Comparison

Account Balance Now Lite vs Basic Checkbook

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

Head to head
About

Account Balance Now Lite

Easily track the true balance of up to 12 accounts, including cash, credit cards, and expenses. Manage recurring transactions, use a simple interface, and secure your data locally. Generate custom reports for detailed financial insights.

Highlights
  • Track up to 12 account balances
  • Manage recurring transactions
  • Easy transaction entry
  • Optional pending flag for checkbook balancing
  • Local data storage and optional password lock
  • Backup and restore account information
  • Customizable transaction descriptions
  • Generate custom financial reports
Features
Read full description

Know your true current account balance. Balance Now is the easiest app for tracking all your account balances. Knowing your current account balance is very valuable and can help you avoid going over your limit or having to pay any overdraft fees. You can manage the balances of up to 12 separate accounts. You can track the balance of your cash, expenses, debit cards, credit cards, checking accounts, tax deductions, purchases, sales, project costs, trip costs, vacation cost or almost anything else. RECURRING TRANSACTIONS Managing your recurring transactions is easy. Simply specify the amount, next occurrence date, and frequency (daily, weekly, monthly, etc.) and the transaction will automatically gets placed into your account balance on the correct day. At any time, you can view all your recurring transactions and edit them as required. EASY TO USE This app has a large custom numeric keypad and you only need to enter the amount and tap “Add” or “Spend” for debit accounts or "spend" or "payment" for credit accounts. If you want to add a transaction description, just type it or select one from the description selection list. The optional pending flag makes it very easy to balance your checkbook. New items default to “Cleared” but you can mark them as “Pending”. When an item is pending it is not added or subtracted from the total. This makes it easy to balance your account. Just mark the items that have not cleared yet as “Pending” and the balance on your statement should match the Cleared Balance. The transaction date is automatically added for you. However you can edit the date and the item will be inserted in the correct chronological order. This also allows you to add an item that you forgot. Just add the item, edit the date and it will be inserted at the correct place in the list. SECURE With Balance Now, you don’t need to access any web site and all of your account files are stored locally. You can Lock any individual account and if you want, you can assign an optional password to the app. BACKUP AND RESTORE All your files are backed up automatically when you backup your app. Additionally you can backup up all of your account information including your recurring transactions to any email address with a single command. You can use the email with the attached account files to restore your account information. You can also transfer your account information to any other device that has the Balance Now App. FLEXIBLE DESCRIPTIONS With Balance Now you can just type a description or you can customize the description list by adding new descriptions and deleting existing ones. The new descriptions appear in your list of descriptions in alphabetical order. CUSTOM REPORTS Balance Now lets you generate custom reports by specifying a date range and optionally any transaction description or transaction amount. Reports shows the date, pending flag, description, amount, balance and cleared balance. You can optionally email the report to yourself or anyone else. FEATURES & BENEFITS SUMMARY • 12 account balances for all your needs • Debit (checking) or Credit account (credit cards) • Recurring transactions to simplify input • iPad support • Account names & colors for easy id • Account backup and restore • Large numeric keyboard for easy entry • Keyboard clicks for audible confirmation • Volume control for quiet locations • Mute mode when full silence is desired • Backspace key for ease of data entry • Date added to transaction automatically • Add and delete descriptions • Scrolling list to view all transactions • “See All” to get to any transaction quickly • Easy editing to correct any mistakes • Auto decimal point placement • Pending flag for easy reconciliation • Optional password for security • Optional individual Account Lock • Custom reports by data range • Custom reports by description or amount • Email report to yourself or anyone else

About

Basic Checkbook

A simple, offline digital checkbook register that tracks all your transactions and updates your balance instantly. Manage multiple accounts and easily reconcile with your bank statements.

Highlights
  • Running balance updates
  • Transaction logging (deposits, withdrawals, checks, transfers)
  • Bank statement reconciliation
  • Search and filter transactions
  • Multiple account management
  • CSV export
Features
Read full description

Your bank app shows what cleared. Basic Checkbook shows what's real. Most banking apps only show transactions that have already posted, not the check you wrote yesterday, the bill that hits Friday, or the withdrawal you made this morning. Basic Checkbook is a personal register where you log every dollar as you spend it, across checking, savings, credit cards, and brokerage accounts, so your running balance is always accurate, up to date, and yours. No bank logins. No credentials on anyone's server. Just a fast, private register that works the way a checkbook always has, only better. WHAT YOU CAN DO • Log purchases, deposits, bills, withdrawals, checks, credits, and transfers as they happen • Watch your true running balance update with every entry • See every account's combined total at the top, with card debt subtracted • See any month at a glance, free: money in, money out, your net, and your biggest expense • Track credit cards alongside your bank accounts: what you owe, the credit you have left, your APR, and the day payment is due • See how much of a card's limit you are using, so you know when a balance is creeping up • Decide what interest costs you: your card shows a projected charge on its due day, and you accept, adjust, or skip it • Add a transaction from your home screen with the Quick Add widget • Add a transaction hands-free with Siri, the Shortcuts app, or Spotlight • Mark items cleared one at a time, fly through a statement with Quick Reconcile, or balance a statement step by step • Void a canceled or torn-up check and keep it on the record while the money returns to your balance • Tag transactions with as many labels as you like, and reuse any tag with one tap • Filter by type or status and search your whole register by payee, amount, memo, or tag • Schedule bills and income every 1 to 4 weeks, twice a month, monthly by date or weekday, quarterly, or yearly, with reminders, and skip one • Set a low balance warning and get a notice two days before a scheduled bill takes the balance under it • Earn interest on savings: choose the day it posts each month, and see the total at a glance • Track a brokerage account, 401(k) or IRA by its value: type it, paste it, scan a screenshot, or ask Siri, and Checkbook writes the gain or loss, keeps what you put in separate, shows your return, and reminds you to update it • Scan a check or receipt to fill in the details automatically • Track a different currency per account • Keep every account in sync across your devices with iCloud, free • Back up your entire register to a file and restore it anytime • Lock the app with Face ID, Touch ID, or a passcode BASIC CHECKBOOK PREMIUM Two ways to upgrade: Lifetime Premium, a single purchase that never renews and never expires, or a yearly plan if you prefer it. Both unlock: • Unlimited accounts: keep checking, savings, credit cards, brokerage, and more in one place • Your accounts over time: tap the total and see how they have moved, month by month, with a tile for each one • Full Monthly Recap: the tags and payees you spent the most on, plus save any month as a PDF • Payoff plan: set a monthly payment on any credit card and see the payoff date and what the interest will cost • Projected balance: where your balance is headed from your scheduled and recurring activity • Receipt photos: attach a receipt to the transaction it belongs to • Spending analytics: charts, trends, budgets, and period comparisons • Monthly PDF statements: clean, bank-style statements for any date range • CSV import and export: bring your history in, or take it anywhere • Color themes and app icons: premium palettes and home-screen icons Basic Checkbook doesn't connect to your bank or your brokerage. It never reads your transactions or stores your credentials anywhere. It's your ledger: private, accurate, and completely yours. Privacy Policy: https://basicapps.tech/privacy Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Account Balance Now Lite4 screens
Basic Checkbook4 screens

Verdict

The call

Account Balance Now Lite and Basic Checkbook both sit at 4.5 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of Basic Checkbook's written reviews are positive against 68% of Account Balance Now Lite's. Basic Checkbook also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 5 months). Account Balance Now Lite's advantage is ratings volume (481 vs 5) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases 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. Account Balance Now Lite sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Basic Checkbook sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $23.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for Account Balance Now Lite against 4.6 for Basic Checkbook. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Account Balance Now Lite has 481 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 68% of Account Balance Now Lite's written reviews are positive against 100% of Basic Checkbook's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Account Balance Now Lite ships an update every 5 months, Basic Checkbook every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Account Balance Now Lite versus Basic Checkbook: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAccount Balance Now LiteBasic Checkbook
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (481 ratings)4.6 (5 ratings) — better
Positive reviews67.7% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings481 — better5
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS10.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size2 MB27 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRobert WohnoutkaSean Trapani

Customer experience

Account Balance Now Lite

All ratings456 ratings
Positive88.6%
Neutral5.3%
Negative6.1%
Written reviews93 reviews
Positive67.7%
Neutral9.7%
Negative22.6%

Basic Checkbook

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Account Balance Now Lite

Reported bugs

8 issues
  • App crashes on launch requiring multiple taps to open
  • PIN authentication failure preventing app access
  • Data loss after backup and reinstallation
  • Upgrade prompts appearing despite active paid subscription
  • App flickering and sign-in failures
Show 3 more
  • App closing immediately upon opening
  • Performance degradation after iOS updates
  • Landscape mode not functioning on iPad

Requested features

9 requests
  • Landscape/horizontal view mode for iPad
  • Cloud synchronization across multiple devices
  • Account-to-account transfer functionality
  • Balance correction/editing capability
  • Transaction summary and total calculations display
Show 4 more
  • Formula/calculation tools for balance splitting
  • Pending balance indicator
  • Device syncing without email workaround
  • Cross-device sharing capabilities

Basic Checkbook

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Account Balance Now Lite

One-time1
  • Unlimited Entries$3.99
2 purchases

Basic Checkbook

Subscriptions1
  • Annual Premium$23.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime Premium$59.99

Questions

Is Account Balance Now Lite free?
Account Balance Now Lite is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Basic Checkbook free?
Basic Checkbook is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Account Balance Now Lite or Basic Checkbook?
Basic Checkbook is rated higher. Account Balance Now Lite averages 4.5 out of 5 from 481 ratings, while Basic Checkbook averages 4.6 from 5 ratings.
Do Account Balance Now Lite or Basic Checkbook have ads?
Neither Account Balance Now Lite nor Basic Checkbook shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Account Balance Now Lite or Basic Checkbook?
Account Balance Now Lite ships an update every 5 months, and Basic Checkbook every 2 days. Most recently, Account Balance Now Lite was updated on October 22, 2026 and Basic Checkbook on October 24, 2026.

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