# Spending Tracker vs Simple Budget

The clearest difference is ads: Simple Budget at none against Spending Tracker's shown. Simple Budget also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 2 months) and rating (5.0 vs 4.8). Spending Tracker's advantage is ratings volume (20K vs 4) and device support (5 vs 1). On price, review sentiment, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Spending Tracker sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Simple Budget sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Simple Budget holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Spending Tracker has 20K ratings behind it against 4, 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 Simple Budget's.

Spending Tracker ships an update every 2 months, Simple Budget every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on November 10, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Spending Tracker | Simple Budget |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (20K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spending-tracker/id548615579/reviews) | **[5.0 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simple-budget-growstash/id6757188759/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **20K** | 4 |
| Positive reviews | 94.5% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 4 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Size | 50 MB | 12 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.5** | 18.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple Watch** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [MH Riley Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/409695800) | [Shivam Rishi](https://appshunter.io/developer/1647309857) |

## 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 Budget

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simple-budget-growstash/id6757188759)

Manage your finances around your actual pay cycle, not a calendar. This tool simplifies budgeting by letting you allocate income into spending buckets and track expenses quickly, providing clear visibility of your available funds until your next payday.

**Highlights:** Pay cycle-based budgeting, Income allocation, Simple spending buckets, Fast expense logging, Clear remaining balance, Reduced mental load

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Subscription | $1.99 | per month |
| Yearly Subscription | $12.99 | per year |
| Lifetime Access | $0.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime Access | $4.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime Access | $19.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Spending Tracker free?

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

### Is Simple Budget free?

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

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

Simple Budget is rated higher. Spending Tracker averages 4.8 out of 5 from 20K ratings, while Simple Budget averages 5.0 from 4 ratings.

### Do Spending Tracker or Simple Budget have ads?

Spending Tracker shows ads; Simple Budget does not.

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

Spending Tracker ships an update every 2 months, and Simple Budget every 4 days. Most recently, Spending Tracker was updated on November 10, 2026 and Simple Budget on November 5, 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.*