# Buddy vs Affinity Vault

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Affinity Vault at none against Buddy's 10. Affinity Vault also leads on iOS requirement (15.1 vs 18.0). Buddy's advantage is update cadence (every 9 days vs every 4 months) and chart position (#67 vs unranked). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Buddy sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Affinity Vault asks for nothing beyond the download.

Buddy ships an update every 9 days, Affinity Vault every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on November 15, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Buddy | Affinity Vault |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (9.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/buddy-budget-planner-app/id936422955/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **9.6K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 48.8% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 9 days** | Every 4 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Best chart rank | **#67** | — |
| Size | 159 MB | 39 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Buddy Budgeting AB](https://appshunter.io/developer/936422954) | [FutureVault Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1145623257) |

## What reviewers say

### Buddy

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

**Currently charting:** #67 Top Grossing · Finance (US App Store)

Manage your money effectively by creating budgets and tracking expenses. Share budgets with loved ones for joint financial planning and easily settle shared costs. Connect your bank account for automatic transaction import and gain a clear overview of your financial health.

**Highlights:** Budget creation and tracking, Shared budgets with partners and friends, Bank account connection for transaction import, Detailed spending and income overview, Transaction splitting and settlement, Customizable budget plans

**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


### Affinity Vault

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/affinity-vault/id1597799740)

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Buddy free?

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

### Is Affinity Vault free?

Affinity Vault is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Buddy or Affinity Vault have ads?

Neither Buddy nor Affinity Vault shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Buddy or Affinity Vault?

Buddy ships an update every 9 days, and Affinity Vault every 4 months. Most recently, Buddy was updated on November 15, 2026 and Affinity Vault on November 7, 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.*