Comparison

ZenBudget vs Simple Expense Tracker

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

ZenBudget

Features
Read full description

ZenBudget is a mindful budgeting app that asks you to record every expense yourself. Skip the bank links and receipt scanners—by entering each purchase manually, you relive the moment of spending and bring unconscious out-flows into clear view. Designed for quiet, Zen-like consistency, the app feels frictionless to open and log. Siri and Shortcuts support make quick capture even easier. All your data stays in sync across iPhone, iPad and Mac through iCloud.

About

Simple Expense Tracker

Features
Read full description

Simple Expense Tracker is an easy budget and spending app for everyday money management. Record daily expenses, add planned payments, and check your remaining budget at a glance. The app automatically shows your actual spending, planned total, daily budget, and monthly pace so you can avoid overspending without complicated bookkeeping.

Screenshots

ZenBudget2 screens
Simple Expense Tracker3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: ZenBudget at none against Simple Expense Tracker's shown. Simple Expense Tracker's advantage is update cadence (every 6 days vs fortnightly) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 26.0). On price, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ZenBudget ships an update fortnightly, Simple Expense Tracker every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 3 level
ZenBudget versus Simple Expense Tracker: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterZenBudgetSimple Expense Tracker
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 6 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS26.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size12 MB24 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKouki SaitoYUKI HIGASHI

In-app purchases

None

ZenBudget

No in-app purchases

None

Simple Expense Tracker

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ZenBudget free?
ZenBudget is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Simple Expense Tracker free?
Simple Expense Tracker is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do ZenBudget or Simple Expense Tracker have ads?
Simple Expense Tracker shows ads; ZenBudget does not.
Which is updated more often, ZenBudget or Simple Expense Tracker?
ZenBudget ships an update fortnightly, and Simple Expense Tracker every 6 days. Most recently, ZenBudget was updated on November 8, 2026 and Simple Expense Tracker on October 31, 2026.

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