# Spending Tracker vs Ace Budget 3

The clearest difference is price: Spending Tracker at Free against Ace Budget 3's $1.99. Spending Tracker also leads on review sentiment (95% vs 51%) and rating (4.8 vs 4.4). Ace Budget 3's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ads (none vs shown). On monetization model there is nothing between them.

Spending Tracker is free to download; Ace Budget 3 costs $1.99 up front. Spending Tracker sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Ace Budget 3 asks for nothing beyond the download.

Spending Tracker holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Spending Tracker has 19K ratings behind it against 337, 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 51% of Ace Budget 3's.

Spending Tracker ships an update every 2 months, Ace Budget 3 every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Spending Tracker | Ace Budget 3 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $1.99 |
| Rating | **[4.8 (19K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spending-tracker/id548615579/reviews)** | [4.4 (337 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ace-budget-3/id937339797/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **19K** | 337 |
| Positive reviews | **94.5% of reviews** | 51.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | **#65** |
| Size | 50 MB | 9 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.5** | 26.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [MH Riley Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/409695800) | [SVT Software](https://appshunter.io/developer/286029963) |

## 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


### Ace Budget 3

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ace-budget-3/id937339797)

**Currently charting:** #65 Top Paid · Finance (US App Store)

Easily track your spending and manage your finances with this intuitive personal finance app. Create custom budgets, schedule recurring transactions, and view insightful reports. Securely access your data with biometric authentication and sync across devices.

**Highlights:** Biometric authentication (Face ID/Touch ID), iCloud data synchronization, Customizable budget cycles, Recurring transaction scheduling, Photo receipt capture, Charts and reports, Data export (CSV/HTML)

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fast and simple to use
- 👍 Straightforward budgeting tool
- 💯 Effective for tracking expenses
- 📊 Helpful monthly charts and data

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and glitches with recent iOS updates
- ⚠️ Inability to edit past months' data
- 🔄 Inconsistent monthly budget cycle
- 🔗 Lack of sync with Accounts 3 app

**Reported bugs**

- iCloud sync issues causing data loss
- Recurring transactions not working properly
- Budget categories overlapping with UI elements

**Requested features**

- Ability to manually adjust budget cycle dates
- Option to view/edit past months' data
- Sync with Accounts 3 app
- Multi-user support for shared budgets
- More customization options (colors, graphs, etc.)


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Spending Tracker free?

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

### Is Ace Budget 3 free?

Ace Budget 3 costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Spending Tracker or Ace Budget 3?

Spending Tracker is rated higher. Spending Tracker averages 4.8 out of 5 from 19K ratings, while Ace Budget 3 averages 4.4 from 337 ratings.

### Do Spending Tracker or Ace Budget 3 have ads?

Spending Tracker shows ads; Ace Budget 3 does not.

### Which is updated more often, Spending Tracker or Ace Budget 3?

Spending Tracker ships an update every 2 months, and Ace Budget 3 every 3 weeks. Most recently, Spending Tracker was updated on October 24, 2026 and Ace Budget 3 on October 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.*