Comparison

Boring Expenses vs PennyTracker

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

Head to head
About

Boring Expenses

This app provides a simple, private way to track your spending without complex features or sign-ups. It focuses solely on expenses, offering quick entry and clear visual reports. Your data is securely stored in your iCloud and remains invisible to the developer.

Highlights
  • One-tap expense entry
  • Interactive spending charts
  • Customizable categories with icons
  • Quick filters by date and category
  • CSV data export
  • Offline functionality
  • Light and dark themes
Features
Read full description

Where does your money actually go? Boring Expenses shows you in seconds — a tiny, beautifully boring expense tracker that's 100% free, ad-free, private, and sign-up-free. Your data lives in your personal iCloud, end-to-end encrypted by Apple and invisible to us. JUST EXPENSES — NOTHING ELSE - No income tracking — total focus on spending - No multiple accounts — one number, the whole picture - No complicated budgets or category limits - No welcome screens or personal surveys - No bank connections — log each expense by hand, like a journal - No subscriptions, ads, trackers, or analytics - Apple-only — native look, feel, and animations WHY PEOPLE LOVE IT - Ready in the first second: no questionnaires, budget setup, paywalls, or registration - Truly free: no "premium" tiers, no nagging for donations - Private by design: expenses stay in encrypted iCloud, never shared - Works fully offline - Tiny and fast: opens instantly - No category caps: seeing your trends over weeks and months builds smarter habits on its own KEY FEATURES - One-tap expense entry: pick a category, type the amount — done - Beautiful interactive charts that update instantly — week, month, year - 100+ icons and colors to make categories your own - Quick filters by date and category - CSV export: pull your data into Excel or anywhere, anytime - Apple Watch app and Home Screen widgets - Full Dynamic Type and VoiceOver support - Light and dark themes with a true native iPhone feel START TODAY Download Boring Expenses and build smarter everyday spending habits — one tap at a time. Thanks for reading to the end — have a great day! Questions or ideas? Open Settings > Feedback to message the developer directly. Enjoying the app? A quick App Store review means the world.

About

PennyTracker

Features
Read full description

PennyTracker is a simple, straightforward expense tracking app that helps you take control of your spending without the complexity of bloated finance apps. Best of all? It's completely free with no ads, no subscriptions, and no hidden costs. EASY EXPENSE ENTRY Add your purchases manually in seconds by entering the date, store name, payment method, category, amount, and optional notes. It's quick, intuitive, and designed to get out of your way. AUTOMATIC LOGGING WITH APPLE PAY Set up a simple Shortcuts automation once, and PennyTracker logs your automatic purchases the moment you pay — no need to open the app. Prefer more control? Choose the manual option to confirm the category and add notes each time. Setup instructions are right in the app's Settings tab. SMART RECEIPT SCANNING Tired of manual entry? Simply snap a photo of your receipt and let PennyTracker's text recognition technology extract the key information. Review and edit the details before saving to ensure accuracy. While receipt formats vary, our scanner gives you a helpful head start. INSIGHTFUL ANALYTICS Visualize your spending habits with clear pie charts showing breakdowns by category and payment method. View your totals by day, week, month, year, or all time, and see at a glance where your money is really going. POWERFUL SEARCH & FILTERING Find any transaction quickly with robust search and filtering options: Search by store name Filter by amount range (min/max) Filter by date range Filter by payment method or category Sort by entry date, transaction date, amount, or store name FULL CUSTOMIZATION Make PennyTracker work for you by creating custom categories and payment accounts that match your lifestyle. Edit or manage them anytime in settings to keep your tracking relevant. YOUR DATA, YOUR DEVICE PennyTracker stores all your data locally on your device — including anything logged automatically through Apple Pay. We don't collect, transmit, or store any of your personal information or financial data. Your privacy is guaranteed. EXPORT YOUR DATA Need your expense data in a spreadsheet? Export all your transactions to CSV format directly from the app for further analysis or record-keeping. KEY FEATURES Manual expense entry with customizable categories Automatic logging via Apple Pay Shortcuts automation Receipt scanning with text recognition Visual analytics with pie charts by day, week, month, year, or all time Advanced search and filtering Multiple sorting options Custom categories and payment accounts CSV export functionality 100% free with no ads Complete privacy - all data stored locally No login required Whether you're a student tracking a tight budget, a professional managing business expenses, or anyone wanting to understand their spending better, PennyTracker gives you the essential tools without overwhelming complexity. Download PennyTracker today and start your journey to better financial awareness!

Screenshots

Boring Expenses4 screens
PennyTracker4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Boring Expenses at monthly against PennyTracker's every 8 months. PennyTracker's advantage is iOS requirement (18.6 vs 26.0). On price, ads, 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

Boring Expenses ships an update monthly, PennyTracker every 8 months. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Boring Expenses versus PennyTracker: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBoring ExpensesPennyTracker
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (7 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings7 — better—
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 8 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS26.018.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size24 MB7 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDmitry KulizhnikovJENNIFER JUNG-JEN CHEN

In-app purchases

None

Boring Expenses

No in-app purchases

None

PennyTracker

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Boring Expenses free?
Boring Expenses is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is PennyTracker free?
PennyTracker is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Boring Expenses or PennyTracker have ads?
Neither Boring Expenses nor PennyTracker shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Boring Expenses or PennyTracker?
Boring Expenses ships an update monthly, and PennyTracker every 8 months. Most recently, Boring Expenses was updated on October 18, 2026 and PennyTracker on October 8, 2026.

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