# Buddy vs Couples Expense Tracker

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Couples Expense Tracker at 100% against Buddy's 49%. Couples Expense Tracker also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 9 days) and iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.0). Buddy's advantage is rating (4.7 vs 1.0) and ratings volume (9.5K vs 1). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Buddy sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Couples Expense Tracker sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Buddy holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Buddy has 9.5K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 49% of Buddy's written reviews are positive against 100% of Couples Expense Tracker's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Buddy ships an update every 9 days, Couples Expense Tracker every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and August 1, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Buddy | Couples Expense Tracker |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (9.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/buddy-budget-planner-app/id936422955/reviews)** | [1.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/couples-expense-tracker/id6476325272/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **9.5K** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 48.9% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 9 days | **Every 4 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Best chart rank | **#65** | — |
| Size | 152 MB | 10 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **16.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Buddy Budgeting AB](https://appshunter.io/developer/936422954) | [Nicholas Nikeforou](https://appshunter.io/developer/1558556372) |

## 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


### Couples Expense Tracker

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/couples-expense-tracker/id6476325272)

Manage shared finances with your partner effortlessly. Track bills, split expenses dynamically based on income, and visualize spending with insightful analytics. Securely sync data and get a clear overview of your combined net worth.

**Highlights:** Effortless expense tracking, Hub sharing with partner, Dynamic expense splitting by income, Insightful budget analytics, Net worth overview, Customizable security (Face/Touch ID), Real-time iCloud sync

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Full Access | $1.99 | per 7 days |
| Full Access | $4.99 | per month |
| Full Access | $29.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Buddy free?

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

### Is Couples Expense Tracker free?

Couples Expense Tracker is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Buddy or Couples Expense Tracker?

Buddy is rated higher. Buddy averages 4.7 out of 5 from 9.5K ratings, while Couples Expense Tracker averages 1.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Buddy or Couples Expense Tracker have ads?

Neither Buddy nor Couples Expense Tracker shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Buddy or Couples Expense Tracker?

Buddy ships an update every 9 days, and Couples Expense Tracker every 4 days. Most recently, Buddy was updated on September 24, 2026 and Couples Expense Tracker on August 1, 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.*