# Trace vs Budget Projects

The clearest difference is ads: Trace at none against Budget Projects's shown. Trace also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 6 months) and review sentiment (83% vs 62%). Budget Projects's advantage is ratings volume (80 vs 18) and device support (4 vs 1). On price, rating, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Trace sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Budget Projects sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 6 months. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Trace holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 18 and 80 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 83% of Trace's written reviews are positive against 62% of Budget Projects's.

Trace ships an update every 2 weeks, Budget Projects every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Trace | Budget Projects |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.4 (18 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/trace-money-tracking/id845272077/reviews)** | [4.3 (80 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/budget-projects/id898189432/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 18 | **80** |
| Positive reviews | **83.3% of reviews** | 62.4% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Every 6 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 14 MB | 38 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 16 |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Stackchief LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/845272080) | [LINKLINKS LTD](https://appshunter.io/developer/600375781) |

## What reviewers say

### Trace

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/trace-money-tracking/id845272077)

This app helps you manage your daily spending to achieve monthly financial goals. It offers a simple way to create budgets, track expenses, and understand your available spending money each day. Focus on today's habits to build effective personal finance.

**Highlights:** Daily spending tracking, Monthly financial goal setting, Simple budget creation, Expense and income tracking, Automatic transaction clearing

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Daily Budget Pro | $4.99 | per month |
| Trace - Money Tracking | $49.99 | per year |


### Budget Projects

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/budget-projects/id898189432)

This app helps you manage your finances by creating income and expense budgets. Track your spending against these budgets to gain control and save money. Visualize your financial habits with detailed reports and charts.

**Highlights:** Create unlimited budgets, Recurring budget options, Progress bar for budget tracking, Detailed financial reports and charts, Customizable categories, Transaction search and export, Passcode and Touch ID protection

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium - 6 months | $1.99 | per 6 months |
| Remove Ads Forever | $9.99 | one-time |
| Unlimited Transactions | $11.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 User-friendly and intuitive interface
- 💰 Simple, no-frills budgeting approach
- 🔄 Rollover feature between budget periods
- 📊 Customizable budget categories
- 🔒 No bank account linking required

**What reviewers complain about**

- 📢 Excessive and intrusive advertisements
- 🐛 Frequent app crashes
- ⚠️ Data loss after updates
- 🔄 Recurring costs sometimes disappear
- 📅 Date field stuck in January (recent bug)

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes when creating budgets
- Recurring costs not deducted from associated budgets
- Date field defaults to January instead of current date
- Ads appearing in center of screen and not closeable
- Data erased after app updates

**Requested features**

- In-app tutorial or contextual help menu
- Automatic transaction entry from bank accounts
- Biweekly recurring payment option
- Default time setting for all transactions
- Monthly calendar view of expenses


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Trace free?

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

### Is Budget Projects free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Trace or Budget Projects?

Trace is rated higher. Trace averages 4.4 out of 5 from 18 ratings, while Budget Projects averages 4.3 from 80 ratings.

### Do Trace or Budget Projects have ads?

Budget Projects shows ads; Trace does not.

### Which is updated more often, Trace or Budget Projects?

Trace ships an update every 2 weeks, and Budget Projects every 6 months. Most recently, Trace was updated on October 24, 2026 and Budget Projects on October 21, 2026.

---

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