# Spending Tracker vs Simple Shopping List

Spending Tracker and Simple Shopping List both sit at 4.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 95% of Spending Tracker's written reviews are positive against 0% of Simple Shopping List's. Spending Tracker also leads on ratings volume (19K vs 9) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 8 months). Simple Shopping List's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.5). On price, rating and ads there is nothing between them.

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

Spending Tracker holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Spending Tracker has 19K ratings behind it against 9, 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 0% of Simple Shopping List's.

Spending Tracker ships an update every 2 months, Simple Shopping List every 8 months. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Spending Tracker | Simple Shopping List |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (19K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spending-tracker/id548615579/reviews)** | [4.6 (9 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simple-shopping-list-expense/id6444230469/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **19K** | 9 |
| Positive reviews | **94.5% of reviews** | 0.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 months** | Every 8 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Ad-supported** |
| Size | 50 MB | 5 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.5 | **13.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [MH Riley Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/409695800) | [giang pham](https://appshunter.io/developer/1078135816) |

## 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


### Simple Shopping List

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simple-shopping-list-expense/id6444230469)

Create and manage multiple shopping lists with item prices. Automatically calculate expenses based on item cost or quantity and price. Track total paid, unpaid, and overall expenses for each list.

**Highlights:** Multiple shopping lists, Item pricing, Automatic expense calculation, Quantity-based pricing, Paid/unpaid tracking, Total expense summary

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Spending Tracker free?

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

### Is Simple Shopping List free?

Simple Shopping List is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Spending Tracker or Simple Shopping List?

Spending Tracker is rated higher. Spending Tracker averages 4.8 out of 5 from 19K ratings, while Simple Shopping List averages 4.6 from 9 ratings.

### Do Spending Tracker or Simple Shopping List have ads?

Both Spending Tracker and Simple Shopping List show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Spending Tracker or Simple Shopping List?

Spending Tracker ships an update every 2 months, and Simple Shopping List every 8 months. Most recently, Spending Tracker was updated on October 23, 2026 and Simple Shopping List on October 7, 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.*