# Buddy vs I Am Saving

The clearest difference is review sentiment: I Am Saving at 85% against Buddy's 48%. I Am Saving also leads on iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.0). Buddy's advantage is update cadence (every 9 days vs every 4 months) and ratings volume (9.6K vs 132). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Buddy sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and I Am Saving sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Buddy holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Buddy has 9.6K ratings behind it against 132, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 48% of Buddy's written reviews are positive against 85% of I Am Saving'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, I Am Saving every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Buddy | I Am Saving |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (9.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/buddy-budget-planner-app/id936422955/reviews)** | [4.5 (132 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/i-am-saving/id1456550827/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **9.6K** | 132 |
| Positive reviews | 48.5% of reviews | **85.4% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 9 days** | Every 4 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#84** | — |
| Size | 169 MB | 19 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **16.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Buddy Budgeting AB](https://appshunter.io/developer/936422954) | [Vadim Belyaev](https://appshunter.io/developer/1456550826) |

## What reviewers say

### Buddy

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

**Currently charting:** #84 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


### I Am Saving

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/i-am-saving/id1456550827)

This app helps children learn to save money by setting savings goals, tracking income and expenses, and visualizing progress. It encourages good financial habits and congratulates users upon reaching their goals.

**Highlights:** Set savings goals, Track income and expenses, Visualize savings progress, Adjust goals anytime, Congratulates on achievement, Encourages good habits

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Full Version | $5.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Buddy free?

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

### Is I Am Saving free?

I Am Saving is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Buddy or I Am Saving?

Buddy is rated higher. Buddy averages 4.7 out of 5 from 9.6K ratings, while I Am Saving averages 4.5 from 132 ratings.

### Do Buddy or I Am Saving have ads?

Neither Buddy nor I Am Saving shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Buddy or I Am Saving?

Buddy ships an update every 9 days, and I Am Saving every 4 months. Most recently, Buddy was updated on October 29, 2026 and I Am Saving on October 26, 2026.

---

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