# Expensa vs Penni

The clearest difference is rating: Penni at 5.0 against Expensa's 3.6. Penni also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 80%). Expensa's advantage is ratings volume (8 vs 1). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Expensa sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Penni sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Penni holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Expensa has 8 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 80% of Expensa's written reviews are positive against 100% of Penni's.

Expensa ships an update weekly, Penni every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on September 12, 2026 and September 20, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Expensa | Penni |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.6 (8 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/expensa-ai-expense-tracker/id6758392205/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/penni-expense-tracker/id6789282109/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **8** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 80.0% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Weekly | **Every 4 days** |
| Monetization | Freemium | Freemium |
| Size | 81 MB | 59 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.0** | 18.0 |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Andrii Sereda](https://appshunter.io/developer/1780402701) | [OTHMANE MDIDET](https://appshunter.io/developer/1837087586) |

## What reviewers say

### Expensa

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/expensa-ai-expense-tracker/id6758392205)

This app offers a private way to track expenses and manage budgets without linking bank accounts. It uses AI to automatically categorize transactions and build budgets, with support for over 150 currencies and iCloud syncing for privacy.

**Highlights:** Automatic transaction tracking via Wallet Shortcuts, AI-powered budget creation and categorization, Multi-currency support for travelers, Private iCloud sync, no bank linking, Shared budgets for family and partners, Customizable budget cycles and alerts

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Expensa PRO Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Expensa PRO Yearly | $39.99 | per year |
| 1 Espresso | $0.99 | one-time |
| 2 Espressos | $1.99 | one-time |
| 4 Espressos | $4.99 | one-time |
| 10 Espressos | $9.99 | one-time |


### Penni

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/penni-expense-tracker/id6789282109)

Manage your finances with a calm, beautifully simple approach. Track spending, set gentle budgets, and grow savings without spreadsheets or account creation. Your data stays private on your device and synced via iCloud.

**Highlights:** Private by design, no sign-up required, Track expenses and income, Set gentle budgets, Manage savings goals, Financial health score, Home and Lock Screen widgets, iCloud sync and backup

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly | $3.99 | per month |
| 3 Months | $9.99 | per 3 months |
| Yearly | $29.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Expensa free?

Expensa is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Penni free?

Penni is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Expensa or Penni?

Penni is rated higher. Expensa averages 3.6 out of 5 from 8 ratings, while Penni averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Expensa or Penni have ads?

Neither Expensa nor Penni shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Expensa or Penni?

Expensa ships an update weekly, and Penni every 4 days. Most recently, Expensa was updated on September 12, 2026 and Penni on September 20, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*