# Budget Projects vs Group Expenses Light

The clearest difference is rating: Group Expenses Light at 5.0 against Budget Projects's 4.3. Group Expenses Light also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs every 6 months) and review sentiment (91% vs 62%). Budget Projects's advantage is ratings volume (80 vs 2) and device support (4 vs 2). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Budget Projects sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 6 months and Group Expenses Light sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Group Expenses Light holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Budget Projects has 80 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 62% of Budget Projects's written reviews are positive against 91% of Group Expenses Light's.

Budget Projects ships an update every 6 months, Group Expenses Light every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Budget Projects | Group Expenses Light |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.3 (80 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/budget-projects/id898189432/reviews) | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/group-expenses-light/id1285557503/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **80** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 62.4% of reviews | **90.9% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | **Every 3 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 38 MB | 77 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16** | 16.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [LINKLINKS LTD](https://appshunter.io/developer/600375781) | [NovaNext](https://appshunter.io/developer/1285557502) |

## What reviewers say

### 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


### Group Expenses Light

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/group-expenses-light/id1285557503)

Easily track shared expenses within groups, assigning payers and payees for each receipt. See individual shares, settle debts with a swipe, and even transfer balances between members.

**Highlights:** Create and manage groups, Add receipts with details and photos, View individual shares per event, Settle debts with a swipe, Transfer balances between members, Track all receipts in one place

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

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove Ads | $0.99 | one-time |
| Coffee | $0.99 | one-time |
| Donate $3 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Donate $7 | $4.99 | one-time |
| Advertising for 30 days | $6.99 | one-time |
| Donate $10 | $6.99 | one-time |
| Donate $15 | $10.99 | one-time |
| Donate $20 | $13.99 | one-time |
| Advertising for 180 days | $35.99 | one-time |
| Advertising for 365 days | $69.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Budget Projects free?

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

### Is Group Expenses Light free?

Group Expenses Light is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Budget Projects or Group Expenses Light?

Group Expenses Light is rated higher. Budget Projects averages 4.3 out of 5 from 80 ratings, while Group Expenses Light averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do Budget Projects or Group Expenses Light have ads?

Both Budget Projects and Group Expenses Light show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Budget Projects or Group Expenses Light?

Budget Projects ships an update every 6 months, and Group Expenses Light every 3 days. Most recently, Budget Projects was updated on October 24, 2026 and Group Expenses Light on October 8, 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.*