Basil vs Control
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Automatic transaction logging
- AI-powered voice dictation
- Instant spending insights
- Recurring bill tracking
- 100% local data storage
- Beautiful, customizable interface
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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/
Control
An elegant budgeting app designed for clarity and control over your finances. It offers features like voice transaction entry, bill splitting, and AI-powered financial insights. Track expenses, manage multiple jobs, and monitor investments with beautiful reports.
- Apple Pay transaction import
- Voice transaction entry
- Split bills
- AI-powered financial insights
- Investment tracking
- Shared budgets
- Receipt scanning
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Control is an elegant budgeting app designed for clarity without complexity. Its beautifully crafted interface makes managing finances feel magical. • Apple Pay transaction import • Bank notification transaction import • Add transactions by voice • Split bills when adding a transaction • Groceries list with Live Activity • Travel Mode for trip expense tracking • Work page to track hours, shifts, and pay across multiple jobs • Net worth and portfolio tracking, with prices you update yourself • Live Activities and Dynamic Island support • Ask AI - instant financial insights powered by AI • Apple Watch • Business page • Credit cards • Debt tracker • Past trips page • Wishlist shopping page • Quit Tracker for breaking habits • Interest rate for your bank deposits • Receipt scanning with camera • Add transactions by sharing a receipt, email, or webpage • Monthly/weekly/yearly and category budgets with visual progress • Investments transactions • Beautiful reports and spending insights • Wrapped - your year in review summary • Recurring payments and installment tracking • Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets • Multiple currency support with conversion • Tags for organizing transactions • Siri Shortcuts • Custom budget start day • Rollover budget • Photos for transactions • Custom budget start day • Variable recurring payments amount • Appearance customization with themes and gradients • iCloud backup • Face ID • No ads, no tracking, no data collection Take control of your finances today. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Basil at none against Control's 3. Basil also leads on rating (4.6 vs 4.2). Control's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs every 3 weeks) and device support (4 vs 2). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads 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. Control sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Basil asks for nothing beyond the download.
Basil holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 9 and 10 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of Basil's written reviews are positive against 96% of Control's.
Basil ships an update every 3 weeks, Control every 3 days. Both last shipped on October 28, 2026.
| Parameter | Basil | Control |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (9 ratings) — better | 4.2 (10 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 96.4% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 9 | 10 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 3 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 18.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 51 MB | 56 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Swapnil Bapat | Alex Patrick Palacean |
Customer experience
Basil
Control
In-app purchases
Basil
No in-app purchases
Control
- Control Monthly$3.991 Month
- Control Club$3.991 Month
- Lifetime payment$17.99






