# Envelopes vs Emma

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Envelopes at 88% against Emma's 38%. Envelopes also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 11) and ads (none vs shown). Emma's advantage is price (Free vs $6.99) and update cadence (every 6 days vs every 3 months). On device support there is nothing between them.

Emma is free to download; Envelopes costs $6.99 up front. Emma sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Envelopes asks for nothing beyond the download.

Emma holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Emma has 1.4K ratings behind it against 127, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 88% of Envelopes's written reviews are positive against 38% of Emma's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Envelopes ships an update every 3 months, Emma every 6 days. Both last shipped on October 29, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Envelopes | Emma |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $6.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.4 (127 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/envelopes-budget-manager/id804726909/reviews) | **[4.7 (1.4K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/emma-budget-planner-tracker/id1270062373/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 127 | **1.4K** |
| Positive reviews | **87.6% of reviews** | 38.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 6 days** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#129** | — |
| Size | 5 MB | 161 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 15.1 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [emdentec ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/369600372) | [Emma Technologies LTD.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1202559061) |

## What reviewers say

### Envelopes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/envelopes-budget-manager/id804726909)

**Currently charting:** #129 Top Paid · Finance (US App Store)

This app helps you manage your finances using the envelope budgeting method virtually. Easily track spending, distribute income, and secure your financial data with passcode or biometric authentication.

**Highlights:** Virtual envelope budgeting, Unlimited envelope creation, Quick budget setup, Track deposits and withdrawals, Passcode and biometric security, Customizable themes

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Extremely simple and intuitive user interface
- 💰 One-time purchase instead of subscription model
- ⚡ Quick deposit feature for fast money allocation
- 📱 No bank account connection required (manual control)
- 🎨 Clean, minimalist design without unnecessary features

**What reviewers complain about**

- 📱 No cloud sync between devices
- 👥 Cannot be shared between multiple users/family members
- 🎨 Limited color options for envelopes
- 📊 No visualization or pie charts for spending analysis
- 🔄 No recurring deposits or automatic resets

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes when transferring money between envelopes
- Data loss after iOS updates
- Failed data import from legacy version
- App not downloading after purchase
- Compatibility issues with older iOS versions

**Requested features**

- Cloud sync and cross-device synchronization
- Multi-user/family sharing capabilities
- Recurring deposits and automatic monthly resets
- Spending visualization (pie charts, graphs, reports)
- Transaction categorization and tagging system


### Emma

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/emma-budget-planner-tracker/id1270062373)

Consolidate all your financial accounts in one place to track spending, manage subscriptions, and set budgets. Receive weekly reports, daily balance notifications, and overdraft alerts. Offers bank-level security with SSL encryption and biometric authentication.

**Highlights:** Consolidate all accounts, Track subscriptions, Set budgets, Weekly spending reports, Overdraft alerts, Bank-level security

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

**In-app purchases (8)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Emma Plus Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Emma Pro Monthly | $9.99 | per month |
| Monthly Pro Subscription | $9.99 | per month |
| Emma Pro | $9.99 | per month |
| Emma Ultimate | $14.99 | per month |
| Emma Plus Yearly | $41.99 | per year |
| Emma Pro | $83.99 | per year |
| Subscription | $83.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Helpful for budgeting and tracking spending
- 🚀 Efficient at categorizing transactions
- 💡 Useful for detecting subscriptions and recurring payments
- 👍 Intuitive and user-friendly interface
- 👍 Provides good financial insights and analytics

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔒 Concerns about data privacy and security
- 💰 Expensive subscription model, features locked behind paywall
- 🐛 Syncing issues, transactions not always accurately categorized
- 🔍 Difficult to cancel subscription or delete account
- 📢 Aggressive upselling and notifications

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes or freezes frequently
- Transactions not syncing properly or showing incorrect balances
- Issues connecting to certain bank accounts
- Recurring payments not being tracked accurately

**Requested features**

- Add support for more banks and financial institutions
- Improve budgeting features with better categorization and goal-setting
- Provide more customization options for categories and reporting
- Integrate with investment accounts and track net worth
- Offer a more affordable pricing model or free tier with core features


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Envelopes free?

Envelopes costs $6.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Emma free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Envelopes or Emma?

Emma is rated higher. Envelopes averages 4.4 out of 5 from 127 ratings, while Emma averages 4.7 from 1.4K ratings.

### Do Envelopes or Emma have ads?

Emma shows ads; Envelopes does not.

### Which is updated more often, Envelopes or Emma?

Envelopes ships an update every 3 months, and Emma every 6 days. Most recently, Envelopes was updated on October 29, 2026 and Emma on October 29, 2026.

---

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