Comparison

Buddy vs Money Journal

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Buddy

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
Currently charting
Read full description

Buddy helps you set up a budget and keep track of your expenses, either by yourself or together with your loved ones. Here’s what is waiting for you inside: BUDGETS Buddy will help you not to overspend on your well-earned salary by setting up a budget plan that fits you. Do you want a shared budget with your partner? Or keep the expenses between you and your mates fair on the vacation? No problem, just invite them and get a clear picture of who spent what. CONNECT YOUR BANK Import all transactions from your bank account into Buddy and see how your budget is doing. OVERVIEW We'll give you a beautiful & detailed overview of your spendings, income, and savings. SPLIT Split lets you know who paid what, and how to settle up. And much more for you to find. Take control of your finance today! Buddy offers a $9.99 monthly renewing and a $49.99 yearly renewing subscription to unlock Premium functionality. The purchase will be charged from your iTunes account if you choose to buy the Buddy Premium subscription. You can manage or cancel your subscription through the user settings in iTunes after the purchase. The subscription period ends with the same kind of subscription you already bought to the same price unless you turn off your subscription 24 hours before it renews. It is not possible to cancel your current subscription during the time your subscription is active. Terms & Conditions: http://www.nattkod.tech/privacy_policy_terms_conditions

About

Money Journal

A privacy-first budget planner and expense tracker that helps you plan where your money will go without linking bank accounts. Organize finances, track bills, and set savings goals with flexible billing cycles and AI-powered transaction logging.

Highlights
  • Privacy-first expense tracking
  • Budget planning
  • Flexible billing cycles
  • AI receipt scanning
  • Customizable categories
  • Cross-device sync
Features
Read full description

Your finances are private. Your budget app should be too. Money Journal is a privacy-first budget planner and expense tracker that works without linking your bank account. No credentials to share, no third-party data access, no risk. Just you, your plan, and complete control over your money. Most budgeting apps only tell you where your money went. Money Journal helps you plan where it will go. PLAN YOUR BUDGET Create your spending plan before the month begins. Add recurring income from salaries, freelance work, rental payments, or dividends. Set fixed expenses for predictable bills like rent, subscriptions, and insurance. Budget flexible spending for groceries, dining, and entertainment. Define savings goals and track your progress toward each one. Organize your money into dedicated wallets — emergency fund, checking, savings, or however you manage your accounts. Your closing balance automatically carries forward as next month's opening balance, so your plan always reflects reality. FLEXIBLE BILLING CYCLES Real life doesn't follow a single schedule, and neither should your budget. Set each income and expense on its own cycle — daily, weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, quarterly, or yearly. Recurring transactions are generated automatically, and reminders ensure you never miss a bill or payment. LOG TRANSACTIONS YOUR WAY Add transactions in seconds against your planned categories. Scan receipts with your camera for AI-powered import that fills in the amount, category, and details automatically. Import transactions from bank statements and CSV files. See your forecast versus actuals in real time, and always know exactly how much you have left to spend. REVIEW AND UNDERSTAND YOUR FINANCES See your cash flow at a glance with clear income versus expense breakdowns. Dive into spending allocation by category, view monthly and yearly summaries, and spot patterns before they become problems. DESIGNED FOR YOUR LIFE - Supports 80+ currencies for tracking finances worldwide - Create custom categories with icons to match your lifestyle - Syncs securely across iPhone, iPad, Mac, and the web - Available in 12+ languages PREMIUM Unlock powerful tools to take your financial planning further: - AI receipt and statement import - Spending insights and analytics - Real-time sync across all your devices - Unlimited wallets for detailed fund management - Sub-categories for granular expense tracking - Export transactions to CSV YOUR DATA STAYS YOURS Money Journal is built on a simple principle: your financial data belongs to you. There is no bank account linking, no selling of data to advertisers, and no third-party tracking. Download Money Journal and take control of your financial future. Terms of Use: https://www.moneyjournal.app/terms-of-service Privacy Policy: https://www.moneyjournal.app/privacy-policy

Screenshots

Buddy4 screens
Money Journal4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Buddy at 4.7 against Money Journal's 4.3. Buddy also leads on ratings volume (9.5K vs 359) and chart position (#72 vs unranked). Money Journal's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Buddy sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Money Journal sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

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 359, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 49% of Buddy's written reviews are positive against 50% of Money Journal's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Buddy ships an update every 9 days, Money Journal every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and August 15, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Buddy versus Money Journal: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBuddyMoney Journal
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (9.5K ratings) — better4.3 (359 ratings)
Positive reviews48.9% of reviews50.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings9.5K — better359
Update frequencyEvery 9 daysEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#72 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS18.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size152 MB177 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBuddy Budgeting ABDIMMPLE PTY LTD

Customer experience

Buddy

All ratings9,455 ratings
Positive92.8%
Neutral3.0%
Negative4.2%
Written reviews857 reviews
Positive48.9%
Neutral12.0%
Negative39.1%

Money Journal

All ratings359 ratings
Positive83.0%
Neutral4.2%
Negative12.8%
Written reviews107 reviews
Positive50.5%
Neutral5.6%
Negative43.9%

User reviews

Buddy

From 9.5K App Store ratings

What we love

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

Room to improve

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

Money Journal

From 359 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💻 Clean and beautiful UI
  • 🙌 Simple and easy to use
  • 📊 Helpful for budgeting and tracking expenses
  • 🔒 Doesn't require bank account connection
  • 🎨 Customizable categories and themes

Room to improve

  • 💰 Expensive premium features
  • 🔒 Limited functionality in free version
  • 🔀 Difficulty transferring money between accounts
  • 🔄 Rigid budget cycle dates
  • 🐛 Bugs and crashes reported

Bugs and requests

Buddy

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • 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

8 requests
  • Calendar view for transactions
  • Bill reminders and due date tracking
  • Ability to hide/exclude certain transactions
  • Savings/investment tracking
  • Multi-currency support
Show 3 more
  • Ability to reorder categories
  • Weekly budget view
  • Ability to split transactions

Money Journal

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • App freezing or crashing on launch
  • Data loss or disappearance of existing budgets
  • Syncing and migration issues with app updates

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add recurring payments and bills
  • Improve budget rollover and carry-over options
  • Allow custom budget cycle dates
  • Add multi-user/family sharing capabilities
  • Provide more detailed spending analytics and reports

In-app purchases

11 purchases

Buddy

Subscriptions10
  • Buddy Premium7 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Buddy Premium$4.991 Month
  • Premium$9.991 Month
Show 7 more
  • Buddy Premium$9.991 Month
  • Buddy Premium7 Days trial$16.991 Year
  • Buddy Premium7 Days trial$24.991 Year
  • Buddy Premium7 Days trial$34.991 Year
  • Buddy Premium1 Year trial$34.991 Year
  • Buddy Premium7 Days trial$39.991 Year
  • Buddy Premium7 Days trial2 variants$49.991 Year
One-time1
  • Unlimited$49.99
5 purchases

Money Journal

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Pro$5.991 Month
  • Yearly Pro3 Days trial$29.991 Year
One-time3
  • 1 Month Premium$9.99
  • 3 Months Premium$21.99
  • Lifetime Premium$44.99

Questions

Is Buddy free?
Buddy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Money Journal free?
Money Journal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Buddy or Money Journal?
Buddy is rated higher. Buddy averages 4.7 out of 5 from 9.5K ratings, while Money Journal averages 4.3 from 359 ratings.
Do Buddy or Money Journal have ads?
Neither Buddy nor Money Journal shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Buddy or Money Journal?
Buddy ships an update every 9 days, and Money Journal every 5 days. Most recently, Buddy was updated on September 24, 2026 and Money Journal on August 15, 2026.

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