# Spending vs Spending Tracker

The clearest difference is rating: Spending Tracker at 4.8 against Spending's 3.6. Spending Tracker also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 18 months) and ratings volume (19K vs 7). Spending's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ads (none vs shown). On price and review sentiment there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Spending Tracker sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Spending asks for nothing beyond the download.

Spending Tracker holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Spending Tracker has 19K ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 88% of Spending's written reviews are positive against 95% of Spending Tracker's.

Spending ships an update every 18 months, Spending Tracker every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 28, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Spending | Spending Tracker |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.6 (7 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spending/id509905009/reviews) | **[4.8 (19K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spending-tracker/id548615579/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 7 | **19K** |
| Positive reviews | 87.5% of reviews | **94.5% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 18 months | **Every 2 months** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 4 MB | 50 MB |
| Requires iOS | **9.0** | 15.5 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Steve Harris](https://appshunter.io/developer/509905012) | [MH Riley Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/409695800) |

## 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


### 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 Spending free?

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

### Is Spending Tracker free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Spending or Spending Tracker?

Spending Tracker is rated higher. Spending averages 3.6 out of 5 from 7 ratings, while Spending Tracker averages 4.8 from 19K ratings.

### Do Spending or Spending Tracker have ads?

Spending Tracker shows ads; Spending does not.

### Which is updated more often, Spending or Spending Tracker?

Spending ships an update every 18 months, and Spending Tracker every 2 months. Most recently, Spending was updated on September 28, 2026 and Spending Tracker 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.*