# Spending vs Budget app

The clearest difference is rating: Budget app at 4.7 against Spending's 3.6. Budget app also leads on update cadence (every 9 days vs every 18 months) and ratings volume (16K vs 7). Spending's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 8) and review sentiment (88% vs 79%). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Budget app sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Spending asks for nothing beyond the download.

Budget app holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Budget app has 16K ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 88% of Spending's written reviews are positive against 79% of Budget app's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Spending ships an update every 18 months, Budget app every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Spending | Budget app |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.6 (7 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spending/id509905009/reviews) | **[4.7 (16K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/budget-app-spending-tracker/id1525179720/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 7 | **16K** |
| Positive reviews | **87.5% of reviews** | 79.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 18 months | **Every 9 days** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | **#75** |
| Size | 4 MB | 241 MB |
| Requires iOS | **9.0** | 16.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Steve Harris](https://appshunter.io/developer/509905012) | [InnerGrow](https://appshunter.io/developer/1828382777) |

## What reviewers say

### 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


### Budget app

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/budget-app-spending-tracker/id1525179720)

**Currently charting:** #75 Top Grossing · Finance (US App Store)

This personal finance app helps you track spending, plan budgets, and save money to achieve financial freedom. It offers features like AI-powered tracking, shared budgeting, and detailed stats to understand your financial habits.

**Highlights:** Budget Planner, Spending Tracker, Money Management, Recurring Transactions, Shared Budgeting, AI Tracking, Stats & Charts

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

**In-app purchases (8)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Budget Premium Monthly | $2.99 | per month |
| Financial Empowerment | $5.99 | per year |
| Yearly Premium | $6.99 | per year |
| Lifetime Premium Sale | $4.99 | one-time |
| lifetime member sale | $6.99 | one-time |
| Budget Lifetime Member | $8.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime Premium Global | $8.99 | one-time |
| Family Premium | $14.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 User-friendly interface
- 🚀 Straightforward and intuitive
- 💰 Affordable one-time purchase
- 🎨 Customizable categories and colors
- 🗓️ Helpful calendar and transaction views

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Recurring bills/payments not working as expected
- 🔍 Lack of advanced reporting and analytics
- 🤝 Sharing/collaboration features not reliable
- 🇨🇦 Limited support for Canadian banks/accounts
- 🔀 Difficulty moving money between budgets

**Reported bugs**

- Syncing issues between devices
- Transactions not always loading correctly
- Upgrade/premium features not working as expected

**Requested features**

- Ability to carry over surplus/deficit between months
- Option to view remaining budget instead of just spent
- Multiple savings account/ledger support
- Automatic recurring bill/subscription tracking
- Web/desktop app version for easier data entry


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Spending free?

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

### Is Budget app free?

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

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

Budget app is rated higher. Spending averages 3.6 out of 5 from 7 ratings, while Budget app averages 4.7 from 16K ratings.

### Do Spending or Budget app have ads?

Neither Spending nor Budget app shows ads.

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

Spending ships an update every 18 months, and Budget app every 9 days. Most recently, Spending was updated on October 14, 2026 and Budget app on October 20, 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.*