First Note vs Budget Hive
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
First Note
Manage your finances with this tool that allows you to track daily, monthly, and year-over-year spending. Easily search for past transactions by date to compare expenses and make informed financial decisions.
- Daily balance tracking
- Monthly spending reports
- Carry-over balance from previous month
- Transaction search by date
- Historical spending comparison
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First Note is an ideal tool to manage the accounting staff and view the balance daily, monthly and carry over the previous month. The research can be done to move or date. For example: do not you remember when you spent last year for the maintenance of your car? Do you think the mechanic will not ask a higher price? With this tool you can go back to that era and compare spending for the current year.
Budget Hive
Manage your finances with tools for budgeting, debt payoff, spending analysis, and billable time tracking. Project future savings, organize expenses, and track client hours with practical features. Offers a one-time purchase with no account required and private data storage.
- Income and expense tracking
- Debt management and payoff calculator
- Spending analysis and budget categories
- Billable time tracking with AI voice entry
- Savings projections
- Profit tracking for self-employed
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Take control of your finances with Budget Hive — your all-in-one app for budgeting, debt planning, spending analysis, billable time tracking, and an AI-powered reading & podcast studio. Whether you want to manage paychecks and bills, project future savings, pay off debt faster, track client hours, or listen to your documents and articles, Budget Hive gives you practical tools in one place. Why Budget Hive? • One-Time Purchase: No subscriptions. Pay once, own it forever. • No Account Required: Start budgeting right away. • Private by Design: Your data stays on your device, with optional iCloud sync. • Flexible for Real Life: Budgeting, personal finance, spending, time tracking, and listening. App Overview • Summary: Your full money snapshot — income, expenses, debts, savings projections, and allocation guidance. • Funds & Debts: Manage income/expense entries and debt accounts in one streamlined tab. • Spendr Log: Track purchases, organize categories, and review spending. • Payoff Calculator: Plan debt payoff timelines, required monthly payments, total interest, and amortization schedules. • Profit Tracker: Track self-employed and flipping profits with detailed expense and date-based records. • Habits: Build positive habits, break bad ones, and monitor streaks and progress. • Billable Tab: Built for attorneys, freelancers, consultants, and anyone billing by time. Track matters/tasks with timer, stopwatch, or manual entries, then export professional reports. • AI Voice Billable Entry: Dictate billable time by voice — AI parses your dictation into structured entries with matter names, numbers, hours, and professional billing descriptions. • Reader Tab: Import PDFs or paste articles into a focused reading and listening workspace. Read-aloud with highlighted text, PDF and Reader modes, bookmarks, and automatic resume. • AI Podcasts: Turn any article into a podcast conversation you can listen to — generated by AI and read aloud in the voices you choose. Key Features • Income & Expense Tracking — biweekly, semi-monthly, and monthly income cycles. • Debt Management + Card/Loan Calculators — balances, APRs, minimums, and payoff planning. • Saver Projections — forecast month-by-month savings and debt reduction. • Spendr Log + Spending Watch — log every purchase and compare against budget categories over time. • Comprehensive Charts — visualize income, expenses, debt, and savings trends. • Profit Tracking — separate workflows for self-employed jobs and flipping deals. • Billable Time Tracking — daily and monthly totals, quick copy workflows, and clean exports. • Billable Live Activity + Widget Support — active timers on Lock Screen and Dynamic Island. • Export Options — billable reports as PDF, Word, or Excel. • Customizable Tab Bar — arrange the tabs that matter most to you. • iCloud Sync (Manual + Auto) — secure sync controls across your Apple devices. • Light & Dark Modes — choose the look that fits your workflow. AI Features • Bring Your Own AI: Use your Claude API key, ChatGPT API key, or Apple's private on-device AI — your choice in Settings. • AI Spending Insights: Ask AI about spending habits, trends, and category behavior from your finance data. • AI Billable Insights: Analyze billable entries, productivity patterns, and time-allocation habits. • AI Podcast Studio: Convert articles into natural podcast conversations. • Text-to-Speech Voices: Siri, your Personal Voice, cloud voices, or downloadable on-device voices. • User-Controlled AI Exports: Generate AI-ready exports when you want, with control over what data you share. Budget Hive helps you stay organized, reduce financial stress, and make smarter decisions every month. Download Budget Hive today and make every dollar count.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: First Note at $2.99 against Budget Hive's $24.99. First Note also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). Budget Hive's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs every 3 months). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support 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
First Note costs $2.99 and Budget Hive $24.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
First Note ships an update every 3 months, Budget Hive every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on July 4, 2026 and September 20, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | First Note | Budget Hive |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 — better | $24.99 |
| Rating | — | 5.0 (7 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 66.7% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | — | 7 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 5 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 3 MB | 78 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Gianfranco Percopo | Muhammad Zafar |
Customer experience
First Note
Budget Hive
In-app purchases
First Note
No in-app purchases
Budget Hive
No in-app purchases









