Comparison

Trace vs SpendLens

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

Head to head
About

Trace

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Trace - AI-Powered Expense Tracker Track expenses and income with your voice. Speak naturally, and AI extracts amounts, categories, and dates. Or add transactions manually with the text option KEY FEATURES - Voice-powered entry with AI transcription - Trends page to analyze your spending over time - Home screen widgets to track spending at a glance - Dark and light mode support - Customisable categories - Recurring transactions support - Multiple currency support (EUR, USD, GBP, and 20+ more) - Face ID/Touch ID protection - iCloud sync across all your devices PRIVACY FIRST Your financial data stays private. Everything syncs securely to your iCloudβ€”no external servers store your information. Face ID keeps your data protected. Whether you're tracking daily coffee purchases or managing monthly budgets, Trace makes expense tracking effortless. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

SpendLens

Features
Read full description

SpendLens is old-school envelope budgeting on your iPhone and iPad. Fully private, no bank linking, no account. Put a monthly amount in each envelope. Spend from the right one. When an envelope runs low, that is your signal. SpendLens does the arithmetic paper envelopes never could: refills, carryover, and recurring bills, computed for you. WHAT SHIPS IN THE BOX - Envelopes with monthly refill: every envelope returns to its budget on the 1st - Carryover rules per envelope: keep the remainder, reset to budget, or cap what carries over (overspend carries too, so the math stays honest) - 3-second expense entry: cash-register keypad, envelope chips, save - Recurring bills: rent, transit pass, subscriptions post themselves to the right envelope on their day, every month - Spending insights: by-envelope charts, 6-month trends, top expenses, month-end pace, and year-to-date totals - Export: a spreadsheet-ready CSV (this month, last 3 months, or all time) and a monthly summary PDF - Private by design: everything stays on your device. No account, no cloud, no tracking, and the privacy label is "Data Not Collected" FREE VS PRO Free: 5 envelopes, 2 recurring bills, unlimited expense entry, monthly refill and carryover included. Pro: unlimited envelopes and recurring bills, carryover rule changes (keep, reset, cap), spending insights and charts, CSV and PDF export. SPENDLENS PRO Pro is available as an auto-renewing monthly or yearly subscription, or as a one-time lifetime purchase. The current price is always shown in the app before you buy. Pro subscriptions renew automatically until cancelled. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. Cancel anytime in Settings > Apple Account > Subscriptions; cancellation applies at the end of the current period. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://ino50-forms.admin-cloudflare-fa0.workers.dev/a/spendlens/privacy

Screenshots

Trace4 screens
SpendLens4 screens

Verdict

The call

Trace and SpendLens are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters β€” price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them β€” neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Both are free to download. Trace sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $1.99 per month and SpendLens sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Trace ships an update weekly, SpendLens every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Trace versus SpendLens: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTraceSpendLens
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyWeekly β€” betterEvery 10 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.618.0 β€” better
Further details β€” not scored
Size29 MB5 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperSolid Apps S.R.L.InnovaLabWorks

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Trace

Subscriptions1
  • Trace Pro$1.991 Month
3 purchases

SpendLens

Subscriptions2
  • SpendLens Pro$5.991 Month
  • SpendLens Pro$34.991 Year
One-time1
  • SpendLens Lifetime$79.99

Questions

Is Trace free?
Trace is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is SpendLens free?
SpendLens is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Trace or SpendLens have ads?
Neither Trace nor SpendLens shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Trace or SpendLens?
Trace ships an update weekly, and SpendLens every 10 days. Most recently, Trace was updated on October 25, 2026 and SpendLens on October 19, 2026.

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