Comparison

Money Journal vs VaultBudget

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

Head to head
About

Money Journal

Features
Read full description

PREMIUM — PURCHASE REQUIRED: All features described below are part of Pro and require a purchase: a weekly or yearly auto-renewing subscription, or a one-time lifetime purchase. Every dollar you spend, written down in ten seconds — and kept on your phone, not on someone's server. Expense Tracker is a private money journal for people who want to log daily spending by hand: no account, no bank linking, no cloud. Most budget apps want your bank login and a monthly report of your life. This one works the old way, made fast: open, type the amount, done. Manual entry sounds slower — until you realize it is exactly why you finally know where the money goes. WHAT YOU GET • A spending log you actually keep up — add an expense in seconds by keyboard, voice, or receipt scan • Wallets for cash, bank, card and e-wallet balances, with transfers between them, so "how much do I have" is one glance • Monthly category budgets that warn you before you overshoot, not after • Charts and month-to-month comparisons that show the leak (it's usually food delivery) • Savings goals, debts, assets and net worth — the full picture, not just outflow • Split a dinner among five people and get the exact settle-up amounts PERFECT FOR • Cash-first spenders whose bank app only ever sees half the story • Anyone who quit a bank-linking budget app over privacy • Couples and housemates settling shared costs without a shared account • Kakeibo fans who want the paper-ledger ritual with searchable history WHY NOT JUST A SPREADSHEET? A spreadsheet doesn't fit in a checkout line. Here, an entry takes seconds, categories fill themselves from your own past corrections, receipts attach to the row, and the monthly chart draws itself. You keep the control of a hand-kept ledger — and lose the Sunday-night data entry. PRIVATE BY DEFAULT No sign-up, no bank credentials, no ad tracking. Transactions, receipt photos and plans stay in local storage on your device unless you export them yourself. Lock the app with Face ID if others borrow your phone. PREMIUM (PURCHASE REQUIRED) Expense Tracker requires a Full Access unlock. One plan opens everything: unlimited logging, wallets and transfers, budgets with alerts, receipt scanning, recurring transactions, reports and analytics, net worth and goals, expense splitting, and CSV/PDF export. Choose weekly, yearly, or a one-time lifetime purchase — prices are shown in the app before you commit. Start tonight: log today's spending before bed, and read your first honest week on Sunday. Terms of Use: https://leanstudio.asia/terms-of-use Privacy Policy: https://leanstudio.asia/privacy-policy Support: support@leanstudio.asia

About

VaultBudget

Features
Read full description

VaultBudget is a powerful yet simple personal finance manager designed to help you stay in control of your money. Track your income and expenses, create monthly budgets, and monitor your financial health with a clean and intuitive interface. **Free Features:** • Track income and expenses quickly • Create and manage budgets • View clear financial summaries • Support for multiple currencies • Secure data stored locally on your device • Privacy mode to hide financial amounts • Clean and distraction-free design VaultBudget helps you understand where your money goes and plan your financial future with confidence. Whether you want to control spending, manage budgets, or simply track daily transactions, VaultBudget gives you the tools you need. **Premium Features:** • Unlimited budgets • Advanced charts and detailed reports • Export data and PDF statements **Subscription Options:** • Monthly subscription • Yearly subscription • Lifetime one-time purchase Subscriptions automatically renew unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your Apple ID account will be charged at confirmation of purchase. You can manage or cancel your subscriptions at any time in your Apple ID account settings. Your financial data stays private and secure on your device. Privacy Policy: https://sites.google.com/view/vaultbudget-privacy Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Money Journal4 screens
VaultBudget4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: VaultBudget at every 3 weeks against Money Journal's every 3 months. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS

CostPrice Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Ads Ā· Monetization

Both are free to download. Money Journal sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days and VaultBudget sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Money Journal ships an update every 3 months, VaultBudget every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference Ā· 5 level
Money Journal versus VaultBudget: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMoney JournalVaultBudget
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS17.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size16 MB12 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLEAN ASIA CO., LTDWael Inaim

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Money Journal

Subscriptions2
  • Premium Weekly Plan$2.997 Days
  • Premium Yearly3 Days trial$14.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime$29.99
3 purchases

VaultBudget

Subscriptions2
  • Premium Monthly$3.991 Month
  • VaultBudget Premium Yearly$39.991 Year
One-time1
  • VaultBudget Premium Lifetime$119.99

Questions

Is Money Journal free?
Money Journal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is VaultBudget free?
VaultBudget is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Money Journal or VaultBudget have ads?
Neither Money Journal nor VaultBudget shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Money Journal or VaultBudget?
Money Journal ships an update every 3 months, and VaultBudget every 3 weeks. Most recently, Money Journal was updated on October 28, 2026 and VaultBudget on October 25, 2026.

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