# Budgets Pro vs Buddy

The clearest difference is price: Buddy at Free against Budgets Pro's $4.99. Buddy also leads on update cadence (every 9 days vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (9.5K vs 10). Budgets Pro's advantage is review sentiment (92% vs 49%) and in-app purchases (none vs 15). On ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Buddy is free to download; Budgets Pro costs $4.99 up front. Buddy sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Budgets Pro asks for nothing beyond the download.

Buddy holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Buddy has 9.5K ratings behind it against 10, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 92% of Budgets Pro's written reviews are positive against 49% of Buddy's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Budgets Pro ships an update every 2 months, Buddy every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Budgets Pro | Buddy |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $4.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.5 (10 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/budgets-pro-expense-tracker/id498102622/reviews) | **[4.7 (9.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/buddy-budget-planner-app/id936422955/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 10 | **9.5K** |
| Positive reviews | **91.9% of reviews** | 48.9% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 9 days** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Best chart rank | — | **#65** |
| Size | 8 MB | 152 MB |
| Requires iOS | **14.0** | 18.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [MoneyBudgie](https://appshunter.io/developer/354069981) | [Buddy Budgeting AB](https://appshunter.io/developer/936422954) |

## What reviewers say

### Budgets Pro

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/budgets-pro-expense-tracker/id498102622)

This app helps you manage your money by creating custom budgets and tracking your spending against them. It provides instant feedback on how much you have left to spend and allows you to view your purchase history. You can also export your data for further analysis.

**Highlights:** Create custom budgets (monthly, weekly, custom periods), Track spending against budgets, View remaining budget amounts, Monitor purchase history, Export purchases as CSV, Secure passcode entry

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### Buddy

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/buddy-budget-planner-app/id936422955)

**Currently charting:** #65 Top Grossing · Finance (US App Store)

This app helps you create and manage personal or shared budgets. Track expenses, connect your bank account for automatic transaction import, and gain a clear overview of your spending, income, and savings. It also features tools to split costs and settle up with others.

**Highlights:** Create personal budgets, Shared budgeting for couples/groups, Connect bank accounts for transaction import, Detailed spending and income overview, Expense splitting and settlement tracking

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

**In-app purchases (11)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Buddy Premium | $4.99 | per month |
| Buddy Premium | $4.99 | per month |
| Premium | $9.99 | per month |
| Buddy Premium | $9.99 | per month |
| Buddy Premium | $16.99 | per year |
| Buddy Premium | $24.99 | per year |
| Buddy Premium | $34.99 | per year |
| Buddy Premium | $34.99 | per year |
| Buddy Premium | $39.99 | per year |
| Buddy Premium | $49.99 | per year |
| Unlimited | $49.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy to use
- 👍 Visually appealing
- 💡 Customizable categories
- 🚀 Intuitive interface
- 👍 Helps with budgeting

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Recurring transactions not working properly
- 🐛 Balance not carrying over to next month
- 🐛 Syncing issues between devices
- 🐛 Transactions disappearing or resetting
- 💸 Expensive subscription

**Reported bugs**

- Recurring transactions not working as expected
- Balance not carrying over to next month
- Syncing issues between devices
- Transactions disappearing or resetting
- Inability to edit categories without creating new ones

**Requested features**

- Calendar view for transactions
- Bill reminders and due date tracking
- Ability to hide/exclude certain transactions
- Savings/investment tracking
- Multi-currency support


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Budgets Pro free?

Budgets Pro costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Buddy free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Budgets Pro or Buddy?

Buddy is rated higher. Budgets Pro averages 4.5 out of 5 from 10 ratings, while Buddy averages 4.7 from 9.5K ratings.

### Do Budgets Pro or Buddy have ads?

Neither Budgets Pro nor Buddy shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Budgets Pro or Buddy?

Budgets Pro ships an update every 2 months, and Buddy every 9 days. Most recently, Budgets Pro was updated on September 23, 2026 and Buddy on September 24, 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.*