget Stack every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Accounts 3 Lite versus Budget Stack: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAccounts 3 LiteBudget Stack
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (225 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews46.8% of reviews—
Number of ratings225 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS26.018.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size10 MB37 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSVT SoftwareAndrew Williams

Bugs and requests

Accounts 3 Lite

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Pop-ups for paid versions
  • Sync issues deleting transactions
  • Recurring transaction memos not updating correctly
  • Recurring screen starting date/time squished

Requested features

15 requests
  • Add total outstanding balance with recurring charges
  • Import PDF files for checks
  • Add sub-accounts
  • Add PDF support for checks
  • Add recurring transfers between accounts
Show 10 more
  • Schedule recurring transactions on a specific date
  • Hide specific accounts from main view
  • Clear delineation between past and future transactions
  • Option to turn off auto check number
  • Fix recurring screen starting date/time issue
  • Import QIF or CSV files
  • Allow changing memo on recurring transfers without re-creation
  • Manually pay monthly bills instead of automatic
  • Recurring transactions that shift date for weekends/holidays
  • Option to select app icon color

Budget Stack

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Accounts 3 Lite

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Budget Stack

One-time1
  • Premium$3.99

Questions

Is Accounts 3 Lite free?
Accounts 3 Lite is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Budget Stack free?
Budget Stack is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Accounts 3 Lite or Budget Stack have ads?
Neither Accounts 3 Lite nor Budget Stack shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Accounts 3 Lite or Budget Stack?
Accounts 3 Lite ships an update every 3 weeks, and Budget Stack every 5 days. Most recently, Accounts 3 Lite was updated on October 14, 2026 and Budget Stack on October 1, 2026.

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