# Spending Tracker vs Money Buddy Expense Tracker

The clearest difference is price: Spending Tracker at Free against Money Buddy Expense Tracker's $1.99. Spending Tracker also leads on ratings volume (19K vs 6) and device support (5 vs 3). Money Buddy Expense Tracker's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ads (none vs shown). On review sentiment and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Spending Tracker is free to download; Money Buddy Expense Tracker costs $1.99 up front. Spending Tracker sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Money Buddy Expense Tracker asks for nothing beyond the download.

Money Buddy Expense Tracker holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Spending Tracker has 19K ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 95% of Spending Tracker's written reviews are positive against 100% of Money Buddy Expense Tracker's.

Spending Tracker ships an update every 2 months, Money Buddy Expense Tracker every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Spending Tracker | Money Buddy Expense Tracker |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $1.99 |
| Rating | [4.8 (19K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spending-tracker/id548615579/reviews) | **[5.0 (6 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/money-buddy-expense-tracker/id1558289474/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **19K** | 6 |
| Positive reviews | 94.5% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Size | 50 MB | 3 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.5 | **15.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [MH Riley Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/409695800) | [Sinnig Media, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1541775279) |

## What reviewers say

### 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


### Money Buddy Expense Tracker

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/money-buddy-expense-tracker/id1558289474)

Take control of your finances with this personal budget planner. Track income and expenses, visualize spending with charts, and utilize helpful calculators for loans, retirement, and tips. Stay informed with the latest finance news.

**Highlights:** Expense tracking, Budget planning, Income logging, Spending visualization (pie chart), Loan calculator, Retirement spend down calculator, Tip calculator, Finance news feed

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Spending Tracker free?

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

### Is Money Buddy Expense Tracker free?

Money Buddy Expense Tracker costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Spending Tracker or Money Buddy Expense Tracker?

Money Buddy Expense Tracker is rated higher. Spending Tracker averages 4.8 out of 5 from 19K ratings, while Money Buddy Expense Tracker averages 5.0 from 6 ratings.

### Do Spending Tracker or Money Buddy Expense Tracker have ads?

Spending Tracker shows ads; Money Buddy Expense Tracker does not.

### Which is updated more often, Spending Tracker or Money Buddy Expense Tracker?

Spending Tracker ships an update every 2 months, and Money Buddy Expense Tracker every 3 weeks. Most recently, Spending Tracker was updated on October 22, 2026 and Money Buddy Expense Tracker 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.*