Buddy vs joyspend
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Buddy
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.
- Create personal budgets
- Shared budgeting for couples/groups
- Connect bank accounts for transaction import
- Detailed spending and income overview
- Expense splitting and settlement tracking
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Buddy helps you set up a budget and keep track of your expenses, either by yourself or together with your loved ones. Here’s what is waiting for you inside: BUDGETS Buddy will help you not to overspend on your well-earned salary by setting up a budget plan that fits you. Do you want a shared budget with your partner? Or keep the expenses between you and your mates fair on the vacation? No problem, just invite them and get a clear picture of who spent what. CONNECT YOUR BANK Import all transactions from your bank account into Buddy and see how your budget is doing. OVERVIEW We'll give you a beautiful & detailed overview of your spendings, income, and savings. SPLIT Split lets you know who paid what, and how to settle up. And much more for you to find. Take control of your finance today! Buddy offers a $9.99 monthly renewing and a $49.99 yearly renewing subscription to unlock Premium functionality. The purchase will be charged from your iTunes account if you choose to buy the Buddy Premium subscription. You can manage or cancel your subscription through the user settings in iTunes after the purchase. The subscription period ends with the same kind of subscription you already bought to the same price unless you turn off your subscription 24 hours before it renews. It is not possible to cancel your current subscription during the time your subscription is active. Privacy Policy: https://buddy.download/privacypolicy/ Terms & Conditions: https://buddy.download/terms-and-conditions/
joyspend
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Spend with more awareness. JoySpend is the expense tracker that connects your money to the moments behind it. Log purchases, note how they felt, and discover patterns that help you spend with greater confidence. TRACK THE FEELING BEHIND EVERY SPEND Choose how each purchase felt: Joyful, Good, Okay, or Regretful. Your Joy-Per-Spend Score turns everyday transactions into a clearer picture of your spending habits. SEE WHAT YOUR MONEY IS TELLING YOU • View income, expenses, savings, and monthly totals • Explore spending by category, emotion, and time period • Spot trends with clear, easy-to-read insights • Stay connected to your money with Daily Insights and Weekly Vibes BUILD GOALS THAT FEEL ACHIEVABLE Set a savings goal, follow your progress, and see what is left to save. JoySpend helps you keep meaningful plans—big or small—in view. MEET JOYSPEND COACH Ask questions about your spending, get personalised insights, plan goals, and better understand where your money is going. MAKE TRACKING SIMPLE • Add expenses, income, and investments quickly • Organise spending with categories and subcategories • Set budgets and category limits • Track recurring bills and subscriptions • Use multiple currencies with exchange-rate conversion • Get optional daily reminders YOUR MONEY, YOUR WAY Use JoySpend offline with no account required, or sign in with Google or Apple to sync your data across devices. Whether you are building a budget, saving for something important, or simply becoming more intentional with money, JoySpend helps you make every spend count.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: joyspend at none against Buddy's 15. joyspend also leads on iOS requirement (15.1 vs 18.0). Buddy's advantage is chart position (#81 vs unranked). On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Buddy sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. joyspend asks for nothing beyond the download.
Buddy ships an update every 9 days, joyspend every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Buddy | joyspend |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (9.6K ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 48.5% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 9.6K — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 9 days — better | Every 2 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Best chart rank | #81 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 15.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 169 MB | 47 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Buddy Budgeting AB | Ayush Goel |
Bugs and requests
Buddy
Reported bugs
5 issues- 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
8 requests- Calendar view for transactions
- Bill reminders and due date tracking
- Ability to hide/exclude certain transactions
- Savings/investment tracking
- Multi-currency support
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- Ability to reorder categories
- Weekly budget view
- Ability to split transactions
joyspend
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Buddy
- Buddy Premium7 Days trial$4.991 Month
- Buddy Premium$4.991 Month
- Premium$9.991 Month
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- Buddy Premium$9.991 Month
- Buddy Premium7 Days trial$16.991 Year
- Buddy Premium7 Days trial$24.991 Year
- Buddy Premium7 Days trial$34.991 Year
- Buddy Premium1 Year trial$34.991 Year
- Buddy Premium7 Days trial$39.991 Year
- Buddy Premium7 Days trial2 variants$49.991 Year
- Unlimited$49.99
joyspend
No in-app purchases








