# Buddy vs BudgetArk

The clearest difference is review sentiment: BudgetArk at 100% against Buddy's 49%. BudgetArk also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 10) and rating (5.0 vs 4.7). Buddy's advantage is ratings volume (9.6K vs 4) and update cadence (every 9 days vs monthly). 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. BudgetArk asks for nothing beyond the download.

BudgetArk 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 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 49% of Buddy's written reviews are positive against 100% of BudgetArk's.

Buddy ships an update every 9 days, BudgetArk monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 10, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Buddy | BudgetArk |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (9.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/buddy-budget-planner-app/id936422955/reviews) | **[5.0 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/budgetark/id6760246006/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **9.6K** | 4 |
| Positive reviews | 48.7% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 9 days** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Freemium | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#57** | — |
| Size | 173 MB | 54 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **16.4** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Buddy Budgeting AB](https://appshunter.io/developer/936422954) | [RICKEY AUSTIN CORNETT](https://appshunter.io/developer/1883445918) |

## What reviewers say

### Buddy

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

**Currently charting:** #57 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


### BudgetArk

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/budgetark/id6760246006)

Manage your finances privately with this open-source app. Track debt, plan budgets, and project investments without subscriptions or sign-ups. Your financial data stays on your device.

**Highlights:** Debt tracking with progress insights, Budget planning by category, Investment projection tools, Couples-friendly debt planning, Avalanche and Snowball payoff strategies, Local data storage, Open-source with community feedback

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Buddy free?

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

### Is BudgetArk free?

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

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

BudgetArk is rated higher. Buddy averages 4.7 out of 5 from 9.6K ratings, while BudgetArk averages 5.0 from 4 ratings.

### Do Buddy or BudgetArk have ads?

Neither Buddy nor BudgetArk shows ads.

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

Buddy ships an update every 9 days, and BudgetArk monthly. Most recently, Buddy was updated on November 10, 2026 and BudgetArk on November 5, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*