# Expense Keep vs RealBudget

The clearest difference is rating: RealBudget at 4.9 against Expense Keep's 4.4. RealBudget also leads on review sentiment (95% vs 77%) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 6 weeks). Expense Keep's advantage is ratings volume (1.7K vs 138). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Expense Keep sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and RealBudget sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

RealBudget holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Expense Keep has 1.7K ratings behind it against 138, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 77% of Expense Keep's written reviews are positive against 95% of RealBudget's.

Expense Keep ships an update every 6 weeks, RealBudget fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Expense Keep | RealBudget |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.4 (1.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/expense-keep-envelope-budget/id601885495/reviews) | **[4.9 (138 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/realbudget-envelope-budgeting/id1643604343/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **1.7K** | 138 |
| Positive reviews | 77.5% of reviews | **94.6% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 5 MB | 89 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.6** |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Tayson Nguyen](https://appshunter.io/developer/601885498) | [Limitless Innovative Technologies](https://appshunter.io/developer/1569503582) |

## What reviewers say

### Expense Keep

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/expense-keep-envelope-budget/id601885495)

This app offers a simple and fast way to track expenses and income, helping users manage their finances and save money. It allows for organizing funds into separate accounts or spending envelopes, with features for recurring transactions and detailed monthly history.

**Highlights:** Track expenses and income, Organize money into accounts/envelopes, Set up recurring transactions, View monthly history and cash flow, Create custom expense categories, Transfer money between accounts

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Expense Keep Pro | $19.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 💻 Simple and intuitive interface
- 📊 Helpful expense tracking and visualization
- 🔁 Recurring expense and income management
- 🧠 Useful for budgeting and financial awareness
- 💰 Good value for the paid version

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Bugs and crashes after recent updates
- 🔒 Lack of cloud backup and data sync
- 📄 Limited export and reporting options
- 🔧 Inability to edit expense categories
- 💸 Some features locked behind paywall

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes on launch after recent update
- Dark mode functionality is broken
- Recurring expense dates not updating correctly
- Unable to export data or send feedback in-app

**Requested features**

- Add support for multiple currencies
- Implement a monthly budgeting feature
- Allow customization of expense categories
- Improve data export and reporting options
- Integrate cloud backup and cross-device sync


### RealBudget

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/realbudget-envelope-budgeting/id1643604343)

Manage your money effectively with a digital envelope budgeting system. This app allows you to create custom envelopes, track expenses, and gain full control over your finances. It offers features like bank syncing and budget sharing to simplify your financial management.

**Highlights:** Digital envelope budgeting, Custom budget periods, Budget sharing, Bank transaction syncing, Flexible rollover options, Persistent savings envelopes, Cross-device access

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium | $2.99 | per month |
| Premium | $2.99 | per month |
| Sync | $9.99 | per month |
| Tip | $1.99 | one-time |
| Tip | $3.99 | one-time |
| Tip | $4.99 | one-time |
| Tip | $5.99 | one-time |
| Tip | $7.99 | one-time |
| Tip | $8.99 | one-time |
| Tip | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Simple and easy to use
- 💡 Visual envelope system
- 💰 Helps with budgeting and saving
- 🆓 Free to use with generous developer
- ✅ Practical and manageable budgeting

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🤔 Notes not visible at a glance
- 🔄 Budgets need to be recreated monthly
- ❓ Difficulty finding sharing options
- 🐛 Glitchy at times
- 🤔 Desire for a version without budgeting

**Reported bugs**

- Too many glitches to deal with
- Cannot budget for future budgets
- Savings budget messes up monthly budget

**Requested features**

- Ability to see notes at a glance
- Duplicate budget button or master budget option
- Ability to share budget
- Ability to split transactions
- Option to approve money withdrawal visualization


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Expense Keep free?

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

### Is RealBudget free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Expense Keep or RealBudget?

RealBudget is rated higher. Expense Keep averages 4.4 out of 5 from 1.7K ratings, while RealBudget averages 4.9 from 138 ratings.

### Do Expense Keep or RealBudget have ads?

Neither Expense Keep nor RealBudget shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Expense Keep or RealBudget?

Expense Keep ships an update every 6 weeks, and RealBudget fortnightly. Most recently, Expense Keep was updated on November 6, 2026 and RealBudget on November 3, 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.*