# Buddy vs Smart Spend

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 (#66 vs unranked). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

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.

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.

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

## The numbers

| Metric | Buddy | Smart Spend |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (9.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/buddy-budget-planner-app/id936422955/reviews) | **[4.7 (258 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smart-spend-cost-analyzer/id1464471112/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **9.6K** | 258 |
| Positive reviews | 48.7% of reviews | **84.6% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 9 days | **Every 8 days** |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#66** | — |
| Size | 173 MB | 75 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **16.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Buddy Budgeting AB](https://appshunter.io/developer/936422954) | [Scicotherapy Labs LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1260450873) |

## What reviewers say

### Buddy

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

**Currently charting:** #66 Top Grossing · Finance (US App Store)

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

**In-app purchases (9)**

| 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 | $49.99 | per year |

**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


### Smart Spend

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smart-spend-cost-analyzer/id1464471112)

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:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

- ❌ 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)

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

- 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


## Frequently asked 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 9, 2026 and Smart Spend on November 3, 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.*