# Expense Keep vs Envelope Budget

The clearest difference is monetization model: Expense Keep at free with in-app purchases against Envelope Budget's subscription. Expense Keep also leads on ratings volume (1.7K vs 47). Envelope Budget's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 6 weeks) and rating (4.6 vs 4.4). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Expense Keep sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Envelope Budget sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Envelope Budget holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Expense Keep has 1.7K ratings behind it against 47, 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 90% of Envelope Budget's.

Expense Keep ships an update every 6 weeks, Envelope Budget every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Expense Keep | Envelope Budget |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.4 (1.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/expense-keep-envelope-budget/id601885495/reviews) | **[4.6 (47 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/envelope-budget-kualia/id6466455367/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **1.7K** | 47 |
| Positive reviews | 77.5% of reviews | **89.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | **Every 4 days** |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Subscription |
| Size | 5 MB | 45 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.0** | 18.0 |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Tayson Nguyen](https://appshunter.io/developer/601885498) | [Kualia, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1707407810) |

## 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


### Envelope Budget

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/envelope-budget-kualia/id6466455367)

Effortlessly manage your finances with an envelope budgeting system. Link accounts, track spending, and fund categories with ease. Gain clarity on your financial standing with insightful reports and a user-friendly interface.

**Highlights:** Envelope budgeting system, Unlimited spending categories, Track expenses, income, debt, and bills, Automatic bank syncing via Plaid, Net worth tracking, Spending trend reports

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kualia Pro Month | $9.99 | per month |
| Kualia Pro Monthly | $9.99 | per month |
| Kualia Pro Year | $79.99 | per year |
| Kualia Pro Year | $79.99 | per year |
| Kualia Pro Lifetime | $199.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Expense Keep free?

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

### Is Envelope Budget free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Expense Keep or Envelope Budget?

Envelope Budget is rated higher. Expense Keep averages 4.4 out of 5 from 1.7K ratings, while Envelope Budget averages 4.6 from 47 ratings.

### Do Expense Keep or Envelope Budget have ads?

Neither Expense Keep nor Envelope Budget shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Expense Keep or Envelope Budget?

Expense Keep ships an update every 6 weeks, and Envelope Budget every 4 days. Most recently, Expense Keep was updated on October 22, 2026 and Envelope Budget on October 27, 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.*