Comparison

Expensa vs Lode

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

Head to head
About

Expensa

Track expenses privately without linking bank accounts. This app automatically logs card taps via Shortcuts and uses AI to build budgets. It supports over 150 currencies and syncs securely via iCloud.

Highlights
  • Automatic transaction logging via Shortcuts
  • AI-powered budget creation
  • Supports 150+ currencies
  • Private iCloud sync
  • Separate wallets for different budgets
  • Recurring transaction tracking
  • Data import/export
Features
Read full description

Track money without handing over your bank password. Expensa is a private budget and expense tracker built for iPhone. Set up one Shortcut and every card tap lands in your budget automatically. AI builds your first budget in seconds. Works in 150+ currencies. Syncs via iCloud — and only iCloud. No bank linking. No data brokers. Your money stays on your devices. ------------------------------------------------- WALLET + SHORTCUTS — AUTOMATIC TRACKING ------------------------------------------------- Set up one Shortcut; every card tap in Wallet logs a transaction Works with Apple Card and any card you've added to Wallet Auto-categorized from your history, with AI Alerts if a purchase pushes you over a category limit No polling a bank, no waiting for statements ------------------------------------------------- BUDGETS THAT ACTUALLY WORK ------------------------------------------------- Always know what's left — live progress bar on your dashboard A limit for every category (groceries, dining, transport…) Alerts before you overspend, not after Monthly, weekly, or custom cycles — auto-rollover each cycle Smart Allocation: tell Expensa your budget, AI splits it across categories based on your region and spending habits ------------------------------------------------- SEPARATE WALLETS FOR SEPARATE LIVES ------------------------------------------------- Keep personal, household, business, and trip budgets fully isolated. Switch spaces with one tap. Invite family or your partner to shared spaces — real-time sync via iCloud, no extra accounts to create. ------------------------------------------------- BUILT FOR TRAVELERS & EXPATS ------------------------------------------------- 150+ currencies with live exchange rates Original amount + converted amount both stored Per-transaction historical rates — accurate reporting forever ------------------------------------------------- PRIVATE BY DEFAULT ------------------------------------------------- No bank login, no Plaid, no third-party aggregators iCloud sync on your Apple ID — that's it Offline-first: log now, sync later Works on iPhone ------------------------------------------------- EVERYTHING ELSE ------------------------------------------------- Recurring transactions (rent, subscriptions, salary) Tags, categories, folders, custom merchant rules CSV, PDF, TXT import/export — move in from any app, out anytime Net worth across accounts and currencies Dashboard, calendar heatmap, category/tag analytics Optional receipt scanning for the rare paper moment Dark mode, Dynamic Type, VoiceOver, localized (EN, UK) ------------------------------------------------- FREE, OR GO PREMIUM ------------------------------------------------- Free: 1 space, 2 accounts, 3 recurrences, 5 receipt scans Premium: unlimited spaces & accounts, 30 scans/mo, AI categorization, category budgets, analytics, shared spaces, multi-currency entry. Your money. Your rules. Your devices. Terms of Use: https://getexpensa.com/terms.html Privacy Policy: https://getexpensa.com/privacy.html

About

Lode

This AI-powered finance app automatically logs your expenses from bank notifications and Apple Pay, eliminating manual entry. It helps you manage budgets, track bills, plan trips, and gain insights into your spending habits, all while keeping your data private in your iCloud.

Highlights
  • Automatic expense logging from bank notifications
  • AI-powered transaction categorization
  • Budget and bill tracking
  • Trip budgeting and currency conversion
  • Receipt scanning and import
  • Shared accounts via iCloud
  • Exportable reports
Features
Read full description

Lode is the AI budget and expense tracker for iPhone. It logs payments from your bank’s notifications and Apple Pay, keeps budgets, bills and trips in check, and stores everything in your own iCloud. PAY AS USUAL. LODE WRITES IT DOWN Your bank already sends a notification for every payment. Lode turns each one into a transaction — no typing, no bank login. - You pay: By card, online or with Apple Pay. Your bank sends its usual notification. Bank notifications need iOS 27; Apple Pay works on iOS 18 and later. - Lode logs it: Amount, merchant and category — income too — without you opening the app. - It asks when unsure: Cash from an ATM, or a charge that may be one of your bills? One tap in a notification decides. FAST TO LOG. EASY TO PLAN - AI chat, voice and receipts: Type “coffee 5”, say it out loud or snap a receipt. Lode fills in the category, currency and date. Premium, with 3 free voice entries a month. - Budgets that fit your payday: An overall budget, limits per category and an income plan — with the month starting on the day you get paid. - Bills and subscriptions: Recurring payments are logged on schedule, and a free trial ends with a reminder, not a surprise charge. - Goals and debts: Save toward a trip or a laptop at your own pace, and keep track of who owes whom. - Shared accounts: Share an account with a partner or family through iCloud. Everyone keeps their own accounts private. Sharing needs Premium; joining is free. - Statistics and reports: See where the money goes by category, day and trip, and export the month as a PDF report. - Import a CSV, Excel or PDF bank statement, or an export from another finance app — Lode recognizes the columns and uses Lode AI for unusual layouts and PDFs. EVERY TRIP BUDGETED. EVERY COUNTRY STAMPED Set the country and dates, and every expense on those days goes into the trip — in any currency, against its own budget. - See what a day on the road cost, place by place - A passport stamp for every country, and how much of the world you’ve seen - Your trip on the Lock Screen as a Live Activity - 150+ currencies, booked at the rate of the day you paid WORKS THE WAY YOUR iPhone DOES - Siri & Shortcuts: “Log expense in Lode” — hands-free. - Widgets: Balance, budget and spending on your Home and Lock Screen. - Live Activities: The trip you’re on, right on the Lock Screen. - iCloud sync: Your iPhone and iPad, always in step. - Hide amounts: Tap the balance to cover every figure before you hand the phone over. NO BANK LOGIN. NO ACCOUNT. NO TRACKING - No bank password: Lode never connects to your bank. Payments come from the notifications already on your iPhone. - No account: No sign-up and no email. Open the app and start. - Your iCloud, not our servers: Your data lives on your iPhone and syncs through your own iCloud. - No ads or trackers: Nothing is sold or profiled. AI only sees what you send it, and nothing is stored. START FREE. UPGRADE WHEN YOU'RE READY Core tracking and automatic logging are free forever. Premium unlocks Lode AI, deeper insights and no limits. Know where your money goes. Always. Terms of Use (EULA): https://lodefinance.com/term-of-use Privacy Policy: https://lodefinance.com/privacy-policy

Screenshots

Expensa4 screens
Lode4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Lode at 5.0 against Expensa's 3.9. Lode also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 78%) and update cadence (every 5 days vs every 11 days). 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. Expensa sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Lode sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Lode holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 10 and 8 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 78% of Expensa's written reviews are positive against 100% of Lode's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Expensa ships an update every 11 days, Lode every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on November 10, 2026 and November 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Expensa versus Lode: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterExpensaLode
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.9 (10 ratings)5.0 (8 ratings) — better
Positive reviews77.8% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings10 — better8
Update frequencyEvery 11 daysEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFreemium
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS17.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size95 MB112 MB
Age rating+44+
DeveloperAndrii SeredaKyrylo Svystun

Customer experience

Expensa

All ratings10 ratings
Positive70.0%
Neutral10.0%
Negative20.0%
Written reviews9 reviews
Positive77.8%
Neutral11.1%
Negative11.1%

Lode

All ratings8 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews9 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

7 purchases

Expensa

Subscriptions2
  • Expensa PRO Monthly14 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Expensa PRO Yearly14 Days trial$39.991 Year
One-time5
  • 1 Espresso$0.99
  • 2 Espressos$1.99
  • 4 Espressos$4.99
Show 2 more
  • 10 Espressos$9.99
  • Expensa Pro Lifetime$79.99
3 purchases

Lode

Subscriptions2
  • Lode Premium$3.991 Month
  • Lode Premium3 Days trial$29.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime Premium$59.99

Questions

Is Expensa free?
Expensa is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Lode free?
Lode is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Expensa or Lode?
Lode is rated higher. Expensa averages 3.9 out of 5 from 10 ratings, while Lode averages 5.0 from 8 ratings.
Do Expensa or Lode have ads?
Neither Expensa nor Lode shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Expensa or Lode?
Expensa ships an update every 11 days, and Lode every 5 days. Most recently, Expensa was updated on November 10, 2026 and Lode on November 13, 2026.

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