# Esme vs Basic Budget

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Basic Budget at none against Esme's 2. Esme's advantage is device support (3 vs 1). On price, update cadence, ads and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Esme sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Basic Budget asks for nothing beyond the download.

Esme ships an update every 3 days, Basic Budget every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Esme | Basic Budget |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 days** | Every 4 days |
| Size | 48 MB | 51 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.1** | 16.4 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Kenneth Ong](https://appshunter.io/developer/1886904775) | [Border networks Pte ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/1896329431) |

## What reviewers say

### Esme

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/esme-smart-budget/id6760933844)

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Esme Premium Monthly | $2.99 | per month |
| Esme Premium Yearly | $24.99 | per year |


### Basic Budget

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/basic-budget-expense-tracker/id6810966965)

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Esme free?

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

### Is Basic Budget free?

Basic Budget is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Esme or Basic Budget have ads?

Neither Esme nor Basic Budget shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Esme or Basic Budget?

Esme ships an update every 3 days, and Basic Budget every 4 days. Most recently, Esme was updated on October 25, 2026 and Basic Budget on October 26, 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.*