# Thrive vs Budget Simple

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.

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | Thrive | Budget Simple |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 11 MB | 11 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.4 | **17.6** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Sabrina Ghadieh](https://appshunter.io/developer/1820860487) | [Zichen Liu](https://appshunter.io/developer/1831192485) |

## What reviewers say

### Thrive

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/thrive-budget-planner/id6747331955)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly (Reduced) | $2.99 | per month |
| Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Yearly (Reduced) | $29.99 | per year |
| Yearly | $44.99 | per year |
| Lifetime | $79.99 | one-time |


### Budget Simple

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/budget-simple-expense-tracker/id6749564173)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Simple. Premium | $2.99 | per month |


## Frequently asked 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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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*