Comparison

HomeBudget with Sync vs Accounts 3 Lite

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

Head to head
About

HomeBudget with Sync

Track expenses, income, bills, and account balances with integrated budgeting and analysis tools. Features family sync for household collaboration and cross-platform availability.

Highlights
  • Expense and income tracking
  • Bill management with reminders
  • Account balance tracking
  • Budgeting and category analysis
  • Family sync for multiple devices
  • Receipt photo attachment
  • Multi-currency support
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Now available in mobile [iPhone/iPad] and desktop versions [Mac OS, Windows], including instant data sync between mobile/desktop versions. (Separate purchase required for each OS platform). A lite version of HomeBudget is available under the free applications category. Give it a try. Contact support@anishu.com, if you need help. We have no way of contacting you if you post an issue as a review. -- HomeBudget is an integrated expense tracker designed to help you track your expenses, income, bills-due and account balances. It offers support for budgeting, and allows analysis of your expenses and income, including charts and graphs. Two key differentiating features of HomeBudget are: 1. Integrated set of features. The features within HomeBudget are well integrated such that a bill can become an expense (when you pay for it) and also adjust the account balance at the same time. 2. Family sync. HomeBudget includes Family Sync, an advanced feature that allows a group of devices within the household to exchange expense and income information, and work together within a single budget. Once setup, the devices sync with each other automatically over the air. Family Sync works across all features including Bills and Accounts. Please refer to the Family Sync Quick Start guide at http://www.anishu.com for information on configuring Family Sync. KEY FEATURES: Expenses: - Create/Edit/Delete expenses and recurring expenses - Browse expense entries by month, by category/date with the ability to drill-down - Optionally associate an account and payee with an expense - Attach photo images of receipts; drag and resize images on screen - Support for multiple currencies and automatic exchange rate conversion - Search expense entries Income: - Create/Edit/Delete income and recurring income - Optionally associate an account with the income Bills - Create/Edit/Delete bills and recurring bills - Support for Payees, and track payments by Payee. - Make payment on bills either an as expense or as a transfer (to avoid double accounting your expenses) - Calendar and list view of Bills - Bill reminders Categories and Budget - Create/Edit/Delete expense categories and sub-categories - Set a budget, and track expenses at the category/sub-category level. - Associate icons with the categories and reorder category display order - Budget rollover - Classify expenses into fixed, variable and discretionary and compute your disposable income Accounts - Support for Accounts such as Checking, Savings, Credit, Debit, Cash, etc. - Associate your expense and income entries with your accounts and accurately track account balances. - View transactions, and do transfer between accounts. - Ability to choose a different base currency for each account Reports - Trend chart for Expense, Budget and Income for the last 6 months - Pie/Bar charts for expense break-down (Available in the Expenses screen). - Export data/reports by email or via WiFi Family Sync - Automatically sync multiple devices (iPhone, iPad, iTouch) in the household and see the same numbers on all devices over 3G and WiFi - Work within the same budget with other members of the household Other - Backup/Restore complete application data, including all receipts - Ability to upload your own list of category icons - Large numeric keypad for expense/income amount entry - HomeBudget follows the locale/region setting on your device and shows date and currency symbols appropriate for your region Visit http://www.anishu.com to see more screenshots, and to download the user guide (PDF, 42 pages).

About

Accounts 3 Lite

This app offers a convenient digital alternative to a paper checkbook for tracking daily finances. It allows users to schedule transactions, transfer funds, capture photo receipts, reconcile accounts, and generate reports and graphs.

Highlights
  • Schedule recurring transactions
  • Capture photo receipts
  • Reconcile accounts
  • Generate reports and graphs
  • Export data in CSV, QIF, HTML
  • Split transactions
  • Transfer funds between accounts
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, iPhone Duo, 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.

Screenshots

HomeBudget with Sync4 screens
Accounts 3 Lite4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Accounts 3 Lite at Free against HomeBudget with Sync's $4.99. HomeBudget with Sync's advantage is review sentiment (77% vs 47%) and chart position (#74 vs unranked). On rating, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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

Accounts 3 Lite is free to download; HomeBudget with Sync costs $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for HomeBudget with Sync against 4.7 for Accounts 3 Lite. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: HomeBudget with Sync has 1.3K ratings behind it against 225, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 77% of HomeBudget with Sync's written reviews are positive against 47% of Accounts 3 Lite's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

HomeBudget with Sync ships an update fortnightly, Accounts 3 Lite every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
HomeBudget with Sync versus Accounts 3 Lite: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHomeBudget with SyncAccounts 3 Lite
Price$4.99Free — better
Rating4.6 (1.3K ratings)4.7 (225 ratings) — better
Positive reviews77.1% of reviews — better46.8% of reviews
Number of ratings1.3K — better225
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
Best chart rank#74 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.6 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size19 MB10 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAnishu, Inc.SVT Software

Customer experience

HomeBudget with Sync

All ratings1,255 ratings
Positive92.4%
Neutral3.0%
Negative4.6%
Written reviews476 reviews
Positive77.1%
Neutral7.6%
Negative15.3%

Accounts 3 Lite

All ratings225 ratings
Positive93.8%
Neutral4.0%
Negative2.2%
Written reviews47 reviews
Positive46.8%
Neutral12.8%
Negative40.4%

User reviews

HomeBudget with Sync

From 1.3K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 💰 Helps manage finances
  • 🔍 Detailed expense tracking
  • 🔒 Secure data storage
  • 🔄 Syncs across devices

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Sync issues between devices
  • 🕰️ Recurring transactions limited to 2 years
  • 🔍 Difficulty finding/editing past transactions
  • 🔧 Lack of updates and new features
  • 💸 Paid app with limited free version

Accounts 3 Lite

From 225 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use checkbook register
  • 👍 Helpful for personal finance
  • 👍 Good for simple tracking
  • 👍 Keeps all budget information
  • 👍 Works well for personal needs

Room to improve

  • 😠 Persistent pop-ups
  • 😠 Forceful upgrade prompts
  • 😠 No sub-accounts
  • 😠 Recurring charges not included in total outstanding
  • 😠 Sync issues causing data loss

Bugs and requests

HomeBudget with Sync

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Balance calculation errors
  • Recurring transactions not working as expected
  • Crashes after iOS updates

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to move expenses between categories
  • Automatic currency conversion
  • Customizable dashboards and reports
  • Integration with banking/financial accounts
  • Dark mode support

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

In-app purchases

None

HomeBudget with Sync

No in-app purchases

None

Accounts 3 Lite

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is HomeBudget with Sync free?
HomeBudget with Sync costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Accounts 3 Lite free?
Accounts 3 Lite is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, HomeBudget with Sync or Accounts 3 Lite?
Accounts 3 Lite is rated higher. HomeBudget with Sync averages 4.6 out of 5 from 1.3K ratings, while Accounts 3 Lite averages 4.7 from 225 ratings.
Do HomeBudget with Sync or Accounts 3 Lite have ads?
Neither HomeBudget with Sync nor Accounts 3 Lite shows ads.
Which is updated more often, HomeBudget with Sync or Accounts 3 Lite?
HomeBudget with Sync ships an update fortnightly, and Accounts 3 Lite every 3 weeks. Most recently, HomeBudget with Sync was updated on November 6, 2026 and Accounts 3 Lite on November 7, 2026.

Other comparisons