# Polar vs Expensa

The clearest difference is rating: Polar at 4.8 against Expensa's 3.9. Polar also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 7). Expensa's advantage is review sentiment (86% vs 75%). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Expensa sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Polar asks for nothing beyond the download.

Polar holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 20 and 10 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 75% of Polar's written reviews are positive against 86% of Expensa's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Polar ships an update every 3 weeks, Expensa every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Polar | Expensa |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (20 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/polar-monetize-your-software/id6746640471/reviews)** | [3.9 (10 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/expensa-expense-tracker/id6758392205/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **20** | 10 |
| Positive reviews | 75.0% of reviews | **85.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Every 11 days** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Freemium |
| Size | 78 MB | 91 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.4** | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Polar Software Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1817607582) | [Andrii Sereda](https://appshunter.io/developer/1780402701) |

## What reviewers say

### Polar

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/polar-monetize-your-software/id6746640471)

Manage your software business on the go with sale notifications, customer insights, and business analytics. Transform your software into a thriving business with this intuitive mobile tool.

**Highlights:** Sale notifications, Business analytics, Customer insights, Software monetization tools, Mobile business management

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### Expensa

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/expensa-expense-tracker/id6758392205)

This app offers a private way to track expenses and manage budgets without linking bank accounts. It uses AI to automatically categorize transactions and build budgets, with support for over 150 currencies and iCloud syncing for privacy.

**Highlights:** Automatic transaction tracking via Wallet Shortcuts, AI-powered budget creation and categorization, Multi-currency support for travelers, Private iCloud sync, no bank linking, Shared budgets for family and partners, Customizable budget cycles and alerts

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

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Expensa PRO Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Expensa PRO Yearly | $39.99 | per year |
| 1 Espresso | $0.99 | one-time |
| 2 Espressos | $1.99 | one-time |
| 4 Espressos | $4.99 | one-time |
| 10 Espressos | $9.99 | one-time |
| Expensa Pro Lifetime | $79.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Polar free?

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

### Is Expensa free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Polar or Expensa?

Polar is rated higher. Polar averages 4.8 out of 5 from 20 ratings, while Expensa averages 3.9 from 10 ratings.

### Do Polar or Expensa have ads?

Neither Polar nor Expensa shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Polar or Expensa?

Polar ships an update every 3 weeks, and Expensa every 11 days. Most recently, Polar was updated on October 30, 2026 and Expensa on October 26, 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.*