# Budget Projects vs Surplus

The clearest difference is rating: Surplus at 4.8 against Budget Projects's 4.3. Surplus also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (monthly vs every 6 months). On price, ratings volume, 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 Surplus sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Surplus holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 80 and 27 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 62% of Budget Projects's written reviews are positive against 83% of Surplus's.

Budget Projects ships an update every 6 months, Surplus monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Budget Projects | Surplus |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.3 (80 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/budget-projects/id898189432/reviews) | **[4.8 (27 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/surplus-expense-tracker/id1578612881/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **80** | 27 |
| Positive reviews | 62.4% of reviews | **83.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | **Monthly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 38 MB | 67 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16 | **15.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [LINKLINKS LTD](https://appshunter.io/developer/600375781) | [Dev Harvest LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1526293285) |

## 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


### Surplus

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/surplus-expense-tracker/id1578612881)

This app helps you manage your monthly finances by tracking income, expenses, and upcoming payments. It provides insights into your spending habits, categorizes transactions, and offers customizable reports. Sync your accounts automatically or manually for a clear overview of your leftover spend.

**Highlights:** Monthly income and expense tracking, Categorization of spending, Customizable reports with CSV export, Transaction grouping, Home and lock screen widgets, Automation via Shortcuts app

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Surplus Pro Monthly | $3.99 | per month |
| Surplus Pro Yearly | $14.49 | per year |
| Surplus Pro Yearly | $29.99 | per year |
| Surplus Pro Lifetime | $29.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Budget Projects free?

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

### Is Surplus free?

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

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

Surplus is rated higher. Budget Projects averages 4.3 out of 5 from 80 ratings, while Surplus averages 4.8 from 27 ratings.

### Do Budget Projects or Surplus have ads?

Budget Projects shows ads; Surplus does not.

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

Budget Projects ships an update every 6 months, and Surplus monthly. Most recently, Budget Projects was updated on October 13, 2026 and Surplus on October 5, 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.*