# Buddy vs Pocket

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Buddy at 9.6K against Pocket's 1. Buddy also leads on chart position (#85 vs unranked) and device support (3 vs 1). Pocket's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.7). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Buddy sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Pocket sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Pocket 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, Pocket every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Buddy | Pocket |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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/pocket-spending-tracker/id6747596366/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **9.6K** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 48.7% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 9 days | **Every 6 days** |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#85** | — |
| Size | 173 MB | 10 MB |
| Requires iOS | **18.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Buddy Budgeting AB](https://appshunter.io/developer/936422954) | [Smudgebit](https://appshunter.io/developer/1737589655) |

## What reviewers say

### Buddy

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

**Currently charting:** #85 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


### Pocket

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pocket-spending-tracker/id6747596366)

Easily log expenses and income with a minimalist interface. Gain clear insights into your financial habits through weekly, monthly, or annual spending trend reports. Plan smarter, budget better, and build lasting financial habits with a one-time purchase.

**Highlights:** Log expenses and income, Minimalist interface, Financial habit insights, Weekly, monthly, annual reports, Budget planning, One-time purchase

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pocket Premium | $19.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Buddy free?

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

### Is Pocket free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Buddy or Pocket?

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

### Do Buddy or Pocket have ads?

Neither Buddy nor Pocket shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Buddy or Pocket?

Buddy ships an update every 9 days, and Pocket every 6 days. Most recently, Buddy was updated on November 4, 2026 and Pocket on October 30, 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.*