# Expense Note vs SmartChi

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: SmartChi at none against Expense Note's 2. SmartChi also leads on ads (none vs shown). Expense Note's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 5 weeks). On price, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Expense Note sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. SmartChi asks for nothing beyond the download.

Expense Note ships an update weekly, SmartChi every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 5, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Expense Note | SmartChi |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/expense-note-monthly-tracker/id6450291645/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **2** | — |
| Positive reviews | 90.9% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 5 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 77 MB | 3 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.0** | 17.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Techin Park](https://appshunter.io/developer/906432484) | [Suu Nguyen](https://appshunter.io/developer/1855576128) |

## What reviewers say

### Expense Note

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/expense-note-monthly-tracker/id6450291645)

A minimalist expense tracker for effortless daily expense recording and management. Quickly input spending, view patterns at a glance, and customize categories. Securely back up your data and start smart spending.

**Highlights:** Quick expense recording, Intuitive expense management, Customizable categories, Data backup and restore, Multiple currency support, Secure login

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Premium | $1.99 | per month |
| Yearly Premium | $19.99 | per year |


### SmartChi

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smartchi-ai-expense/id6796603882)

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Expense Note free?

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

### Is SmartChi free?

SmartChi is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Expense Note or SmartChi have ads?

Expense Note shows ads; SmartChi does not.

### Which is updated more often, Expense Note or SmartChi?

Expense Note ships an update weekly, and SmartChi every 5 weeks. Most recently, Expense Note was updated on October 5, 2026 and SmartChi on October 14, 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.*