# Essential Launcher vs Expense Tracker

Essential Launcher and Expense Tracker both sit at 4.5 stars, but that hides the real split: 88% of Essential Launcher's written reviews are positive against 80% of Expense Tracker's. Expense Tracker's advantage is iOS requirement (14.0 vs 17.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Essential Launcher sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and Expense Tracker sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for Essential Launcher against 4.5 for Expense Tracker. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 31 and 24 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 88% of Essential Launcher's written reviews are positive against 80% of Expense Tracker's.

Essential Launcher ships an update every 11 days, Expense Tracker every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Essential Launcher | Expense Tracker |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (31 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/essential-launcher/id6590616999/reviews)** | [4.5 (24 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/expense-tracker-finflo/id6741395623/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **31** | 24 |
| Positive reviews | **88.2% of reviews** | 80.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 11 days | **Every 10 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 41 MB | 123 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **14.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Patrik Racskai](https://appshunter.io/developer/1728193737) | [AppWrapp](https://appshunter.io/developer/1733339396) |

## What reviewers say

### Essential Launcher

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/essential-launcher/id6590616999)

This app offers a minimalist home screen experience designed to reduce distractions and limit screen time. Customize your interface with only essential applications to promote focus and productivity.

**Highlights:** Minimalist home screen, Reduce distractions, Limit screen time, Customize essential apps, Clean, intuitive interface, Dark and light modes

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Discounted | $0.99 | per month |
| Annual Discounted | $3.99 | per year |
| Monthly | $3.99 | per month |
| Annual | $12.99 | per year |
| Lifetime Free | Free | one-time |
| Lifetime | $5.99 | one-time |


### Expense Tracker

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/expense-tracker-finflo/id6741395623)

Effortlessly track daily expenses, manage budgets, and gain financial insights with smart categorization and AI-powered recommendations. Scan receipts, manage debt, and visualize your financial health with beautiful reports. Export your data in multiple formats for comprehensive financial planning.

**Highlights:** Daily and monthly expense tracking, Receipt scanning with AI extraction, Smart budget management with alerts, Debt management and payoff tracking, Advanced financial insights and reports, Data export in CSV, PDF, Excel, Support for 162+ currencies

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weekly Pro | $2.99 | per 7 days |
| Monthly Pro | $6.99 | per month |
| Annual Pro | $49.99 | per year |
| Yearly Pro Trial | $49.99 | per year |
| Lifetime Pro | $99.00 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Essential Launcher free?

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

### Is Expense Tracker free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Essential Launcher or Expense Tracker?

Essential Launcher is rated higher. Essential Launcher averages 4.5 out of 5 from 31 ratings, while Expense Tracker averages 4.5 from 24 ratings.

### Do Essential Launcher or Expense Tracker have ads?

Neither Essential Launcher nor Expense Tracker shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Essential Launcher or Expense Tracker?

Essential Launcher ships an update every 11 days, and Expense Tracker every 10 days. Most recently, Essential Launcher was updated on October 7, 2026 and Expense Tracker on September 22, 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.*