Every fact was read from the app's live store listing or website on 2026-09-19; each comparison page links its sources. We make Expense Tracker, so the rivals' advantages are listed first on every page. No star ratings are shown — they change daily and say little about fit.
Decide one thing first: do you want the app to fill itself in (bank or SMS sync, which needs an account or SMS access), or do you want your data to stay on your phone (manual entry)? That choice rules out half of this list before any feature matters.
| App | Bank sync | SMS tracking | Sign-in | Ads (free) | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Money Manager (Realbyte) | Not published | Not published | Not published | Yes | Remove-ads app ₹99 |
| Walnut (now axio) | Not published | Yes | Not published | None listed | Free (sells loans) |
| Spendee | Yes (India banks not named) | Not published | Not published | None listed | $1.99–$5.99/mo (website) |
| Wallet by BudgetBakers | Yes, Premium (India not mentioned) | Not published | Required | None listed | Lifetime ₹1,999 (App Store) |
| Monefy | No | Not published | Not published | None listed | ₹149–₹3,900 per item (Play) |
| Goodbudget | US banks only, Premium | Not published | Required | No | $10/mo or $80/yr (website) |
| Expense Tracker: Income Manager | No | No inbox access; paste-to-parse (Pro) | None | No | ₹29/mo, ₹299/yr or ₹699 once |
"Not published" means the developer's own listing or website does not say. Store prices are India storefront labels; website prices in dollars are shown where no rupee plan price is published.
It depends on one trade-off: automation or privacy. Apps with bank or SMS sync (axio, Spendee, Wallet) fill themselves in but need an account or SMS access. Offline apps (Money Manager, Monefy, Expense Tracker) keep data on the phone and need a few seconds per entry. Decide that first; the feature lists matter less.
No. ET Money's Google Play listing now covers mutual funds and investments, and in a reply to a user review on 21 April 2025 the developer said expense tracking and credit score are no longer available (checked 19 September 2026).
Of the apps compared here, axio (formerly Walnut) is the one that publishes SMS-based tracking. Expense Tracker does not read SMS; its Pro parser works only on a message you copy or paste.
Expense Tracker: Income Manager works completely offline with no account. Spendee, Wallet and Goodbudget are built around cloud sync. Money Manager, Monefy and axio do not state on their listings whether every feature works offline.
Expense Tracker: Income Manager: offline, no account, no ads. Free plan forever; Pro ₹29 a month, ₹299 a year or ₹699 once. See the app.
Each comparison page lists its own sources. The ET Money answer above is from its Google Play listing: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.smartspends&hl=en_IN&gl=IN.