Comparison

Buddy vs Rough Budget

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

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.

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
Currently charting
Read full description

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/

About

Rough Budget

Features
Read full description

Have you ever tried a budgeting app, only to find that entering expenses and checking your spending were on separate screens? It can quickly become a hassle to keep up with. Rough Budget is a simple, all-in-one budget tracker designed to make managing your money effortless. 【Key Features】 ■ Everything on One Screen Start recording as soon as you open the app. Select a category, enter the amount you spent, and add an optional note—all in just a few taps. ■ Beautiful, Easy-to-Read Pie Charts See what you spent money on this month and how much remains at a glance. Your chart updates instantly after each entry, making it easy to reflect on your spending. Swipe the pie chart to view spending by category for the month. ■ Stay Motivated with Your Wish List Saving is more fun when you have a goal. Add the things you want to buy and track your progress with a clear progress bar. ■ Dark Mode Support Use Dark Mode for a more comfortable experience that fits your preference. Rough Budget is perfect for anyone who wants a simple way to manage expenses and remaining budget—without unnecessary complexity. Enter this month’s budget and start managing your money with ease today. EULA (Legal Documents) https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Buddy4 screens
Rough Budget4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Buddy at none against Rough Budget's shown. Buddy also leads on chart position (#73 vs unranked). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Buddy sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Rough Budget sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Buddy ships an update every 9 days, Rough Budget fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 9 level
Buddy versus Rough Budget: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBuddyRough Budget
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (9.6K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews48.5% of reviews—
Number of ratings9.6K — better—
Update frequencyEvery 9 days — betterFortnightly
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
Best chart rank#73 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.0 — better18.2
Further details — not scored
Size169 MB5 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBuddy Budgeting ABYohei Yamaguchi

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
Show 3 more
  • Ability to reorder categories
  • Weekly budget view
  • Ability to split transactions

Rough Budget

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

11 purchases

Buddy

Subscriptions10
  • Buddy Premium7 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Buddy Premium$4.991 Month
  • Premium$9.991 Month
Show 7 more
  • 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
One-time1
  • Unlimited$49.99
1 purchases

Rough Budget

One-time1
  • プレミアム版$2.99

Questions

Is Buddy free?
Buddy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Rough Budget free?
Rough Budget is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Buddy or Rough Budget have ads?
Rough Budget shows ads; Buddy does not.
Which is updated more often, Buddy or Rough Budget?
Buddy ships an update every 9 days, and Rough Budget fortnightly. Most recently, Buddy was updated on November 1, 2026 and Rough Budget on October 24, 2026.

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