Comparison

Buddy vs Smart Spend

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

Head to head
About

Buddy

Manage your finances by creating budgets, tracking expenses, and viewing detailed overviews of your income and savings. Collaborate on shared budgets with friends and family, and easily settle up any shared costs.

Highlights
  • Budget creation and tracking
  • Expense and income monitoring
  • Shared budgets for groups
  • Bank account transaction import
  • Detailed spending overviews
  • Transaction splitting and settlement
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. Privacy Policy: https://buddy.download/privacypolicy/ Terms & Conditions: https://buddy.download/terms-and-conditions/

About

Smart Spend

This app helps you actively understand and transform your spending habits through hands-on learning and financial insights. It offers customized budgeting tools, engaging trivia, and advanced analysis without linking bank accounts, prioritizing your privacy. Receive daily feedback and earn rewards for improving your financial discipline.

Highlights
  • Active spending and savings tracking
  • Financial pattern identification
  • Spending knowledge trivia game
  • Customizable budgeting (Cash Pool, MicroBudgets)
  • Advanced search and filter tools
  • Privacy-focused, no bank linking
  • Siri integration and iOS widgets
Features
Read full description

Revolutionize Your Finances with Smart Spend – The Active Budgeting App Why Smart Spend? Unlike traditional budgeting apps, Smart Spend focuses on empowering you to understand and transform your spending habits actively. Our approach is hands-on and educational, ensuring that you're not just tracking expenses but learning from them. Key Features: - Hands-On Learning: Track spending and savings actively, without linking bank accounts. - Financial Insights: Discover patterns in your spending and identify saving opportunities. - Spending Trivia: Engage with our unique trivia game to test your spending knowledge and improve your 'Smart Score'. - Customized Budgeting: Tailor your budget with features like 'Cash Pool' and 'MicroBudgets' – perfect for irregular incomes and special occasions. - Advanced Analysis: Utilize powerful search and filter tools to dissect your spending. - Privacy First: Your data stays on your device. No need for personal details or bank logins. What Sets Us Apart? - Forever Free: We believe that managing money shouldn't come with a price tag. - Real-World Impact: Quickly see how everyday purchases affect your budget. - Innovative Modes: 'First Mile' and 'Cash Pool' cater to unique financial situations. - Interactive Learning: Earn trophies and points as your spending habits improve. - Convenient Integration: Use Siri for entries, import .csv files, and enjoy iOS widgets. - Daily Feedback: Receive personalized spending notifications each evening. Our Philosophy: We believe in old-school budgeting where you're aware and in control. It's about practice, repetition, and leveraging technology and discipline to meet your financial goals. Start Your Journey Today with Smart Spend! Download now to transform your financial habits, save more, and enjoy a healthier financial life. Privacy Policy: https://smartspendapp.com/privacy User Agreement: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Buddy4 screens
Smart Spend4 screens

Verdict

The call

Buddy and Smart Spend both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 85% of Smart Spend's written reviews are positive against 49% of Buddy's. Smart Spend also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 10) and iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.0). Buddy's advantage is ratings volume (9.6K vs 258) and chart position (#56 vs unranked). On price, rating, 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 9 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Smart Spend asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Buddy against 4.7 for Smart Spend. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Buddy has 9.6K ratings behind it against 258, 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 85% of Smart Spend's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Buddy ships an update every 9 days, Smart Spend every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Buddy versus Smart Spend: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBuddySmart Spend
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (9.6K ratings)4.7 (258 ratings) — better
Positive reviews48.7% of reviews84.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings9.6K — better258
Update frequencyEvery 9 daysEvery 8 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#56 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone
Requires iOS18.016.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size173 MB75 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBuddy Budgeting ABScicotherapy Labs LLC

Customer experience

Buddy

All ratings9,609 ratings
Positive92.8%
Neutral2.9%
Negative4.3%
Written reviews892 reviews
Positive48.7%
Neutral11.9%
Negative39.5%

Smart Spend

All ratings258 ratings
Positive94.2%
Neutral3.1%
Negative2.7%
Written reviews39 reviews
Positive84.6%
Neutral5.1%
Negative10.3%

User reviews

Buddy

From 9.6K 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

Smart Spend

From 258 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💡 Original take on budgeting
  • 💡 Risk of purchase indicator
  • 💡 Annual expenses tracking
  • 💡 Brilliant cash pool idea
  • 💡 Prioritize purchases (needs, loves, likes, wants)

Room to improve

  • ❌ Missing country currency
  • 🐛 App crashes after update
  • ❌ Cannot edit/delete previous entries
  • ❌ No option for weekly expenses (e.g., groceries)
  • ❌ Cannot edit bill information (only delete and re-enter)

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

Smart Spend

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App crashes immediately upon opening after update
  • Hourly income input glitch, defaults to $45
  • Cannot edit/delete previous entries
  • Cannot edit bill information, only delete and re-enter

Requested features

8 requests
  • Visualize cash pool growth
  • Add additional income sources (bonus, etc.)
  • Ability to change savings by numbers, not just percentage
  • Show difference when adding a purchase to see remaining spendable amount
  • Add more themes/color options
Show 3 more
  • Watch compatibility for quick transactions and basic overview
  • Option for weekly expense entries
  • Ability to edit bill information directly

In-app purchases

9 purchases

Buddy

Subscriptions9
  • Buddy Premium7 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Buddy Premium$4.991 Month
  • Premium$9.991 Month
Show 6 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 trial2 variants$49.991 Year
None

Smart Spend

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Buddy free?
Buddy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Smart Spend free?
Smart Spend is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Buddy or Smart Spend?
Smart Spend is rated higher. Buddy averages 4.7 out of 5 from 9.6K ratings, while Smart Spend averages 4.7 from 258 ratings.
Do Buddy or Smart Spend have ads?
Neither Buddy nor Smart Spend shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Buddy or Smart Spend?
Buddy ships an update every 9 days, and Smart Spend every 8 days. Most recently, Buddy was updated on November 8, 2026 and Smart Spend on November 3, 2026.

Other comparisons