# Expense Tracker vs Budget Stream

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Budget Stream at 100% against Expense Tracker's 83%. Budget Stream also leads on device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Expense Tracker sells 17 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Budget Stream sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Expense Tracker ships an update every 2 weeks, Budget Stream fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Expense Tracker | Budget Stream |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (875 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/expense-tracker-monai/id6447112647/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **875** | — |
| Positive reviews | 82.6% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Size | 53 MB | 69 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Florian Vates](https://appshunter.io/developer/1544416478) | [Budget Stream](https://appshunter.io/developer/1759675619) |

## What reviewers say

### Expense Tracker

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/expense-tracker-monai/id6447112647)

Effortlessly track your daily expenses using AI-powered voice input or manual entry. The app automatically categorizes and splits your spending with a beautiful, clutter-free interface. Your data is securely stored in your personal iCloud, with no login required.

**Highlights:** AI-powered voice expense entry, Automatic expense categorization, Manual expense entry, Custom category creation, Beautiful and simple UI/UX, Privacy-friendly iCloud storage, No login required

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

**In-app purchases (17)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Student Monthly | $2.99 | per month |
| Basic monthly intro | $2.99 | per month |
| Advanced | $2.99 | per month |
| Family month intro | $3.99 | per month |
| Basic monthly | $3.99 | per month |
| Family | $3.99 | per month |
| Student Monthly | $4.49 | per month |
| Family month | $5.49 | per month |
| Monthly | $7.99 | per month |
| Student Yearly | $24.99 | per year |
| Basic yearly intro | $24.99 | per year |
| Advanced | $24.99 | per year |
| Basic yearly | $29.99 | per year |
| Family yearly intro | $34.99 | per year |
| Family | $34.99 | per year |
| Family yearly | $39.99 | per year |
| Yearly | $71.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Dictate transactions, no need to enter individually
- 🚀 Simple and easy to use
- 👍 Shared account for couples
- 👍 Practical, solves the problem of writing down expenses
- 👍 Intuitive and effective

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Doesn't register all transactions, especially Apple Pay
- 🔒 Requires payment to use, no free trial
- 🔒 Stops working on alternative devices after paying
- 🔒 Limited features in free version
- 🐛 Voice input sometimes gets stuck or has errors

**Reported bugs**

- Doesn't register all bank transactions
- Incompatible with some devices or iOS versions
- Sharing large lists doesn't work

**Requested features**

- Weekly/daily expense view
- Separate savings category
- Ability to add past expenses
- Multi-currency support
- Improved reporting and analytics


### Budget Stream

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/budget-stream/id6581481851)

Streamline your finances with advanced analytics and efficient budgeting tools. Securely sync your data across devices and personalize your financial management with customizable categories. Take control of your money with an intuitive interface.

**Highlights:** Advanced financial analytics, Efficient budgeting tools, Secure cloud synchronization, User-friendly interface, Customizable spending categories, Data import and export

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium - 1 Month | $2.99 | per month |
| Premium - 12 Months | $19.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Expense Tracker free?

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

### Is Budget Stream free?

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

### Do Expense Tracker or Budget Stream have ads?

Neither Expense Tracker nor Budget Stream shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Expense Tracker or Budget Stream?

Expense Tracker ships an update every 2 weeks, and Budget Stream fortnightly. Most recently, Expense Tracker was updated on October 21, 2026 and Budget Stream on October 19, 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.*