Comparison

First Note vs Cliff Journal

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

Head to head
About

First Note

Manage your finances with this tool that allows you to track daily, monthly, and year-over-year spending. Easily search for past transactions by date to compare expenses and make informed financial decisions.

Highlights
  • Daily balance tracking
  • Monthly spending reports
  • Carry-over balance from previous month
  • Transaction search by date
  • Historical spending comparison
Features
Read full description

First Note is an ideal tool to manage the accounting staff and view the balance daily, monthly and carry over the previous month. The research can be done to move or date. For example: do not you remember when you spent last year for the maintenance of your car? Do you think the mechanic will not ask a higher price? With this tool you can go back to that era and compare spending for the current year.

About

Cliff Journal

Features
Read full description

Record transactions, track accounts, and generate financial statements with double-entry bookkeeping. Cliff Journal is for freelancers, small business owners, and anyone who knows a debit from a credit. Private by design All data stays on your device. No account required. No ads. No subscriptions โ€” buy once, use forever. Complete Bookkeeping Five accounting elements, a hierarchical chart of accounts, and a balanced debit and credit on every entry. Correct a mistake with a reversing entry so the audit trail stays intact. Quick Fill Save the accounts you pay from. When an entry is short on the credit side, tap a chip to fill the remainder. Mark one account as primary. The equals button fills an empty credit line with the amount still needed. Financial Statements Generate a Trial Balance, Income Statement, Balance Sheet, Statement of Owner's Equity, and Cash Flow Statement. Periods follow the owner's calendar: daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, or yearly. Multiple Owners Keep separate books for different businesses. Each owner has their own database, currency, fiscal year, and accounting cycles. Templates and Reminders Save a recurring transaction as a template. Schedule a reminder so you record it on time. Home Screen Widgets See expenses, income, cash flow, or an account balance without opening the app. Small, medium, and large sizes. Periods follow your accounting calendar. Hide amounts when you want the numbers kept private. Export and Import Back up as CSV. Export a snapshot or a periodic archive, and import it on another device. Feedback welcome Any suggestions or feedback are highly appreciated.

Screenshots

First Note4 screens
Cliff Journal4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: First Note at $2.99 against Cliff Journal's $9.99. First Note also leads on device support (3 vs 1). Cliff Journal's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 3 months). On ads, in-app purchases and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

First Note costs $2.99 and Cliff Journal $9.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

First Note ships an update every 3 months, Cliff Journal fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 5, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences ยท 5 level
First Note versus Cliff Journal: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFirst NoteCliff Journal
Price$2.99 โ€” better$9.99
Positive reviews66.7% of reviewsโ€”
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsFortnightly โ€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidโ€”
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod โ€” betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.0 โ€” better16.6
Further details โ€” not scored
Size3 MB9 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGianfranco Percopoๆž—ๆทฎ ๅˆ˜

In-app purchases

None

First Note

No in-app purchases

None

Cliff Journal

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is First Note free?
First Note costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Cliff Journal free?
Cliff Journal costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do First Note or Cliff Journal have ads?
Neither First Note nor Cliff Journal shows ads.
Which is updated more often, First Note or Cliff Journal?
First Note ships an update every 3 months, and Cliff Journal fortnightly. Most recently, First Note was updated on October 5, 2026 and Cliff Journal on October 2, 2026.

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