Comparison

Checkbook vs Expense Note

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

Head to head
About

Checkbook

This app acts as a modern checkbook register to help you organize bills, track spending, and avoid late fees. It shows your true available balance, not just what the bank has cleared, and provides budget tracking and future financial projections.

Highlights
  • Track cleared and pending payments
  • Bill reminders and automatic scheduling
  • Create and track spending budgets
  • Calendar view of financial future
  • Multiple account support
  • Family sharing
Features
Read full description

Late fees and overdrafts can cost more than $30 each — and wreck your credit score. Bills to Budget is the modern checkbook register that helps you stay organized, track every bill, and know exactly what's cleared and what's still pending. If you've ever been surprised by a payment hitting your account at the wrong time, this app is for you. FINALLY KNOW WHAT'S REALLY IN YOUR ACCOUNT The biggest problem with online banking? It only shows what's cleared. Bills to Budget lets you mark payments as "Paid but not Cleared" — so you always know your true available balance, not just what the bank says. No more mental math. No more overdrafts from forgotten pending checks. STAY AHEAD OF EVERY BILL Add your bills once, and Bills to Budget reminds you before they're due. Mark a bill as paid, and it automatically resets for next month, next quarter, or whatever schedule you need. See everything organized by your pay schedule, so you always know what's due before your next paycheck arrives. BUDGET WITHOUT THE SPREADSHEETS Once your bills are under control, take the next step: create simple spending budgets and track purchases as they happen. See exactly where your money goes — whether you pay by check, debit card, or cash. Get alerts when you're close to overspending, so you can adjust before it's too late. SEE YOUR FINANCIAL FUTURE The calendar view shows your complete financial picture: upcoming bills, paydays, and projected balances all in one place. Spot problems days or weeks before they become stress. Know exactly how much you can afford to spend today. BUILT FOR REAL LIFE - Works on iPhone, iPad, and Mac with seamless iCloud sync - Supports multiple accounts — checking, savings, credit cards - Tracks check numbers for your checkbook register - Family sharing lets everyone stay on the same page - Widgets put your bills and budgets front and center - Siri Shortcuts support for quick access Bills to Budget brings the reliability of a traditional checkbook register into the modern age — helping you organize your bills, track your spending, and finally feel in control of your money. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Expense Note

A minimalist expense tracker for effortless daily expense recording and management. Quickly input spending, view patterns at a glance, and customize categories. Securely back up your data and start smart spending.

Highlights
  • Quick expense recording
  • Intuitive expense management
  • Customizable categories
  • Data backup and restore
  • Multiple currency support
  • Secure login
Features
Read full description

Expense Note is a simple spending tracker that helps you log what you spend in seconds. No bank or card linking: you write down what you spend, so anyone can start right away. SCAN RECEIPTS • Take a photo of a receipt or pick one from your photos • Items and amounts are filled in for you; just check and save ASK AI ABOUT YOUR SPENDING • Ask things like "Am I spending a lot on food this month?" or "Where can I cut back?" • Get answers based on your last three months of spending QUICK EXPENSE LOGGING • Enter the amount, pick a category, done • Save frequent expenses as templates and log them in one tap • Reminders and streaks help you build a habit, and you can restore a broken streak SEE WHERE YOUR MONEY GOES • Spending totals by month, week or a custom period • Calendar view of your daily spending • Category statistics show where you spend the most • Search and filter past expenses HOME SCREEN WIDGET • See this month's spending and each category's share without opening the app MAKE IT YOURS • Add, edit and reorder categories • Dark mode, multiple currencies and 13 languages • Use it as a budget app, allowance tracker, travel expense log or household ledger KEEP YOUR DATA SAFE • PIN lock and Face ID for your expense records • Sign in with Apple or Google, with backup and restore PREMIUM • Remove ads • Unlimited receipt scans and more AI questions • Unlock with Face ID, choose the widget period (this week, last 30 days or a custom range) If you want a spending tracker that focuses on daily records instead of complex finance tools, try Expense Note. Privacy Policy: https://bit.ly/41i52ha Terms of Use: https://bit.ly/41guaVu

Screenshots

Checkbook4 screens
Expense Note4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Checkbook at none against Expense Note's shown. Checkbook also leads on ratings volume (204 vs 2). Expense Note's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.7) and update cadence (every 2 days vs every 10 days). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model 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. Checkbook sells 13 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and Expense Note sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Expense Note holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Checkbook has 204 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 83% of Checkbook's written reviews are positive against 92% of Expense Note's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Checkbook ships an update every 10 days, Expense Note every 2 days. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Checkbook versus Expense Note: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCheckbookExpense Note
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (204 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews82.9% of reviews91.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings204 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 10 daysEvery 2 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Vision Pro — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS26.117.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size198 MB112 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCoreBits LLCTechin Park

Customer experience

Checkbook

All ratings200 ratings
Positive89.5%
Neutral5.0%
Negative5.5%
Written reviews41 reviews
Positive82.9%
Neutral2.4%
Negative14.6%

Expense Note

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews12 reviews
Positive91.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative8.3%

Bugs and requests

Checkbook

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Charged for something not billed
  • Ledger disappeared on new phone
  • Automated refund system by Apple
  • Lifetime purchase not honored

Requested features

6 requests
  • Manual way to add income for irregular pay
  • Tutorial on how to use the app
  • Support for Portuguese language
  • Enhance Chinese localization
  • Add employment paycheck amounts for check and balancing
Show 1 more
  • Allow entering pay amount to see remainder

Expense Note

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

13 purchases

Checkbook

Subscriptions10
  • Bills to Budget Plus3 Days trial$1.991 Month
  • Bills to Budget Plus$1.991 Month
  • Bills to Budget Premium3 Days trial$3.991 Month
Show 7 more
  • Bills to Budget Family Plus3 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Bills to Budget Family Plus$4.991 Month
  • Bills to Budget Plus7 Days trial$19.991 Year
  • Bills to Budget Plus$19.991 Year
  • Bills to Budget Family Plus1 Year trial$29.991 Year
  • Bills to Budget Premium Annual7 Days trial$29.991 Year
  • Bills to Budget Family Plus7 Days trial$29.991 Year
One-time3
  • Family Upgrade$19.99
  • Bills to Budget Plus Lifetime$39.99
  • Family Plus Lifetime$59.99
2 purchases

Expense Note

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Premium3 Days trial$1.991 Month
  • Yearly Premium7 Days trial$19.991 Year

Questions

Is Checkbook free?
Checkbook is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Expense Note free?
Expense Note is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Checkbook or Expense Note?
Expense Note is rated higher. Checkbook averages 4.7 out of 5 from 204 ratings, while Expense Note averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do Checkbook or Expense Note have ads?
Expense Note shows ads; Checkbook does not.
Which is updated more often, Checkbook or Expense Note?
Checkbook ships an update every 10 days, and Expense Note every 2 days. Most recently, Checkbook was updated on October 24, 2026 and Expense Note on October 24, 2026.

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