# Buddy vs Expense Tracker Simple

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Expense Tracker Simple at none against Buddy's 15. Expense Tracker Simple also leads on review sentiment (75% vs 49%) and update cadence (every 2 days vs every 9 days). Buddy's advantage is ratings volume (9.6K vs 1) and chart position (#80 vs unranked). On price, ads and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

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

Expense Tracker Simple 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. Written reviews point the same way: 49% of Buddy's written reviews are positive against 75% of Expense Tracker Simple's.

Buddy ships an update every 9 days, Expense Tracker Simple every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Buddy | Expense Tracker Simple |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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/expense-tracker-simple/id6761222460/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **9.6K** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 49.3% of reviews | **75.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 9 days | **Every 2 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#80** | — |
| Size | 169 MB | 6 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **17.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Buddy Budgeting AB](https://appshunter.io/developer/936422954) | [Vipul Vishnu AV](https://appshunter.io/developer/1888301617) |

## 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


### Expense Tracker Simple

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/expense-tracker-simple/id6761222460)

This app offers a straightforward way to track your expenses without requiring an account or subscription. Log spending quickly with custom categories and view your financial habits through charts and historical data.

**Highlights:** Log expenses with amount, category, date, and note, 10 built-in categories, Up to 15 custom categories, Monthly history browsing, Pie chart spending breakdown, Analytics section for insights, Yearly spending view

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Buddy free?

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

### Is Expense Tracker Simple free?

Expense Tracker Simple is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

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

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

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

Neither Buddy nor Expense Tracker Simple shows ads.

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

Buddy ships an update every 9 days, and Expense Tracker Simple every 2 days. Most recently, Buddy was updated on October 18, 2026 and Expense Tracker Simple on October 17, 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.*