# Goodbudget Budget Planner vs Spending Tracker

Goodbudget Budget Planner and Spending Tracker both sit at 4.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 95% of Spending Tracker's written reviews are positive against 59% of Goodbudget Budget Planner's. Spending Tracker also leads on device support (5 vs 2). Goodbudget Budget Planner's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). On price, rating, ratings volume and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Goodbudget Budget Planner sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month and Spending Tracker sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Goodbudget Budget Planner against 4.8 for Spending Tracker. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 14K and 20K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 59% of Goodbudget Budget Planner's written reviews are positive against 95% of Spending Tracker's.

Goodbudget Budget Planner ships an update every 3 weeks, Spending Tracker every 2 months. Both last shipped on November 1, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Goodbudget Budget Planner | Spending Tracker |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (14K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/goodbudget-budget-planner/id471112395/reviews) | **[4.8 (20K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spending-tracker/id548615579/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 14K | **20K** |
| Positive reviews | 58.8% of reviews | **94.5% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#72** | — |
| Size | 23 MB | 50 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 15.5 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Dayspring Technologies](https://appshunter.io/developer/471112398) | [MH Riley Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/409695800) |

## What reviewers say

### Goodbudget Budget Planner

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/goodbudget-budget-planner/id471112395)

**Currently charting:** #72 Top Grossing · Finance (US App Store)

This app helps you manage your finances and plan your spending using a virtual envelope system. Track expenses, monitor debt, and gain insights with helpful reports. Share your budget with family or friends across multiple devices.

**Highlights:** Virtual envelope budgeting, Shared budgets, Expense tracking, Debt payoff tracking, Insightful financial reports, Automatic cloud backup, CSV transaction export

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Plus Plan | $5.99 | per month |
| Monthly Plus Plan | $6.99 | per month |
| Monthly Plus Plan | $7.99 | per month |
| Monthly Premium Plan | $9.99 | per month |
| Annual Plus Plan | $49.99 | per year |
| Annual Plus Plan | $59.99 | per year |
| Annual Plus Plan | $69.99 | per year |
| Annual Premium Plan | $79.99 | per year |
| 3 Months of Plus Plan | $17.99 | one-time |
| 6 Months of Plus Plan | $29.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 💻 Excellent app for tracking and managing finances
- 🤝 Great for couples and families to manage budgets together
- 📈 Helpful envelope system and budgeting tools
- 🕰️ Ability to schedule recurring payments and income
- 🗓️ Useful for budgeting by pay period instead of monthly

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔍 Confusing or unintuitive interface for some users
- 💰 Paid subscription seen as too expensive by some
- 🐛 Occasional bugs, crashes, and syncing issues reported
- 🔢 Limited free version with only 10 envelopes
- 🔍 Difficulty making changes to existing budgets

**Reported bugs**

- Transactions not saving properly
- Envelopes resetting or losing balances
- Recurring income/payments not working as expected
- Syncing issues between devices

**Requested features**

- Ability to group/organize envelopes
- Option to reconcile transactions and mark as cleared
- Transaction search functionality within the app
- Customizable envelope colors or themes
- Automatic transaction syncing from bank accounts


### Spending Tracker

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spending-tracker/id548615579)

Easily track your expenses and income to gain control over your finances. Set budgets, view spending summaries, and generate reports with interactive charts. Take the first step towards saving money by understanding where your money goes.

**Highlights:** Simple and intuitive interface, Flexible time period tracking (Weekly, Monthly, Yearly), Budget mode with carry-over, Summary view of spending progress, Log expenses and income, Editable spending and income categories, Interactive charts and reports

**Features:** Family Sharing, Apple Watch app

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pro Upgrade | $2.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 📊 Helpful reports and charts
- 💰 One-time fee for premium features
- 🔁 Recurring transactions
- 🗂️ Multiple accounts and categories

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional syncing issues
- 🔢 Lack of fortnightly budget option
- 🗂️ Difficulty deleting unused categories
- 💰 Paid upgrade required for some features
- 📈 Limited budget tracking within categories

**Reported bugs**

- Transactions sometimes entered in wrong order
- Backup and restore functionality not always reliable

**Requested features**

- Add ability to split transactions into multiple categories
- Incorporate currency conversion and exchange rates
- Allow family/shared account access and updates
- Implement a 'Debt' category to track loan payments
- Add option to take photos of receipts and attach to transactions


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Goodbudget Budget Planner free?

Goodbudget Budget Planner is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Spending Tracker free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Goodbudget Budget Planner or Spending Tracker?

Spending Tracker is rated higher. Goodbudget Budget Planner averages 4.6 out of 5 from 14K ratings, while Spending Tracker averages 4.8 from 20K ratings.

### Do Goodbudget Budget Planner or Spending Tracker have ads?

Spending Tracker shows ads; Goodbudget Budget Planner does not.

### Which is updated more often, Goodbudget Budget Planner or Spending Tracker?

Goodbudget Budget Planner ships an update every 3 weeks, and Spending Tracker every 2 months. Most recently, Goodbudget Budget Planner was updated on November 1, 2026 and Spending Tracker on November 1, 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.*