# Checkbook vs Budgets

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Budgets at 100% against Checkbook's 56%. Budgets also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.3) and in-app purchases (none vs 5). Checkbook's advantage is ratings volume (14K vs 10) and update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 3 months). On price and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Checkbook sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Budgets asks for nothing beyond the download.

Budgets holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Checkbook has 14K ratings behind it against 10, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 56% of Checkbook's written reviews are positive against 100% of Budgets's.

Checkbook ships an update every 6 weeks, Budgets every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Checkbook | Budgets |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.3 (14K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/checkbook-account-tracker/id484000695/reviews) | **[5.0 (10 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/budgets/id1465949773/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **14K** | 10 |
| Positive reviews | 55.8% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 6 weeks** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#159** | — |
| Size | 122 MB | 7 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Beesoft Apps](https://appshunter.io/developer/1420966143) | [Derek Wene](https://appshunter.io/developer/1465949772) |

## What reviewers say

### Checkbook

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/checkbook-account-tracker/id484000695)

**Currently charting:** #159 Top Grossing · Finance (US App Store)

Manage your daily finances with this app, tracking credit card charges, cash expenditures, and more. It offers multiple accounts, recurring transactions, fund transfers, and detailed reports with graphs. Easily search and export your financial data.

**Highlights:** Multiple account tracking, Recurring transaction saving, Fund transfers between accounts, Export data in CSV, QIF, HTML, Calendar view of transactions, Reports and charts for expenses/income, Passcode protection

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium - 1 Month | $0.99 | per month |
| Premium - 1 Year | $7.99 | per year |
| Premium - 1 Year | $8.99 | per year |
| Premium - 1 Year | $9.99 | per year |
| Upgrade to Checkbook Pro | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 💻 Easy to use
- 📊 Helpful charts and reports
- 🔄 Seamless sync across devices
- 🧮 Convenient built-in calculator
- 🗂️ Ability to manage multiple accounts

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔍 Lacking advanced search/filtering
- 🔁 Recurring transactions issues
- 🔒 Concerns about data security
- 💰 Subscription model too expensive
- 📢 Intrusive ads in free version

**Reported bugs**

- Account balances not updating correctly
- Transactions disappearing or duplicating
- Sync issues between devices
- App crashes or freezes after updates

**Requested features**

- Custom categories and icons
- Budgeting and forecasting tools
- Ability to attach receipts/photos
- Improved account organization options
- Automatic balance reconciliation


### Budgets

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/budgets/id1465949773)

Easily manage your finances by setting up budgets, tracking spending, and syncing with your bank accounts. Prioritize savings and stay out of debt with tools to monitor your balances and transfer funds between budgets.

**Highlights:** Setup budgets quickly, Sync with bank accounts, Track budget balances, Transfer balance between budgets, Access on mobile and web, Secure data encryption

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Checkbook free?

Checkbook is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Budgets free?

Budgets is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Checkbook or Budgets?

Budgets is rated higher. Checkbook averages 4.3 out of 5 from 14K ratings, while Budgets averages 5.0 from 10 ratings.

### Do Checkbook or Budgets have ads?

Checkbook shows ads; Budgets does not.

### Which is updated more often, Checkbook or Budgets?

Checkbook ships an update every 6 weeks, and Budgets every 3 months. Most recently, Checkbook was updated on October 16, 2026 and Budgets on October 7, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*