# Expense Keep vs Envelopes

The clearest difference is price: Expense Keep at Free against Envelopes's $6.99. Expense Keep also leads on ratings volume (1.7K vs 126) and update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 3 months). Envelopes's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and chart position (#141 vs unranked). On rating, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Expense Keep is free to download; Envelopes costs $6.99 up front. Expense Keep sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Envelopes asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.4 for Expense Keep against 4.4 for Envelopes. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Expense Keep has 1.7K ratings behind it against 126, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 77% of Expense Keep's written reviews are positive against 88% of Envelopes's.

Expense Keep ships an update every 6 weeks, Envelopes every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Expense Keep | Envelopes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $6.99 |
| Rating | [4.4 (1.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/expense-keep-envelope-budget/id601885495/reviews) | **[4.4 (126 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/envelopes-budget-manager/id804726909/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **1.7K** | 126 |
| Positive reviews | 77.5% of reviews | **87.6% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 6 weeks** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | — | **#141** |
| Size | 5 MB | 5 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Tayson Nguyen](https://appshunter.io/developer/601885498) | [emdentec ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/369600372) |

## 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


### Envelopes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/envelopes-budget-manager/id804726909)

**Currently charting:** #141 Top Paid · Finance (US App Store)

This app helps you manage your finances using the envelope budgeting method virtually. Easily track spending, distribute income, and secure your financial data with passcode or biometric authentication.

**Highlights:** Virtual envelope budgeting, Unlimited envelope creation, Quick budget setup, Track deposits and withdrawals, Passcode and biometric security, Customizable themes

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Extremely simple and intuitive user interface
- 💰 One-time purchase instead of subscription model
- ⚡ Quick deposit feature for fast money allocation
- 📱 No bank account connection required (manual control)
- 🎨 Clean, minimalist design without unnecessary features

**What reviewers complain about**

- 📱 No cloud sync between devices
- 👥 Cannot be shared between multiple users/family members
- 🎨 Limited color options for envelopes
- 📊 No visualization or pie charts for spending analysis
- 🔄 No recurring deposits or automatic resets

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes when transferring money between envelopes
- Data loss after iOS updates
- Failed data import from legacy version
- App not downloading after purchase
- Compatibility issues with older iOS versions

**Requested features**

- Cloud sync and cross-device synchronization
- Multi-user/family sharing capabilities
- Recurring deposits and automatic monthly resets
- Spending visualization (pie charts, graphs, reports)
- Transaction categorization and tagging system


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Expense Keep free?

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

### Is Envelopes free?

Envelopes costs $6.99, with no in-app purchases.

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

Envelopes is rated higher. Expense Keep averages 4.4 out of 5 from 1.7K ratings, while Envelopes averages 4.4 from 126 ratings.

### Do Expense Keep or Envelopes have ads?

Neither Expense Keep nor Envelopes shows ads.

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

Expense Keep ships an update every 6 weeks, and Envelopes every 3 months. Most recently, Expense Keep was updated on October 22, 2026 and Envelopes on October 18, 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.*