Buddy and Lumi are both iPhone-native money apps, but they start from opposite ends: Buddy starts with the plan (set a budget, invite a partner, watch the envelopes), Lumi starts with the data (capture every expense in seconds, then budget from reality). Planners love Buddy. People whose plans die at the data-entry step tend to end up on Lumi.

Quick comparison

	Lumi	Buddy
Core idea	Effortless capture: voice, Apple Pay import, receipt scan	Friendly budget planning, envelopes-style
Entry methods	Voice, auto-import, scan, manual	Manual; bank import in supported regions
Shared budgets	No — each tracks own, settle up monthly	Yes, invite partner/friends, split expenses
AI	Speech parsing, receipt vision, month-end forecast	None
Bank login	Never	Optional, region-dependent
Where data lives	On your device	Cloud (required for shared budgets)
Free tier	Voice, Apple Pay import, 10 scans/mo, 2 budgets	Limited free version
Paid price	$4.99/mo or $39.99/yr	$9.99/mo or $49.99/yr

Where Buddy wins

Buddy's onboarding is one of the friendliest ways to start budgeting on iPhone: pick categories, set amounts, and the app's cheerful design makes the plan feel achievable. Shared budgets are the standout — invite a partner or roommate, split expenses, and see who paid what, all in one place. If your goal is a collaborative plan you build together, Buddy does that job directly.

Where Lumi wins

A budget is only as good as the data underneath it, and manual entry is where the data stops arriving. Lumi's answer is capture-first: say "groceries forty dollars", let Apple Pay purchases import themselves, scan the receipt when there's paper. Budgets then run on complete data — with live progress bars, warnings before the limit, and an AI forecast projecting your month-end balance. It's also cheaper ($39.99 vs $49.99/yr), and nothing requires a cloud account or bank access.

Which one should you pick?

Roommates or a couple building one shared plan together: Buddy — that's its home turf. An individual (or a separate-finances couple) who wants tracking that survives busy weeks: Lumi. For the shared-money question specifically, shared budgets aren't the only model — separate tracking with a monthly settle-up often outlives shared databases, and the couple expense split calculator does the math.

Gotów przejąć kontrolę nad wydatkami?

Download Free on App Store

FAQ

Is Buddy free?

There's a limited free version; Premium unlocks the full feature set at $9.99/month or $49.99/year — currently the pricier of the two apps compared here.

Can Buddy track expenses automatically?

Via bank import where supported. Lumi takes the no-bank route to automation: Apple Pay Shortcut import, voice parsing, and receipt scanning — no credentials shared with anyone.

Which is better for couples?

Depends on the money model. One shared pot, planned together: Buddy. Separate accounts with shared costs settled monthly: Lumi — see best budget apps for couples for the full breakdown by model.

Do both work offline?

Lumi is offline-first — data lives on the device. Buddy's shared features depend on cloud sync, so its collaborative core assumes connectivity.