Comparison

Basil vs zero

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

Head to head
About

Basil

Automate your budgeting with secure, on-device AI that captures transactions from various payment methods instantly. Organize your finances, gain insights into spending habits, and track recurring bills without manual entry.

Highlights
  • Automatic transaction logging
  • AI-powered voice dictation
  • Instant spending insights
  • Recurring bill tracking
  • 100% local data storage
  • Beautiful, customizable interface
Features
Read full description

Basil features a stunning aesthetic and is powered by secure, on-device AI, automating the tedious parts of budgeting so you can focus on where your money goes, not how you record it. Now with Siri AI, an on-device chat assistant, and a refreshed experience for iOS 27. Whether you're paying with Apple Pay, sending money via Venmo, PayPal, PayNow, PayLah!, GrabPay, ShopeePay and more, or just asking Siri, Basil captures it all instantly without you lifting a finger. Why You'll Love Basil: 1. True Automation: Forget manual entry. Basil logs payments seamlessly, however they arrive: Tap-to-Pay Automation: Transactions appear instantly when you use Apple Pay. Universal Payment Capture: Automatically capture transactions from PayPal, Venmo, GrabPay, PayNow, and more. Siri & Shortcuts: Log an expense or check your budget just by talking to Siri. Notification Capture: Basil can log a transaction straight from a payment notification, no need to open the app. Apple Watch: Log a transaction by voice from your wrist, even without your iPhone on you. Scan a Receipt: Snap a photo and let Basil turn it into a transaction. 2. AI-Powered Intelligence: Harness on-device, secure AI to organise your financial life: Smart Voice Dictation: Say "Spent $15 on lunch and $20 on Netflix" and let AI categorise and log it. Ask Basil: Chat with your own on-device financial assistant about your budget, spending habits, or where to cut back. Instant Insights: Real-time summaries of spending and budget health, with deeper dive-ins by category and merchant. Smart Budget Coaching: See your average daily spend while setting a budget, with recommendations if you keep going over. Recurring Bills: Never miss a due date with subscription and free-trial reminders synced to your iOS Calendar. 3. Privacy by Design (Local First): Your financial data belongs to you, and only you. 100% Local Storage: Your data stays on your device, not our servers. No Account Required: Start tracking immediately, no sign-up. On-device Intelligence: Basil's AI, including Ask Basil, thinks inside your phone wherever possible (Apple Intelligence must be enabled in Settings). 4. Smarter Organisation Modes: Create a Mode like "Travel" to track a trip separately while it still counts toward your overall picture. Switch back to Default at any time and filter Insights by any Mode. Split & Lending: Cover a bill for friends and let Basil track what they owe you, with a reminder to settle up. Merchant View: See historical spending broken down by merchant. Custom Recaps: Exclude specific categories or recurring transactions from your weekly recap. 5. Premium Experience Refreshed Design: A more native-feeling interface, with an Insights page built for deeper exploration. Dark Mode Ready: Looks stunning in both light and dark modes. Multi-Currency: Diverse account support for a global audience. More Widgets: Faster access to your money from your Home Screen. Built for Every iPhone: Layouts adapt across the full range of iPhone display sizes. Accessibility: Built with VoiceOver and accessibility support in mind. Key Features: Automatic Logging via Shortcuts, Siri, Notifications, Apple Watch, and Receipt Scan On-Device AI Chat, Summaries, and Voice Dictation Flexible Budgeting with Smart Coaching (Monthly & Custom Cycles) Deep Insights & Visual Analytics, including Merchant and Mode filtering Custom Categories with Smart Mapping Split Transactions & Bill Reminders synced to Calendar Data Export & Import (from other expense tracker apps) Stop wondering where your money went. Download Basil today and start building your wealth, privately. Thank you for helping us shape Basil into the best expense and budget tracker! Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

zero

This app helps you track expenses and manage money owed without requiring an account or internet connection. It offers a clean interface for quick entry, custom categories, and visual reports to understand your spending. Your financial data remains private and is stored locally on your device.

Highlights
  • Offline expense tracking
  • No account required
  • Track money owed and lent
  • Customizable categories
  • Visual spending reports
  • Data export and import
  • Privacy-focused local storage
Features
Read full description

WHY zero? Most finance apps want your data. zero wants nothing. • No account required: start tracking in seconds • No internet needed: works 100% offline • No ads, no subscriptions: completely free • No data collection: your finances stay private TRACK EXPENSES EFFORTLESSLY Add expenses in seconds with a clean, minimal interface designed for daily use. • Quick entry with amount, title & category • Custom categories with icons and colors • Date picker for past expenses • Notes and descriptions for every transaction MANAGE MONEY YOU OWE & ARE OWED Never forget an IOU again. • Track money you lent and borrowed • Organize by person with custom icons • See total balances at a glance BEAUTIFUL REPORTS & INSIGHTS Understand your spending with clear, visual reports. • Monthly expense breakdown with pie charts • Daily spending calendar heatmap • Category-wise analysis • Filter by month and year DESIGNED FOR YOU • Dark mode & light mode • Multiple currency support • Export & import your data • Fast, lightweight, battery-friendly PRIVACY BY DESIGN Zero is built on a simple principle: your money, your business. All data is stored locally on your device. No servers, no cloud, no sync, no analytics, no third-party SDKs. Your financial data never touches the internet. Download zero and take control of your finances, privately.

Screenshots

Basil4 screens
zero4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Basil at 4.5 against zero's 3.3. Basil also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 67%). zero's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 2 months) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 26.0). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Basil holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 8 and 3 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of Basil's written reviews are positive against 67% of zero's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Basil ships an update every 2 months, zero every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 16, 2026 and September 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Basil versus zero: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBasilzero
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (8 ratings) — better3.3 (3 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better66.7% of reviews
Number of ratings8 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS26.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size50 MB31 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSwapnil BapatLossless Protocols

Customer experience

Basil

All ratings8 ratings
Positive87.5%
Neutral12.5%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

zero

All ratings3 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%

In-app purchases

None

Basil

No in-app purchases

None

zero

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Basil free?
Basil is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is zero free?
zero is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Basil or zero?
Basil is rated higher. Basil averages 4.5 out of 5 from 8 ratings, while zero averages 3.3 from 3 ratings.
Do Basil or zero have ads?
Neither Basil nor zero shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Basil or zero?
Basil ships an update every 2 months, and zero every 2 weeks. Most recently, Basil was updated on September 16, 2026 and zero on September 13, 2026.

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