# Expense Keep vs Buddy

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Expense Keep at 77% against Buddy's 48%. Buddy's advantage is rating (4.7 vs 4.4) and update cadence (every 9 days vs every 6 weeks). 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 Buddy sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Buddy holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Buddy has 9.6K ratings behind it against 1.7K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 77% of Expense Keep's written reviews are positive against 48% of Buddy's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Expense Keep ships an update every 6 weeks, Buddy every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Expense Keep | Buddy |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.4 (1.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/expense-keep-envelope-budget/id601885495/reviews) | **[4.7 (9.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/buddy-budget-planner-app/id936422955/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 1.7K | **9.6K** |
| Positive reviews | **77.5% of reviews** | 48.5% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | **Every 9 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | **#74** |
| Size | 5 MB | 169 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.0** | 18.0 |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Tayson Nguyen](https://appshunter.io/developer/601885498) | [Buddy Budgeting AB](https://appshunter.io/developer/936422954) |

## 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


### Buddy

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/buddy-budget-planner-app/id936422955)

**Currently charting:** #74 Top Grossing · Finance (US App Store)

This app helps you create and manage personal or shared budgets. Track expenses, connect your bank account for automatic transaction import, and gain a clear overview of your spending, income, and savings. It also features tools to split costs and settle up with others.

**Highlights:** Create personal budgets, Shared budgeting for couples/groups, Connect bank accounts for transaction import, Detailed spending and income overview, Expense splitting and settlement tracking

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (11)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Buddy Premium | $4.99 | per month |
| Buddy Premium | $4.99 | per month |
| Premium | $9.99 | per month |
| Buddy Premium | $9.99 | per month |
| Buddy Premium | $16.99 | per year |
| Buddy Premium | $24.99 | per year |
| Buddy Premium | $34.99 | per year |
| Buddy Premium | $34.99 | per year |
| Buddy Premium | $39.99 | per year |
| Buddy Premium | $49.99 | per year |
| Unlimited | $49.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy to use
- 👍 Visually appealing
- 💡 Customizable categories
- 🚀 Intuitive interface
- 👍 Helps with budgeting

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Recurring transactions not working properly
- 🐛 Balance not carrying over to next month
- 🐛 Syncing issues between devices
- 🐛 Transactions disappearing or resetting
- 💸 Expensive subscription

**Reported bugs**

- Recurring transactions not working as expected
- Balance not carrying over to next month
- Syncing issues between devices
- Transactions disappearing or resetting
- Inability to edit categories without creating new ones

**Requested features**

- Calendar view for transactions
- Bill reminders and due date tracking
- Ability to hide/exclude certain transactions
- Savings/investment tracking
- Multi-currency support


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Expense Keep free?

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

### Is Buddy free?

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

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

Buddy is rated higher. Expense Keep averages 4.4 out of 5 from 1.7K ratings, while Buddy averages 4.7 from 9.6K ratings.

### Do Expense Keep or Buddy have ads?

Neither Expense Keep nor Buddy shows ads.

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

Expense Keep ships an update every 6 weeks, and Buddy every 9 days. Most recently, Expense Keep was updated on October 22, 2026 and Buddy on October 28, 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.*