# CountAbout vs Balance

The clearest difference is rating: Balance at 4.7 against CountAbout's 4.2. CountAbout's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and ratings volume (101 vs 15). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Balance sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. CountAbout asks for nothing beyond the download.

Balance holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: CountAbout has 101 ratings behind it against 15, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 77% of CountAbout's written reviews are positive against 85% of Balance's.

CountAbout ships an update fortnightly, Balance every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | CountAbout | Balance |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.2 (101 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/countabout/id568919288/reviews) | **[4.7 (15 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/balance-personal-finance/id1606536498/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **101** | 15 |
| Positive reviews | 76.7% of reviews | **84.6% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 2 weeks |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Freemium** |
| Size | 3 MB | 54 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 27.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [CountAbout Corporation](https://appshunter.io/developer/568919291) | [Anatoliy Gershman](https://appshunter.io/developer/1443169072) |

## What reviewers say

### CountAbout

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/countabout/id568919288)

Manage your budget, track expenses, and plan for the future with this comprehensive personal finance tool. It offers auto-syncing transactions, detailed reporting, and mobile access for seamless financial control.

**Highlights:** Customizable budgeting, Auto-sync transactions, Transaction importing/exporting, Comprehensive reporting, Mobile and web access, Invoicing feature, Recurring transactions

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 💰 Affordable pricing compared to competitors like Quicken
- ☁️ Cloud-based access across multiple devices
- 📥 Seamless data import from Quicken and Mint
- 🔒 Strong focus on data privacy and security
- 👍 Intuitive and easy-to-use interface

**What reviewers complain about**

- 📱 Mobile app lacks full web functionality
- 🐢 Slow app performance and loading times
- 🔐 Authentication issues (biometric, passkey, password validation)
- 📵 Requires password entry on every login
- 🔗 Account linking problems, especially for Canadian users

**Reported bugs**

- Password validation incorrectly rejects strong randomly-generated passwords
- QR code passkey scanning fails on Android devices
- App loading stuck indefinitely on transaction pages
- Biometric authentication not functioning
- Account sync failures and inconsistencies between web and app

**Requested features**

- Native mobile app with full functionality
- Biometric/Face ID login support
- Check writing capability
- Improved reconciliation tools
- Dark mode option


### Balance

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/balance-personal-finance/id1606536498)

Manage all your financial accounts in one place with a clean, intuitive interface. Track expenses, create budgets, and generate detailed reports to gain insights into your spending habits. Securely sync your data across Apple devices via iCloud.

**Highlights:** All account tracking, iCloud sync across Apple devices, Quick expense entry, Advanced search and filtering, Customizable reports, Budget management, Scheduled and recurring transactions

**Features:** Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly | $1.99 | per month |
| Quarterly | $4.99 | per 3 months |
| Yearly | $14.99 | per year |
| Lifetime | $49.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is CountAbout free?

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

### Is Balance free?

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

### Which has better reviews, CountAbout or Balance?

Balance is rated higher. CountAbout averages 4.2 out of 5 from 101 ratings, while Balance averages 4.7 from 15 ratings.

### Do CountAbout or Balance have ads?

Neither CountAbout nor Balance shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, CountAbout or Balance?

CountAbout ships an update fortnightly, and Balance every 2 weeks. Most recently, CountAbout was updated on October 8, 2026 and Balance on October 2, 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.*