Penko Expense Tracker vs SimpleSpend
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Penko Expense Tracker
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Take Control of Your Finances - Simple, Private, Ad-Free Penko is a powerful yet simple expense tracking app designed with your privacy in mind. No ads, no tracking, no cloud storage - just pure functionality to help you manage your money better. KEY FEATURES Smart Analysis - Visual charts and graphs to understand your spending patterns - Monthly and daily progress rings - Category-based spending breakdown - Compare current spending with previous months - Overview of this month against your income, what is left, and a 12-month forecast Flexible Expense Tracking - Quick expense entry with custom categories - 40+ currencies with exchange rates - Recurring expenses (daily, weekly, monthly, weekdays) - type how many times it repeats and the end date is worked out for you - One-time and recurring expense tracking - Detailed expense history with search and filtering - Optional daily reminder, only on days you have not logged anything Calendar View - Interactive monthly calendar - Daily expense visualization - Week-by-week spending history - Easy date navigation Categories and Organization - Create custom categories and subcategories - Visual category distribution charts - Detailed category analysis - Smart categorization with color coding Financial Planning - Set daily and monthly spending limits - Create financial goals and plans - Track progress towards your goals - Budget management tools - Project future savings with interest calculations Privacy First - All data stored locally on your device - No data collection or tracking - No account required - Backup & restore to a single file you control - no server involved - No advertisements Customization - Dark and light themes - Available in 10 languages - Customizable categories with colors - Flexible date ranges for analysis - Personalized budget limits Insights and Analytics - Monthly spending trends - Category comparison - Daily vs monthly averages - Visual progress indicators - Detailed expense reports WHY CHOOSE PENKO? - 100% Free: All features unlocked, no premium version - No Ads: Clean, distraction-free interface - Privacy Focused: Your data never leaves your device - No Internet Required: Works completely offline - Modern Design: Beautiful iOS-native interface PERFECT FOR: - Students managing budgets - Families tracking household expenses - Anyone wanting financial clarity - Privacy-conscious users - People who prefer offline apps SUPPORT THE DEVELOPER This app is completely free with no ads. If you find it useful, you can support development through optional in-app donations (buy me a coffee or tea). YOUR PRIVACY MATTERS Unlike other expense trackers, we don't collect any data. No analytics, no tracking, no cloud sync. Your financial information is yours alone, stored only on your device. FEEDBACK AND SUPPORT We're committed to making this the best expense tracker for you. Have suggestions or found a bug? Contact us - we listen to our users! Download now and start taking control of your finances today!
SimpleSpend
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Tracking your money should feel simple. SimpleSpend is a fast, focused, ad-free expense tracker. Log a transaction in seconds—no sign-up or unnecessary distractions. Build a clear picture of your personal finances without turning every entry into a chore. FAST, FLEXIBLE TRACKING • Enter the amount, category, account, and note • Hold "+" to log by voice: Say the amount, date, category and more, then release to fill in the transaction form. • Review before saving: Check or edit the details filled in from your voice input to help avoid mistakes. • Create custom categories, subcategories, and accounts • Use Siri and Shortcuts to log expenses or income by voice RECURRING TRANSACTIONS FOR RENT AND BILLS Rent, phone bills, gym memberships, loan payments, and more—set them up once on a daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, or custom schedule. When a transaction is due, SimpleSpend adds it the next time you open the app. SEE WHAT SUBSCRIPTIONS COST Mark an expense as a subscription to see your estimated annual total and projected charges for the next 12 months. Quickly decide what is worth keeping and what you may want to reconsider. TRACK MONEY TOGETHER Invite your partner or family to one shared ledger. Up to 6 people can log income and expenses and view budgets and insights. Personal and shared ledgers stay separate, so everything remains clear. BUDGETS AND SPENDING INSIGHTS • See income, expenses, net balance, and spending by category • Filter by day, week, month, year, or a custom date range • Set monthly budgets to stay on track MULTIPLE LEDGERS AND CURRENCIES • Separate family, travel, shared expenses, and more into their own ledgers • Fetch exchange rates automatically and view converted totals in your chosen currency YOUR DATA, YOUR CHOICE • Keep data on your device by default • Turn on iCloud sync between your iPhone and iPad • Shared ledgers are shared only with invited members; personal ledgers stay separate • Export your data to CSV anytime • Enjoy an ad-free experience—we do not sell your data Core tracking is free. Upgrade to Pro for unlimited recurring rules, batch editing, category merging, and more. Download SimpleSpend and see your spending more clearly. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://castorstudio.xyz/apps/simplespend/privacy/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: SimpleSpend at every 8 days against Penko Expense Tracker's every 5 months. Penko Expense Tracker's advantage is iOS requirement (16.2 vs 18.0). 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
Both are free to download. Penko Expense Tracker sells 8 one-off in-app purchases and SimpleSpend sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Penko Expense Tracker ships an update every 5 months, SimpleSpend every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Penko Expense Tracker | SimpleSpend |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | Every 8 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 16.2 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 5 MB | 32 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | AKINALP FIDAN | 杭 李 |
In-app purchases
Penko Expense Tracker
- Water$0.29
- Tea$0.49
- Bagel$0.99
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- Coffee$1.49
- Wrap$2.99
- Burger$4.99
- Turkish Doner$8.99
- Surprise Me$14.99
SimpleSpend
- SimpleSpend Pro$4.991 Year
- SimpleSpend Pro$17.99
Questions
Is Penko Expense Tracker free?
Is SimpleSpend free?
Do Penko Expense Tracker or SimpleSpend have ads?
Which is updated more often, Penko Expense Tracker or SimpleSpend?
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