# Buddy vs NIF Express

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: NIF Express at none against Buddy's 15. NIF Express also leads on iOS requirement (16.4 vs 18.0). Buddy's advantage is chart position (#68 vs unranked) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

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

Buddy ships an update every 9 days, NIF Express fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Buddy | NIF Express |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (9.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/buddy-budget-planner-app/id936422955/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **9.6K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 48.5% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 9 days** | Fortnightly |
| Monetization | Freemium | — |
| Best chart rank | **#68** | — |
| Size | 173 MB | 69 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **16.4** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Buddy Budgeting AB](https://appshunter.io/developer/936422954) | [BOCEAN IMMIGRATION PORTUGAL, LDA](https://appshunter.io/developer/6785480608) |

## What reviewers say

### Buddy

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

**Currently charting:** #68 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 (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


### NIF Express

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nif-express/id6801188437)

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Buddy free?

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

### Is NIF Express free?

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

### Do Buddy or NIF Express have ads?

Neither Buddy nor NIF Express shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Buddy or NIF Express?

Buddy ships an update every 9 days, and NIF Express fortnightly. Most recently, Buddy was updated on November 2, 2026 and NIF Express on October 25, 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.*