Comparison

Basil vs Flowly

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

Flowly

Features
Read full description

Most budget apps tell you what you spent last month. Flowly tells you what you can spend TODAY. One number. Every morning. Calculated from your monthly budget, your subscriptions, and what you've already spent — so you never have to do the math or feel guilty guessing. TODAY'S LIMIT • A daily spending limit that adapts as the month goes on • Log an expense in two taps with smart categories • Instantly see today, this month, and subscription totals NEVER MISS A RENEWAL • Track all your subscriptions in one place — Netflix, Spotify, iCloud+ and 30+ built-in templates • Free trial tracking with reminders before you get charged • See the true monthly and yearly cost of everything you're signed up for • Pause or cancel states, so your budget always reflects reality BUILD A STREAK • Track your spending daily to grow your streak from Spark to Legendary • Milestone celebrations at 3, 7, 14, 30, 100 days and beyond • Share your streak with friends SEE WHERE IT GOES • NEW: Monthly Recap — your month summarized: total spent, top categories, biggest expense, and how it compares to last month • Share your recap as a beautiful card • Monthly breakdowns by category • Budget alerts before you overshoot, not after • Export everything to CSV anytime ON YOUR HOME & LOCK SCREEN • Widgets show today's limit at a glance • Lock Screen and StandBy widgets — your daily number without unlocking PRIVATE BY DESIGN • Face ID / Touch ID app lock • Your data stays in your iCloud — synced across devices, visible to no one else • No accounts, no ads, no tracking WORKS EVERYWHERE • 20+ currencies • Custom categories, synced via iCloud Flowly is free to use. Flowly Pro unlocks unlimited subscriptions, unlimited custom categories, CSV export, and full Monthly Recap insights — try it free for 7 days. Download Flowly and know what you can spend today. Terms of Use: https://www.sinbalabs.com/app/flowly/terms Privacy Policy: https://www.sinbalabs.com/app/flowly/privacy

Screenshots

Basil4 screens
Flowly4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Basil at none against Flowly's 2. On price, update cadence, ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Flowly sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per year. Basil asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Basil ships an update every 3 weeks, Flowly fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Basil versus Flowly: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBasilFlowly
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (9 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings9 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, Apple Watch — betteriPhone
Requires iOS26.026.0
Further details — not scored
Size51 MB12 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperSwapnil BapatJeyapalan Bavitharan

In-app purchases

None

Basil

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Flowly

Subscriptions1
  • Flowly Pro Yearly7 Days trial$9.991 Year
One-time1
  • Flowly Pro Lifetime$19.99

Questions

Is Basil free?
Basil is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Flowly free?
Flowly is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Basil or Flowly have ads?
Neither Basil nor Flowly shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Basil or Flowly?
Basil ships an update every 3 weeks, and Flowly fortnightly. Most recently, Basil was updated on October 31, 2026 and Flowly on November 9, 2026.

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