# Buddy vs Budgets

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Budgets at 100% against Buddy's 49%. Budgets also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 18.0). Buddy's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and rating (4.7 vs 4.3). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Buddy sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Budgets sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Buddy holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Buddy has 9.5K ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 49% of Buddy's written reviews are positive against 100% of Budgets's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Buddy ships an update every 9 days, Budgets every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 28, 2026 and August 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Buddy | Budgets |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (9.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/buddy-budget-planner-app/id936422955/reviews)** | [4.3 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/budgets-expense-tracker/id1118397541/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **9.5K** | 3 |
| Positive reviews | 48.8% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 9 days** | Every 6 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#58** | — |
| Size | 152 MB | 12 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Buddy Budgeting AB](https://appshunter.io/developer/936422954) | [MoneyBudgie](https://appshunter.io/developer/354069981) |

## What reviewers say

### Buddy

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/buddy-budget-planner-app/id936422955)

**Currently charting:** #58 Top Grossing · Finance (US App Store)

This app helps you create and manage personal or shared budgets. Track expenses, connect your bank account for automatic transaction import, and gain a clear overview of your spending, income, and savings. It also features tools to split costs and settle up with others.

**Highlights:** Create personal budgets, Shared budgeting for couples/groups, Connect bank accounts for transaction import, Detailed spending and income overview, Expense splitting and settlement tracking

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

**In-app purchases (11)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Buddy Premium | $4.99 | per month |
| Buddy Premium | $4.99 | per month |
| Premium | $9.99 | per month |
| Buddy Premium | $9.99 | per month |
| Buddy Premium | $16.99 | per year |
| Buddy Premium | $24.99 | per year |
| Buddy Premium | $34.99 | per year |
| Buddy Premium | $34.99 | per year |
| Buddy Premium | $39.99 | per year |
| Buddy Premium | $49.99 | per year |
| Unlimited | $49.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy to use
- 👍 Visually appealing
- 💡 Customizable categories
- 🚀 Intuitive interface
- 👍 Helps with budgeting

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Recurring transactions not working properly
- 🐛 Balance not carrying over to next month
- 🐛 Syncing issues between devices
- 🐛 Transactions disappearing or resetting
- 💸 Expensive subscription

**Reported bugs**

- Recurring transactions not working as expected
- Balance not carrying over to next month
- Syncing issues between devices
- Transactions disappearing or resetting
- Inability to edit categories without creating new ones

**Requested features**

- Calendar view for transactions
- Bill reminders and due date tracking
- Ability to hide/exclude certain transactions
- Savings/investment tracking
- Multi-currency support


### Budgets

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/budgets-expense-tracker/id1118397541)

Track your spending against custom budgets to avoid overspending. See how much money you have left to spend with visual displays and review your purchase history. This app helps you regain control of your finances.

**Highlights:** Create custom budgets (monthly, weekly, etc.), Log purchases against budgets, View remaining budget amounts visually, Track spending history, Secure passcode protection

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Descriptions with Purchases | $0.99 | one-time |
| Carry Over Under & Over Spend to next Period | $0.99 | one-time |
| No Ads | $1.99 | one-time |
| Transaction CSV Export, Multi-Delete & Filter | $1.99 | one-time |
| App Customisation using Themes | $1.99 | one-time |
| PRO - All Features | $4.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Buddy free?

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

### Is Budgets free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Buddy or Budgets?

Buddy is rated higher. Buddy averages 4.7 out of 5 from 9.5K ratings, while Budgets averages 4.3 from 3 ratings.

### Do Buddy or Budgets have ads?

Budgets shows ads; Buddy does not.

### Which is updated more often, Buddy or Budgets?

Buddy ships an update every 9 days, and Budgets every 6 weeks. Most recently, Buddy was updated on September 28, 2026 and Budgets on August 23, 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.*