# Buddy vs Purchase Tracker

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Purchase Tracker at none against Buddy's 15. Purchase Tracker also leads on review sentiment (83% vs 49%) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 18.0). Buddy's advantage is update cadence (every 9 days vs every 35 months) and ratings volume (9.5K vs 15). On price, rating 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. Purchase Tracker asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Buddy against 4.8 for Purchase Tracker. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Buddy has 9.5K ratings behind it against 15, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 49% of Buddy's written reviews are positive against 83% of Purchase Tracker's.

Buddy ships an update every 9 days, Purchase Tracker every 35 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 14, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Buddy | Purchase Tracker |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (9.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/buddy-budget-planner-app/id936422955/reviews) | **[4.8 (15 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/purchase-tracker/id1457110640/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **9.5K** | 15 |
| Positive reviews | 48.9% of reviews | **83.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | — |
| Update frequency | **Every 9 days** | Every 35 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#65** | — |
| Size | 152 MB | 25 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Buddy Budgeting AB](https://appshunter.io/developer/936422954) | [Khanh Steffen](https://appshunter.io/developer/1223668802) |

## What reviewers say

### Buddy

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

**Currently charting:** #65 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


### Purchase Tracker

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/purchase-tracker/id1457110640)

A privacy-focused expense tracker that works entirely offline. Log daily spending, set budgets, and gain insights into your financial habits with simple charts and graphs. Ideal for users seeking a straightforward and secure way to manage their money without ads or subscriptions.

**Highlights:** Log daily expenses, 100% offline functionality, Set monthly spending limits, Customizable categories, Spending insights with charts, Data export/import

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Buddy free?

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

### Is Purchase Tracker free?

Purchase Tracker is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Buddy or Purchase Tracker?

Purchase Tracker is rated higher. Buddy averages 4.7 out of 5 from 9.5K ratings, while Purchase Tracker averages 4.8 from 15 ratings.

### Which is updated more often, Buddy or Purchase Tracker?

Buddy ships an update every 9 days, and Purchase Tracker every 35 months. Most recently, Buddy was updated on September 24, 2026 and Purchase Tracker on September 14, 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.*