# Buddy vs Help Me Save

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Help Me Save at none against Buddy's 15. Help Me Save also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.7) and iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.0). Buddy's advantage is ratings volume (9.6K vs 1) and chart position (#80 vs unranked). On price, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Buddy sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Help Me Save asks for nothing beyond the download.

Help Me Save holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Buddy has 9.6K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Buddy ships an update every 9 days, Help Me Save every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Buddy | Help Me Save |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (9.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/buddy-budget-planner-app/id936422955/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/help-me-save/id1661630115/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **9.6K** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 48.5% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 9 days** | Every 2 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#80** | — |
| Size | 169 MB | 1 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) | [Phil Trevor](https://appshunter.io/developer/1661462358) |

## What reviewers say

### Buddy

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

**Currently charting:** #80 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


### Help Me Save

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/help-me-save/id1661630115)

This app helps children learn about saving money and achieving financial goals. Kids can set savings targets, track weekly contributions, and see how long it will take to reach their goals.

**Highlights:** Set savings goals, Track weekly contributions, Calculate time to reach goals, Interactive learning, Customizable target measurement (days, weeks, months)

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Buddy free?

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

### Is Help Me Save free?

Help Me Save is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Buddy or Help Me Save?

Help Me Save is rated higher. Buddy averages 4.7 out of 5 from 9.6K ratings, while Help Me Save averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Buddy or Help Me Save have ads?

Neither Buddy nor Help Me Save shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Buddy or Help Me Save?

Buddy ships an update every 9 days, and Help Me Save every 2 weeks. Most recently, Buddy was updated on October 24, 2026 and Help Me Save on October 16, 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.*