# iSpending vs Budget Planner

The clearest difference is ads: Budget Planner at none against iSpending's shown. Budget Planner also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 6 months) and rating (4.7 vs 4.4). iSpending's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. iSpending sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Budget Planner sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Budget Planner holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 634 and 741 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 69% of iSpending's written reviews are positive against 76% of Budget Planner's.

iSpending ships an update every 6 months, Budget Planner every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | iSpending | Budget Planner |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.4 (634 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ispending-expense-tracker/id484100875/reviews) | **[4.7 (741 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/budget-planner-money-flow/id900890647/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 634 | **741** |
| Positive reviews | 68.9% of reviews | **76.1% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 19 MB | 136 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Hana Mobile](https://appshunter.io/developer/306576922) | [Hermann Wagenleitner](https://appshunter.io/developer/543089550) |

## What reviewers say

### iSpending

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ispending-expense-tracker/id484100875)

Track your income and expenses with this free personal finance app. Organize transactions by category, view instant summaries, and analyze spending patterns with detailed graphs. Secure your data with passcode and Face ID.

**Highlights:** Categorize income and expenses, Customizable spending categories, Instant daily, weekly, monthly, yearly summaries, Detailed graph reports, Transaction search, Passcode and Face ID lock, iCloud sync

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| iSpending Premium | $2.99 | per month |
| iSpending Premium | $29.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 💰 Helps organize finances
- 📊 Provides good visibility into spending
- 🚀 Simple and straightforward

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔒 Limited functionality without paid upgrade
- 🐛 Crashes and bugs reported
- 🗓️ Lack of customization options (categories, date range)
- 💻 No cross-device sync or backup

**Reported bugs**

- Transactions not displaying properly
- Data loss after app updates
- Inability to access past year's data

**Requested features**

- Recurring transaction options
- Ability to edit/delete past entries
- More detailed reporting and analytics
- Multi-currency support
- Sync across devices


### Budget Planner

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/budget-planner-money-flow/id900890647)

Easily track your income and expenses to manage your finances. Offers customizable accounts, flexible budgeting, and secure synchronization across devices. Visualize your financial health with powerful reports and helpful tools.

**Highlights:** Quick transaction adding, Customizable accounts and categories, Device synchronization, Flexible budget settings, Scheduled transactions, Interactive reports, Security code on launch

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Money Flow PRO | $1.99 | per 7 days |
| Money Flow PRO | $3.99 | per month |
| Money Flow PRO | $4.99 | per month |
| Money Flow PRO | $16.99 | per year |
| Money Flow PRO | $24.99 | per year |
| Money Flow PRO | $19.99 | one-time |
| Money Flow PRO | $24.99 | one-time |
| Money Flow PRO | $34.99 | one-time |
| Money Flow PRO | $39.99 | one-time |
| Money Flow PRO | $49.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 💡 Customizable categories
- 🚀 Straightforward money tracking
- 🔒 Secure data storage
- 💡 Detailed expense reports

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Sync issues between devices
- 💰 Subscription model
- 🔍 Limited search/filtering options
- 🕰️ Lack of projected balance view
- 🔀 Difficulty rearranging transactions

**Reported bugs**

- Disappearing expense categories
- Crashes when generating reports
- Incorrect transaction dates
- Issues with CSV import/export

**Requested features**

- Calendar view for transactions
- Ability to mark transactions as cleared
- Recurring bill management
- Widgets and shortcuts for quicker entry
- Multi-user support and family sharing


## Frequently asked questions

### Is iSpending free?

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

### Is Budget Planner free?

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

### Which has better reviews, iSpending or Budget Planner?

Budget Planner is rated higher. iSpending averages 4.4 out of 5 from 634 ratings, while Budget Planner averages 4.7 from 741 ratings.

### Do iSpending or Budget Planner have ads?

iSpending shows ads; Budget Planner does not.

### Which is updated more often, iSpending or Budget Planner?

iSpending ships an update every 6 months, and Budget Planner every 3 weeks. Most recently, iSpending was updated on September 23, 2026 and Budget Planner on September 25, 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.*