Comparison

Total Return vs Gist Money

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

Head to head
About

Total Return

This app helps investors track their stock and ETF performance. It calculates total return, including gains, losses, dividends, and commissions, and provides annualized rates of return. Users can monitor their investment bottom line and compare performance.

Highlights
  • Calculates total investment return
  • Calculates annualized rate of return (CAGR)
  • Tracks realized and unrealized gains/losses
  • Includes dividends and commissions
  • Shows current investment value and daily changes
  • Supports dividend reinvestment
  • Automated quote updates
Features
Read full description

How much have your stock and ETF investments really earned, after every purchase, sale, dividend, split and commission? And what is your annualized return, so you can tell whether investing beat leaving the money in the bank? Total Return answers both. Like other portfolio trackers, it shows what your holdings are worth today. It also calculates your total return, the bottom line of your investing: realized and unrealized gains and losses, plus dividends, minus commissions. And it shows your annualized rate of return (CAGR) for each position, each portfolio and overall. Enter your trades once and see how you've done over the years. Add your own free Tiingo API key and Total Return keeps quotes up to date, so every time you open the app you see your total return, how much it changed today and what your holdings are worth. Stop guessing. Know your Total Return. FEATURES - Total return that includes purchases, sales, dividends, commissions and splits - Annualized return (CAGR), calculated with the Internal Rate of Return (IRR) method - Total return, CAGR and value for every position, every portfolio and overall - Net Cash at Risk: how much of your own money is still invested after sales and dividends - Today's change for your holdings, positions and stocks - Useful stats: Most Changed Today, Best Total Return, Best CAGR and Highest Value - Track cash in your portfolios - Enter what you know about a trade and the rest is calculated for you - Move a position, with all its trades, to another portfolio - Dividend reinvestment - Automatic quote updates for most stocks and ETFs (requires your own Tiingo API key), or enter prices by hand - Protect your data with a passcode - Automatic backups on your device, with optional copies in your own iCloud Drive - Email backups to yourself, and open them in the app to restore - Export your data to CSV - Tips on every screen to help you get started - Light and dark appearance that follows your device - Full iPad interface Your portfolio stays on your device, and in your own iCloud if you choose. There is no account to create and no ads. SUBSCRIPTION Total Return is free to download and offers an optional auto-renewing subscription, monthly or annual, that supports its ongoing development. Payment is charged to your Apple Account. The subscription renews automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period, and you can manage or cancel it in your Apple Account settings. Terms of Use: https://nagotek.com/total-return-terms Privacy Policy: https://nagotek.com/total-return-privacy

About

Gist Money

Master your budget, track expenses, and save more with this privacy-focused financial control app. It offers bill reminders, insightful analytics, and customizable tracking to help you understand spending habits and achieve financial goals.

Highlights
  • Privacy-focused data security
  • Easy budget creation and management
  • Insightful spending analytics
  • Bill tracking with due date reminders
  • Customizable tags and categories
  • Visual spend analysis with graphs
Features
Read full description

Say it or type it. Gist Money helps (formerly 'Expenses Manager') you turn everyday spending into a clearer picture of your money. Track expenses, plan monthly budgets, organize bills, and understand your spending habits - with less manual entry and no ads. SMARTER EVERYDAY TRACKING Say It. Review It. Save It. Describe an expense naturally, by voice or text. Gist Money turns it into transaction details you can review, edit, and save. Budget with More Clarity Set budgets for groceries, dining out, transport, and more. Follow your progress and get alerts as you approach your limits. Understand Your Spending Explore spending insights, charts, and reports. See which categories take the biggest share of your budget and how your habits change over time. KEEP YOUR MONEY ORGANIZED Income and Expenses Record daily spending and income, organize transactions, and keep a clear view of your cash flow. Bills and Reminders Keep upcoming payments organized with bill reminders that help you stay on top of due dates. Accounts, Cards, and Wallets Track transactions across your accounts, credit cards, and wallets. Keep your recorded balances and spending together in one place. Custom Categories and Tags Organize your records in a way that makes sense to you, with personalized categories and tags. Optional Cloud Sync Keep your financial data private and stay in control, or choose to sync across devices so your records stay up to date wherever you use Gist Money. No Ads. A Clearer View. Stay focused on your money with a clean, distraction-free interface. Some features require a paid plan. WE VALUE YOUR FEEDBACK Help us make Gist Money more useful for your everyday finances. Send your questions or suggestions to help@gistmoney.com. Terms of Service: https://gistmoney.com/tos Privacy Policy: https://gistmoney.com/privacy

Screenshots

Total Return4 screens
Gist Money4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Gist Money at weekly against Total Return's every 2 months. Gist Money also leads on rating (4.3 vs 3.9) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume 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. Total Return sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Gist Money sells 17 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Gist Money holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 3.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 37 and 48 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 78% of Total Return's written reviews are positive against 76% of Gist Money's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Total Return ships an update every 2 months, Gist Money weekly. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Total Return versus Gist Money: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTotal ReturnGist Money
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.9 (37 ratings)4.3 (48 ratings) — better
Positive reviews78.0% of reviews — better75.9% of reviews
Number of ratings3748 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size21 MB92 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNagotek LLCAmit Mohan

Customer experience

Total Return

All ratings37 ratings
Positive73.0%
Neutral5.4%
Negative21.6%
Written reviews59 reviews
Positive78.0%
Neutral11.9%
Negative10.2%

Gist Money

All ratings48 ratings
Positive83.3%
Neutral4.2%
Negative12.5%
Written reviews83 reviews
Positive75.9%
Neutral9.6%
Negative14.5%

Bugs and requests

Total Return

Reported bugs

7 issues
  • Preferred stock symbols missing
  • Mutual funds don't update price change
  • Total return doesn't support mutual funds/ETFs
  • App shuts down on iOS 5
  • Inaccurate stock quotes
Show 2 more
  • Doesn't sync between devices
  • No full-screen mode on new iPhones/iPods

Requested features

18 requests
  • Ability to move stock holdings to different portfolios
  • Auto dividend amount added to holdings
  • Simple graphs for total return
  • Link with individual brokerage accounts
  • Automatic dividend entry
Show 13 more
  • Mac store app
  • Ability to set high and low alerts for stock prices
  • Automatic dividend posting
  • Sync with other financial apps and sites
  • Sync between devices (iPhone/iPad)
  • Automatic sync using Dropbox
  • Import and export transactions from a spreadsheet
  • Calculate weighted annualized return accounting for cash flows
  • Support for options (calls/puts)
  • Full-screen mode on new iPhones/iPods
  • Track old ticker symbols based on date
  • Input merger information
  • Currency conversion for different currencies

Gist Money

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Total Return

Subscriptions2
  • Unlimited access$2.991 Month
  • Unlimited access$29.991 Year
17 purchases

Gist Money

Subscriptions12
  • Premium7 Days trial$2.997 Days
  • Premium1 Month trial$5.991 Month
  • Premium2 variants$5.991 Month
Show 9 more
  • Premium7 Days trial$19.991 Year
  • Premium2 variants$19.991 Year
  • Premium7 Days trial$29.991 Year
  • Premium1 Year trial3 variants$39.991 Year
  • Premium3 Days trial$39.991 Year
  • Premium$39.991 Year
  • Premium7 Days trial$39.991 Year
  • Pro7 Days trial$59.991 Year
  • Pro1 Month trial$59.991 Year
One-time5
  • Premium (6 months)$8.99
  • Premium (12 months)$15.99
  • Unlimited Premium Access$71.99
Show 2 more
  • Lifetime Premium$71.99
  • Lifetime Premium$89.99

Questions

Is Total Return free?
Total Return is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Gist Money free?
Gist Money is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Total Return or Gist Money?
Gist Money is rated higher. Total Return averages 3.9 out of 5 from 37 ratings, while Gist Money averages 4.3 from 48 ratings.
Do Total Return or Gist Money have ads?
Neither Total Return nor Gist Money shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Total Return or Gist Money?
Total Return ships an update every 2 months, and Gist Money weekly. Most recently, Total Return was updated on October 24, 2026 and Gist Money on October 24, 2026.

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