Comparison

BudgetArk vs Kept

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

Head to head
About

BudgetArk

Manage your finances privately with this open-source app. Track debt, plan budgets, and project investments without subscriptions or sign-ups. Your financial data stays on your device.

Highlights
  • Debt tracking with progress insights
  • Budget planning by category
  • Investment projection tools
  • Couples-friendly debt planning
  • Avalanche and Snowball payoff strategies
  • Local data storage
  • Open-source with community feedback
Read full description

BudgetArk is a free, private, open-source personal finance app built for people who want control without subscriptions, ads, or account signups. Track your money in one place: - Debt tracking with progress insights - Budget planning by category - Investment projection tools - Flexible currency and locale formatting - Couples-friendly debt ownership and payoff planning Privacy first: - No sign-up required - No cloud account required - Data stored locally on your device - Export and import your data whenever you want Debt tools that help you take action: - Avalanche and Snowball payoff strategies - Separate debt types for smarter Snowball ordering - Owner tags (Mine, Partner, Joint) - Bulk debt type review tools Budgeting made practical: - Fast entry flow with month selection - Categories including Grocery, Restaurant, Tech, Giving, Retirement, and Investing - One-time helper to split older Food entries into Grocery or Restaurant Built with the community: BudgetArk is open source, and your feedback helps shape what comes next. You can suggest feature ideas and improvements through the project repository and support channels. Whether you’re paying down debt, building better habits, or planning long-term wealth, BudgetArk keeps your financial data private and your workflow simple. Issues: let me know at https://github.com/RickeyNet/BudgetArk/issues Feature requests: Suggest ideas at https://github.com/RickeyNet/BudgetArk/discussions

About

Kept

A private and simple way to track your money without needing bank logins or an account. Log expenses quickly, create helpful budgets, and visualize your spending with clear charts. Your financial data stays securely on your device.

Highlights
  • Fast expense logging
  • Customizable budgets
  • Visual spending charts
  • 100% private and secure
  • No account or bank login required
  • Optional iCloud sync
  • Apple Watch app
Features
Read full description

kept is the private, beautifully simple way to track your money - no account, no ads, no bank logins. Just open it and start. Most finance apps want your email, your bank password, and your data. kept wants none of it. Everything stays on your iPhone. LOG EXPENSES IN SECONDS • Add income and expenses with a fast, clean entry screen • Organize with customizable categories and icons • Attach receipts, add notes, tag the date and location • Optional calculator keypad for quick math BUDGETS THAT ACTUALLY HELP • Set weekly, monthly, yearly, or custom budgets • Track multiple categories in a single budget • Gentle alerts at 80% and 100% of your limit • Roll over what you don't spend SEE WHERE YOUR MONEY GOES • A clear dashboard: income, expenses, and net total • Line, bar, and pie charts that make sense at a glance • Category breakdowns and trends over any time frame • Browse by calendar, or search and filter instantly 100% PRIVATE & SECURE • No account, no sign-up, no cloud required • Your data lives on your device - not our servers • Lock the app with Face ID, Touch ID, or a PIN • No ads. No trackers. We never see or sell your data. WORKS EVERYWHERE YOU DO • Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets • Apple Watch app for logging on the go • Daily reminders, budget alerts, and a weekly summary YOUR DATA, YOUR WAY • Optional private iCloud sync across your devices (off by default) • Import from CSV or JSON, export anytime • 27+ currencies supported • Recurring transactions for bills and subscriptions HONEST PRICING kept is free, with no subscription and no paywall. If you love it, an optional Tip Jar supports development - never required. Your money is personal. kept keeps it that way. Download kept and take control of your spending - privately.

Screenshots

BudgetArk4 screens
Kept4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: BudgetArk at none against Kept's 3. BudgetArk also leads on iOS requirement (16.4 vs 18.6). Kept's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs monthly). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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. Kept sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. BudgetArk asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for BudgetArk against 5.0 for Kept. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 3 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

BudgetArk ships an update monthly, Kept weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
BudgetArk versus Kept: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBudgetArkKept
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (4 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings4 — better3
Update frequencyMonthlyWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS16.4 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size54 MB21 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRICKEY AUSTIN CORNETTMd Ashikur Rahman

Customer experience

BudgetArk

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Kept

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

BudgetArk

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Kept

One-time3
  • Small Tip$0.99
  • Medium Tip$2.99
  • Large Tip$4.99

Questions

Is BudgetArk free?
BudgetArk is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Kept free?
Kept is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, BudgetArk or Kept?
BudgetArk and Kept are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 4 and 3 ratings respectively.
Do BudgetArk or Kept have ads?
Neither BudgetArk nor Kept shows ads.
Which is updated more often, BudgetArk or Kept?
BudgetArk ships an update monthly, and Kept weekly. Most recently, BudgetArk was updated on November 5, 2026 and Kept on October 31, 2026.

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