Comparison

SimpleSpend vs Kesto

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

Head to head
About

SimpleSpend

Features
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Tracking your money should feel simple. SimpleSpend is a fast, focused, ad-free expense tracker. Log a transaction in secondsβ€”no sign-up or unnecessary distractions. Build a clear picture of your personal finances without turning every entry into a chore. FAST, FLEXIBLE TRACKING β€’ Enter the amount, category, account, and note β€’ Hold "+" to log by voice: Say the amount, date, category and more, then release to fill in the transaction form. β€’ Review before saving: Check or edit the details filled in from your voice input to help avoid mistakes. β€’ Create custom categories, subcategories, and accounts β€’ Use Siri and Shortcuts to log expenses or income by voice RECURRING TRANSACTIONS FOR RENT AND BILLS Rent, phone bills, gym memberships, loan payments, and moreβ€”set them up once on a daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, or custom schedule. When a transaction is due, SimpleSpend adds it the next time you open the app. SEE WHAT SUBSCRIPTIONS COST Mark an expense as a subscription to see your estimated annual total and projected charges for the next 12 months. Quickly decide what is worth keeping and what you may want to reconsider. TRACK MONEY TOGETHER Invite your partner or family to one shared ledger. Up to 6 people can log income and expenses and view budgets and insights. Personal and shared ledgers stay separate, so everything remains clear. BUDGETS AND SPENDING INSIGHTS β€’ See income, expenses, net balance, and spending by category β€’ Filter by day, week, month, year, or a custom date range β€’ Set monthly budgets to stay on track MULTIPLE LEDGERS AND CURRENCIES β€’ Separate family, travel, shared expenses, and more into their own ledgers β€’ Fetch exchange rates automatically and view converted totals in your chosen currency YOUR DATA, YOUR CHOICE β€’ Keep data on your device by default β€’ Turn on iCloud sync between your iPhone and iPad β€’ Shared ledgers are shared only with invited members; personal ledgers stay separate β€’ Export your data to CSV anytime β€’ Enjoy an ad-free experienceβ€”we do not sell your data Core tracking is free. Upgrade to Pro for unlimited recurring rules, batch editing, category merging, and more. Download SimpleSpend and see your spending more clearly. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://castorstudio.xyz/apps/simplespend/privacy/

About

Kesto

Features
Read full description

Two people, one set of numbers. No bank login, ever. Kesto gives a couple one shared budget that lives on both phones at once. Log a spend in about three seconds, and what is left updates for both of you immediately. Nobody has to ask, nobody has to remember, and nobody finds out at the end of the month. WHY COUPLES USE IT Money goes missing between two people in small amounts nobody remembers approving: coffees, parking, a supermarket run each. Agreeing on a limit once is easy. Seeing where you stand every time you pick up your phone is what actually changes anything. WHAT YOU GET β€’ One plan, both phones. Groceries $520 a month, Outings $90 a week: each budget refills on its own rhythm, and you both see the same remaining amount the moment it changes. β€’ The number you actually want, first. Home opens on what is left once the bills still to come are out of it, and reads it against the day: level with the date, ahead of it, or spending faster than the days pass. β€’ Three-second logging. Tap the budget, type the amount, done. Categories, notes and photos are there when you want them and never required. β€’ Bills counted first. Rent, energy, insurance and subscriptions come off the top before anything is called spendable, each one showing what it really costs you in a year. β€’ A what-if before you spend. Type an amount and Kesto answers from the real plan: what it leaves, and whether the month still reaches payday. β€’ Lock Screen widgets. What is left, on both phones, before you even unlock. β€’ Live partner updates. One of you logs a spend, the other gets a notification with the new number, and both widgets follow it. β€’ Where it went. By budget, by category, and by which of you spent it. No blame, just the number. β€’ Moments. Name a weekend away or a party, and every spend from both of you lands in it, whichever budget paid for it. β€’ Payday to payday. Each pay month closes into a record you can reopen, so progress is something you see instead of something you remember. β€’ Optional smart helpers. Photograph a receipt or a bill, or say a spend out loud, and Kesto fills the form in for you to check. With no signal, your phone reads the receipt itself. NO BANK LOGIN Kesto never asks for your bank credentials. There is no connection to go stale, nothing to leak, and it works with any bank in any country. When you want to check yourself, you read your own balance and type it in; Kesto tells you the difference and where it went. BUILT FOR TWO, USABLE BY ONE A partner is optional and joins later with a six-character code. Everything works offline and syncs when you are back. English, Dutch and Persian, in any currency, priced for the country you live in. FREE, AND HONEST ABOUT THE REST The budget is free forever: unlimited budgets, both partners, widgets, partner notifications, three months of history, and an export and backup that always hold everything you have ever logged. Five smart helpers a month are free too, so you can see what they do first. Kesto Plus adds 300 helpers a month, a number we print instead of the word "unlimited", and opens your history back to your first spend. Kesto Plus Pro doubles that to 1000. One purchase covers both partners. SUBSCRIPTION DETAILS Kesto Plus and Kesto Plus Pro are auto-renewable subscriptions, offered monthly or yearly, and one purchase covers both partners in the household. A lifetime unlock is also available as a one-time purchase. Prices are shown in your currency before you buy. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation. The subscription renews automatically for the same period unless you turn renewal off at least 24 hours before the current period ends, and your account is charged for renewal within 24 hours before the period ends. Manage your subscription or turn off auto-renewal in your Apple Account settings after purchase. Terms of Use (EULA): https://kesto-budget-app.web.app/terms Privacy Policy: https://kesto-budget-app.web.app/privacy

Screenshots

SimpleSpend4 screens
Kesto4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Kesto at every 4 days against SimpleSpend's every 8 days. Kesto also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

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

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

Both are free to download. SimpleSpend sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per year and Kesto sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SimpleSpend ships an update every 8 days, Kesto every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences Β· 4 level
SimpleSpend versus Kesto: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSimpleSpendKesto
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 8 daysEvery 4 days β€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod β€” better
Requires iOS18.015.0 β€” better
Further details β€” not scored
Size32 MB116 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer杭 李Sam Rostami

In-app purchases

2 purchases

SimpleSpend

Subscriptions1
  • SimpleSpend Pro$4.991 Year
One-time1
  • SimpleSpend Pro$17.99
5 purchases

Kesto

Subscriptions4
  • Kesto Plus (Monthly)$4.991 Month
  • Kesto Plus Pro (Monthly)$9.991 Month
  • Kesto Plus (Yearly)1 Month trial$39.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Kesto Plus Pro (Yearly)$79.991 Year
One-time1
  • Kesto Plus (Lifetime)$89.99

Questions

Is SimpleSpend free?
SimpleSpend is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Kesto free?
Kesto is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do SimpleSpend or Kesto have ads?
Neither SimpleSpend nor Kesto shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SimpleSpend or Kesto?
SimpleSpend ships an update every 8 days, and Kesto every 4 days. Most recently, SimpleSpend was updated on October 1, 2026 and Kesto on October 16, 2026.

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