Comparison

IOU vs Check Mate

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

Head to head
About

IOU

Effortlessly split bills with friends by scanning receipts. The app itemizes purchases, assigns them to individuals, and calculates each person's total including tip and tax. Avoid manual calculations and ensure fair payment among your group.

Highlights
  • Receipt scanning and itemization
  • Assign items to individuals
  • Automatic tax and tip calculation
  • Per-person total calculation
  • Eliminates manual bill splitting
Features
Read full description

IOU is the easiest way to scan receipts, itemize every purchase, and split group expenses accurately. Split what everyone actually ordered—no spreadsheets, no mental math, no awkward follow-ups. SCAN RECEIPTS. ASSIGN ITEMS. DONE. Take a photo of any receipt and IOU will automatically extract items, prices, and totals. Then tap through and assign each item to the right person. Perfect for dinners, trips, and shared purchases where everyone orders something different. ACCURATE SPLITS, EVEN INTERNATIONALLY Split expenses using items, equal splits, percentages, or exact amounts. IOU supports foreign currencies with real-world exchange accuracy using actual credit card charge rates. Region-aware calculations ensure tax and tip are handled correctly wherever you are. BUILT FOR GROUP EXPENSES Create groups for trips, dinners, roommates, and more. Customize groups with photos or curated artwork. Track all expenses in one place and view group insights and spending breakdowns. Settle up easily with Venmo & CashApp. POWERFUL RECEIPT FEATURES * Scan and automatically itemize receipts * Works with foreign receipts and translations * Assign items to individuals one by one * Upload and store receipts within groups * Share a clean breakdown with your group FLEXIBLE AND ORGANIZED * Import existing expenses from other apps * Export your data as CSV or PDF * Adjust settings based on your region * Customize the app with your preferred accent color WHY IOU MOST APPS SPLIT TOTALS. IOU SPLITS WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED. No more overpaying. No more chasing people. Just accurate, transparent group expenses. Terms of condition: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Check Mate

Effortlessly divide shared expenses with friends and family. Snap a photo of your bill, itemize costs, and clearly see who owes whom. Keep a history of all your shared expenses for easy tracking and transparent financial transactions.

Highlights
  • Bill photo scanning
  • Automatic expense identification
  • Customizable expense itemization
  • Clear 'who owes whom' breakdown
  • Shareable settlement reports
  • History of all bills
Read full description

Tired of the hassle of splitting bills with friends or family? Introducing Check Mate, the ultimate bill-splitting app that takes the pain out of managing expenses! Whether you're dining out, shopping, or sharing costs on any occasion, Check Mate is your go-to solution for precise and efficient bill splitting. Key Features: – Bill Photo Scanning: No more manual data entry! Simply snap a photo of the bill, and Check Mate will automatically identify all the expenses, saving you time and effort. – Expenses Itemisation: Customize how you split expenses with ease. Choose to divide costs equally or by quantity, ensuring everyone pays their fair share. – Who Owes Whom: Wondering who owes whom? Check Mate provides a detailed breakdown, making it crystal clear who needs to settle up with whom. – Sharing Settlements: Easily share a comprehensive bill report with all participants, including a clear summary of who owes money to whom. No more confusion or disputes! – Bills List: Keep track of your expenses effortlessly. Check Mate stores a history of all your bills, so you can review your spending anytime, anywhere. Say goodbye to the headache of manual calculations and disputes over shared expenses. Check Mate simplifies your life by streamlining the bill-splitting process, ensuring fairness and transparency in all your financial transactions. Download Check Mate today and experience stress-free bill splitting like never before. Your next outing with friends or family will be a breeze!

Screenshots

IOU4 screens
Check Mate4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Check Mate at 5.0 against IOU's 4.4. Check Mate also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 5) and review sentiment (83% vs 60%). IOU's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs monthly) and ratings volume (18 vs 3). On price and ads 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. IOU sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Check Mate asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Check Mate holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: IOU has 18 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 60% of IOU's written reviews are positive against 83% of Check Mate's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

IOU ships an update fortnightly, Check Mate monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
IOU versus Check Mate: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterIOUCheck Mate
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (18 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews60.0% of reviews83.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings18 — better3
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemiumFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Vision Pro — betteriPhone
Requires iOS26.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size53 MB9 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperEric AgredoAizhan Kozhakhmetova

Customer experience

IOU

All ratings17 ratings
Positive76.5%
Neutral17.6%
Negative5.9%
Written reviews10 reviews
Positive60.0%
Neutral30.0%
Negative10.0%

Check Mate

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive83.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative16.7%

In-app purchases

5 purchases

IOU

Subscriptions4
  • IOU Pro3 Days trial$0.991 Month
  • IOU Pro$2.991 Month
  • IOU Pro7 Days trial$6.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • IOU Pro7 Days trial$24.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime IOU Pro$29.99
None

Check Mate

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is IOU free?
IOU is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Check Mate free?
Check Mate is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, IOU or Check Mate?
Check Mate is rated higher. IOU averages 4.4 out of 5 from 18 ratings, while Check Mate averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.
Do IOU or Check Mate have ads?
Neither IOU nor Check Mate shows ads.
Which is updated more often, IOU or Check Mate?
IOU ships an update fortnightly, and Check Mate monthly. Most recently, IOU was updated on November 3, 2026 and Check Mate on October 30, 2026.

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