Comparison

BudgetPlnr vs Smart Pension

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

BudgetPlnr

Manage your personal finances with this app that forecasts your bank balance over time. Input income, bills, and expenses to see future financial projections and receive overdraft warnings. Plan for purchases and easily update your budget.

Highlights
  • Forecast bank balance over months
  • Input income, bills, and expenses
  • Automatic recurring expense calculation
  • Overdraft warnings (amber/red)
  • Plan for future purchases
  • Monthly income/outgoings summary
Features
Read full description

Most budget apps show you what you've already spent. BudgetPlnr forecasts your real bank balance - up to a year ahead. Built by a developer who was tired of updating the same spreadsheet every month. Now you just enter your current balance once and BudgetPlnr calculates everything else - every bill, every payday, every month ahead. One update. A full year of clarity. HOW IT WORKS Add your current bank balance, then set up your income, bills, and regular outgoings. BudgetPlnr calculates your projected balance for every day and month ahead - so you always know where you stand before you spend. Thinking of buying something? Add it as a one-off expense and see exactly how it affects your balance over the coming months. No surprises. KEY FEATURES + Forward balance view - see your real balance up to a year ahead + Set payments as monthly, weekly, or annual - enter once, we handle the rest + Multiple accounts - manage all your accounts separately + Overdraft alerts - balance turns amber when you're close, red when you'd go overdrawn + Payment reminders - get notified before bills are due + Monthly summary - clear breakdown of income vs outgoings each month * + Specify payment end dates - set exactly how long a payment runs for * + Cross-device sync - your budget on every iPhone and iPad * * Pro features - available on monthly or annual subscription BUDGETPLNR PRO Unlock sync, monthly summaries, and the full experience. Monthly - 1.49 / $1.99 Annual - 4.49 / $5.99 (save over 75%) Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel anytime in your Apple ID account settings. Privacy Policy: https://budgetplnr.com/privacy Terms of Use: https://budgetplnr.com/terms-of-use

About

Smart Pension

Manage your workplace pension savings with ease. Track your fund's performance in real-time, adjust contributions, and explore investment options. Access exclusive discounts and customer support directly from your phone.

Highlights
  • Real-time pension balance tracking
  • Investment fund selection
  • Contribution level adjustments
  • Enhanced security features (Face ID, Touch ID)
  • Access to exclusive discounts
  • Live chat customer support
Features
Read full description

The Smart Pension Employee App will transform the future of pension saving for a new generation. It allows you to pick and choose the most suitable investment funds, track your pension balance in real time on your phone and increase contribution levels when you can afford it. Engaging you with your pension like never before! Key features: 1. Enhanced security: • Face ID • Touch ID • Password 2. Real-time access to pension fund valuations, to check how much your pension pot is worth. 3. Immediate updating of fund selection, strategy & contributions. But that’s not all... It can also be used to: • Access to Smart Rewards for discounts across thousands of shops & websites • Access live chat with our dedicated customer service team • Read your notifications and letters • Manage your membership, update your personal details & your beneficiary's details • Change your security preferences Note: Currently, you must be a member of a Smart Pension workplace pension scheme to use this App.

Screenshots

BudgetPlnr4 screens
Smart Pension4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Smart Pension at none against BudgetPlnr's 3. Smart Pension also leads on ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (6 vs 1). BudgetPlnr's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. BudgetPlnr sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Smart Pension asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for BudgetPlnr against 5.0 for Smart Pension. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Smart Pension has 6 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 36% of BudgetPlnr's written reviews are positive against 29% of Smart Pension's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

BudgetPlnr ships an update every 2 weeks, Smart Pension every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
BudgetPlnr versus Smart Pension: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBudgetPlnrSmart Pension
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (6 ratings)
Positive reviews36.5% of reviews — better28.9% of reviews
Number of ratings16 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 5 weeks
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size174 MB88 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperASJ IT Solutions LtdSmart Pension Limited

Customer experience

BudgetPlnr

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews96 reviews
Positive36.5%
Neutral8.3%
Negative55.2%

Smart Pension

All ratings6 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews76 reviews
Positive28.9%
Neutral6.6%
Negative64.5%

Bugs and requests

BudgetPlnr

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Smart Pension

Reported bugs

47 issues
  • App crashes shortly after launch
  • App never lets you update details
  • Cannot log into the app after recent update
  • App or website will not load
  • Stuck on loading screen
Show 42 more
  • Transaction or growth details not showing
  • Redirected to transaction tab and stuck on loading wheel
  • Cannot edit beneficiaries
  • App opens website via browser embed and is glitchy
  • Unable to access the App, stuck on Smart logo
  • Takes forever to log in and stuck on login screen
  • App hasn’t been able to pass the 1st screen
  • Worked OK for a few months, now won’t open
  • Not able to access account through the app for days
  • Doesn’t function any longer
  • Latest version doesn’t load up
  • App is not loading
  • App no longer works
  • Won’t open beyond the company logo
  • Stuck on the opening screen after update
  • App literally “blue screens”
  • App frequently freezes on a dark blue screen
  • App freezes on opening screen
  • App closes as soon as I try to open
  • App freezes when it first opens or when using features
  • App doesn’t fit properly on screen
  • Have to close and reopen app to get back to main screen
  • Back arrow at the top of screen, cannot press it
  • Crashes out on load
  • Crash upon first launch after install
  • Takes ages to load and sometimes can’t log in
  • Dashboard UI is like from 90’s
  • Information missing, cannot update fund value
  • Cannot find option to message customer service
  • App stuck on a message with no back button
  • Login with Google account not supported, app stuck on Google Developers website
  • Hasn’t worked since getting iPhone 11
  • Takes a long time to login
  • Keeps logging out
  • Error when logging in with normal details
  • After updating, have to re-enter biometrics
  • Login keeps asking for biometric and then password
  • Can’t open app
  • Cannot see beyond the front page
  • App stops working
  • Unable to login after upgrading
  • App is slow

Requested features

5 requests
  • Show profit or loss on investment
  • Receive notification for new contribution
  • Improve app design and UI
  • Implement in-app form for pension transfers
  • Add dark mode

In-app purchases

3 purchases

BudgetPlnr

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Pro Subscription$1.991 Month
  • Annual Pro Subscription14 Days trial$5.991 Year
One-time1
  • No Adverts$1.99
None

Smart Pension

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is BudgetPlnr free?
BudgetPlnr is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Smart Pension free?
Smart Pension is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, BudgetPlnr or Smart Pension?
BudgetPlnr and Smart Pension are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 6 ratings respectively.
Do BudgetPlnr or Smart Pension have ads?
BudgetPlnr shows ads; Smart Pension does not.
Which is updated more often, BudgetPlnr or Smart Pension?
BudgetPlnr ships an update every 2 weeks, and Smart Pension every 5 weeks. Most recently, BudgetPlnr was updated on October 15, 2026 and Smart Pension on October 18, 2026.

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