# Best Budget vs Spending

The clearest difference is ads: Spending at none against Best Budget's shown. Spending also leads on monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and review sentiment (88% vs 76%). Best Budget's advantage is rating (3.9 vs 3.6) and update cadence (every 6 months vs every 18 months). On price and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Best Budget holds the better App Store score, 3.9 against 3.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Best Budget has 68 ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 76% of Best Budget's written reviews are positive against 88% of Spending's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Best Budget ships an update every 6 months, Spending every 18 months. Both last shipped on October 14, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Best Budget | Spending |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[3.9 (68 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/best-budget/id492359166/reviews)** | [3.6 (7 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spending/id509905009/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **68** | 7 |
| Positive reviews | 76.2% of reviews | **87.5% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 6 months** | Every 18 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 52 MB | 4 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16 | **9.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [倩 赵](https://appshunter.io/developer/376557917) | [Steve Harris](https://appshunter.io/developer/509905012) |

## What reviewers say

### Best Budget

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/best-budget/id492359166)

This personal finance app helps you manage your money by creating unlimited income and expense budgets. Track transactions, monitor spending against your budgets, and gain insights into your financial habits. It offers robust reporting and data management features to help you become your own financial expert.

**Highlights:** Create unlimited budgets, Track income and expenses, Set budget details (name, amount, category), Rollover budget amounts, Transfer funds between budgets, View transaction history, Generate income/expense reports, Export budgets (HTML, CSV, PDF)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Simple and easy to use
- 🚀 Efficient budgeting features
- 💡 Helpful for tracking expenses
- 🔒 Secure and private
- 👍 Great for managing multiple budgets

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional bugs and glitches
- 💸 Aggressive advertising in free version
- 🔍 Limited customization options
- 🤔 Confusing interface for some users

**Reported bugs**

- Transactions not saving properly
- Budgets disappearing without explanation
- Incorrect calculations and balance display

**Requested features**

- Ability to link accounts and sync data
- More detailed reporting and analytics
- Recurring income and expense options
- Improved user guide and tutorials


### Spending

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spending/id509905009)

Easily track your daily and monthly expenses by category. This app helps you understand where your money goes, focusing on small, frequent purchases that can add up. Visualize your spending with graphs and manage multiple budgets for different needs.

**Highlights:** Track spending by category, View daily, weekly, and monthly expenditure, Spending breakdown graphs, Customizable categories, Multiple budget management, Daily spending limits

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Best Budget free?

Best Budget is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Spending free?

Spending is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Best Budget or Spending?

Best Budget is rated higher. Best Budget averages 3.9 out of 5 from 68 ratings, while Spending averages 3.6 from 7 ratings.

### Do Best Budget or Spending have ads?

Best Budget shows ads; Spending does not.

### Which is updated more often, Best Budget or Spending?

Best Budget ships an update every 6 months, and Spending every 18 months. Most recently, Best Budget was updated on October 14, 2026 and Spending on October 14, 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.*