Comparison

Thrive vs Budget Simple

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

Head to head
About

Thrive

Gain control over your finances with a flexible budgeting system. This app helps you understand your spending habits through custom tags and real-time tracking, offering visual breakdowns of your financial activity. Plan your budget monthly with easy transaction logging.

Highlights
  • Tag income and expenses
  • Create custom views
  • Track spending against budget
  • Visual spending breakdowns
  • Monthly budget planning
  • Log transactions with Apple Shortcuts
Features
Read full description

Take control of your budget, your way. Thrive helps you understand your spending with simple tools that adapt to how you manage money. There are no strict categories or spreadsheets; just a clear, flexible system that you set up yourself. Features: - Tag income and expenses in a way that makes sense to you - Create custom views - Track your spending against your budget in real time - Get clean, visual breakdowns of where your money goes - Plan budgets one month at a time - Log transactions easily with Apple Shortcuts - Organize your budget with tags that fit your approach Terms of use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Budget Simple

Effortlessly track expenses by snapping photos of receipts. Visualize spending with clear charts, set savings goals, and gamify your budgeting with streaks and XP. Share progress with friends for accountability.

Highlights
  • AI receipt scanning
  • Visual spending breakdowns
  • Savings goal setting
  • Gamified budgeting (streaks, XP)
  • Shared budgeting
  • Recurring transaction management
  • Data export
Features
Read full description

Budget Simple. โ€” Finally, a budgeting app you'll actually use. Track your money without the spreadsheet headaches. Beautiful design, smart features, and a little bit of fun. What makes Budget Simple different: 1. Snap receipts, skip the typing Point your camera at any receipt. Our AI reads it, categorizes it, and logs it in seconds. 2. See where your money goes Clean charts and breakdowns that actually make sense. No finance degree required. 3. Set goals, watch them grow Saving for something? Create a goal, contribute automatically, and see your progress build over time. 4. Build streaks, earn XP Log transactions daily and unlock achievements. Budgeting is more fun when it feels like a game. 5. Share with friends Compare spending, stay accountable, and motivate each other to hit your goals. 6. Recurring transactions, handled Netflix, rent, subscriptions โ€” set them once and forget about them. 7. Export anytime Download your data as a spreadsheet whenever you need it. 8. Smart reminders Get notified before you overspend or when a bill is coming up. Budget Simple is built for real people โ€” students, freelancers, couples, or anyone tired of complicated finance apps. No ads. No selling your data. Just a cleaner way to understand your money. Subscription Terms: Budget Simple Premium unlocks all features. Length: 1 month (auto-renewable) Price: Displayed in your local currency Auto-Renewal: Subscriptions renew unless canceled at least 24 hours before the current period ends Manage or cancel anytime in your App Store account settings By subscribing, you agree to our: Terms of Use: https://budget-simple.com/terms Privacy Policy: https://budget-simple.com/privacy

Screenshots

Thrive4 screens
Budget Simple4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Budget Simple at 100% against Thrive's 0%. Budget Simple also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 2 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

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

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. Thrive sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Budget Simple sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Thrive ships an update every 2 months, Budget Simple every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 4, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences ยท 6 level
Thrive versus Budget Simple: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThriveBudget Simple
PriceFreeFree
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews โ€” better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 weeks โ€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.417.6 โ€” better
Further details โ€” not scored
Size11 MB11 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSabrina GhadiehZichen Liu

Customer experience

Thrive

Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral100.0%
Negative0.0%

Budget Simple

Written reviews4 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

5 purchases

Thrive

Subscriptions4
  • Monthly (Reduced)$2.991 Month
  • Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Yearly (Reduced)$29.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Yearly$44.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime$79.99
1 purchases

Budget Simple

Subscriptions1
  • Simple. Premium$2.991 Month

Questions

Is Thrive free?
Thrive is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Budget Simple free?
Budget Simple is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Thrive or Budget Simple have ads?
Neither Thrive nor Budget Simple shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Thrive or Budget Simple?
Thrive ships an update every 2 months, and Budget Simple every 2 weeks. Most recently, Thrive was updated on September 4, 2026 and Budget Simple on September 21, 2026.

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