Comparison

Balance My Checkbook vs Simple Register

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

Head to head
About

Balance My Checkbook

Easily track your income and expenses to maintain an accurate account balance. Features include auto-complete, recurring transactions, and data syncing for multiple users. Avoid overdrafts and stay on top of your finances with this intuitive check register.

Highlights
  • Auto-complete transactions
  • Schedule recurring transactions
  • Sync data between users and devices
  • Track cleared transactions
  • Export data and balance
  • Customizable transaction types
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Don’t let overdraft fees or pending transactions catch you by surprise - always know exactly what your account balance is with Balance My Checkbook! All you have to do is enter your expenses and income and let the app do the rest. Save Time: Auto complete transactions Powerful Search to find transactions instantly Easy scheduling for recurring transactions Stay Up To Date: Track which transactions have cleared Sync between other users and devices "Sync for 4 Users" is an auto-renewing monthly subscription more details below * Export your data and balance Easy to Use and Customizable: Get started in a minute Create your own transaction types Fast Support is just a tap away * The "Sync for 4 Users" subscription auto-renews monthly. The subscription includes a month of access to: • Data Sync • Store up to 10 years of transactions • Priority Support It also includes access to all premium features: • Unlimited Accounts • Recurring Transactions • Lock Screen • Transaction Search • Transaction Filter • Export Data • No Ads ** Terms and Conditions for Auto-renewing subscriptions • Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase • Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period • Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase • Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication, where applicable Terms and Conditions for App: http://lingsdesigns.com/balancecheck/terms.html *** This version is ad supported but ads can be removed with an in app purchase.

About

Simple Register

This app provides a digital checkbook register for tracking personal finances. It allows users to quickly record transactions, manage bills, and reconcile statements without connecting to bank accounts. Designed for privacy, it offers local-only mode and optional biometric security.

Highlights
  • Digital checkbook register
  • Record payments, deposits, checks, transfers
  • Bill planning and reminders
  • Statement reconciliation
  • Multiple register support
  • Data export to CSV/PDF
  • Optional biometric security
Features
Read full description

Your checkbook register, exactly as you remember it. Simple Register brings the familiar paper checkbook register to your Apple devices. Open it, enter a transaction, see your balance, and close it. No bank connections, no complicated budgeting system, and no subscription. TRY IT FREE FOR 7 DAYS New customers can start a seven-day free trial with every feature. After the trial, unlock permanently with one purchase: US $9.99, with local pricing shown in the app. There is no subscription or automatic charge. Your existing records stay available to read and export after the trial. Customers who already own the paid app keep full access at no additional charge. FAST, FAMILIAR ENTRY • Record payments, deposits, checks, and transfers • Type 1254 and Simple Register enters $12.54 • A type-ahead payee list as you type, built from your own history • Save an entry and immediately add another • See your running and cleared balances at a glance • Move an entry to a different register when it landed in the wrong one RECONCILE WITH CONFIDENCE Enter your statement balance, check off cleared transactions, and watch the difference reach zero. Simple Register never changes your transaction amounts just from checking them off. Found something you forgot to enter, or a mistyped amount, while matching your statement? Add or fix it without losing your place — and if you need to step away, your checked items and statement amount are still there when you come back. SCHEDULED, ON ONE CALENDAR Set up anything that repeats — a paycheck, the mortgage, a bill whose exact amount isn't known yet — and see every register's upcoming entries on one monthly calendar. An entry that should post itself does; one you'd rather confirm yourself shows as a reminder until you say it's handled, or until a matching payment checks it off on its own. BIG ORDERS, HANDLED Enter a large order once at its full total — even if the bank bills it as several separate charges. List each charge under the entry as it posts, check them off one by one, and reconcile against your statement exactly the way the bank sees it. MADE FOR HOUSEHOLDS Keep as many registers as your household needs — checking, savings, a credit card, vacation fund, gift money — each with its own column labels so a savings register and a card balance never look like a checkbook. Transfers record both sides automatically and stay linked, and every entry shows who added it. YOUR REGISTER, YOUR STYLE Choose from familiar checkbook-inspired covers and ledger styles while keeping every number clear and readable. PRIVATE BY DESIGN • No bank logins • No Plaid or financial account linking • No ads • No analytics • No Simple Register account • Optional local-only mode • Optional Face ID, Touch ID, or passcode protection YOUR DATA STAYS USEFUL Export your register to CSV or PDF whenever you need it. Edit history and Recently Deleted help protect you from mistakes. BUILT FOR APPLE DEVICES Use Simple Register on iPhone, iPad, and Mac, with your private iCloud keeping your registers in step across your devices. Simple Register is for people who want to track their money themselves — without handing their financial history to another service. If you'd like to support development, an entirely optional one-time tip is available from Settings & Privacy — it never changes what the app unlocks.

Screenshots

Balance My Checkbook4 screens
Simple Register4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Simple Register at none against Balance My Checkbook's shown. Simple Register also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 73%) and rating (5.0 vs 4.7). Balance My Checkbook's advantage is ratings volume (5.1K vs 11) and monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs paid). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases 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. Balance My Checkbook sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and Simple Register sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Simple Register holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Balance My Checkbook has 5.1K ratings behind it against 11, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 73% of Balance My Checkbook's written reviews are positive against 100% of Simple Register's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Balance My Checkbook ships an update every 3 weeks, Simple Register every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Balance My Checkbook versus Simple Register: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBalance My CheckbookSimple Register
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (5.1K ratings)5.0 (11 ratings) — better
Positive reviews72.8% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings5.1K — better11
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
Best chart rank#104 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS15.0 — better26.5
Further details — not scored
Size23 MB14 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperLingsDesignsJennifer Hendrickson

Customer experience

Balance My Checkbook

All ratings4,985 ratings
Positive92.5%
Neutral3.1%
Negative4.4%
Written reviews162 reviews
Positive72.8%
Neutral8.0%
Negative19.1%

Simple Register

All ratings11 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Balance My Checkbook

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Calendar not working properly after recent update
  • Recurring transactions not updating correctly
  • Incorrect balance displayed after deleting entries
  • App crashing when entering new transactions

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to transfer funds between accounts in one step
  • Automatic backup and data recovery options
  • Landscape mode support for tablets
  • More flexible recurring transaction scheduling
  • Improved search and sorting functionality

Simple Register

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

5 purchases

Balance My Checkbook

Subscriptions5
  • Premium, 1 device14 Days trial$0.991 Month
  • Premium with Backup, 1 device14 Days trial$1.991 Month
  • Premium with Sync, 4 devices14 Days trial$4.991 Month
Show 2 more
  • Premium with Backup, 1 device14 Days trial$22.991 Year
  • Premium with Sync, 4 devices14 Days trial$57.991 Year
5 purchases

Simple Register

One-time5
  • 7-day TrialFree
  • Small Tip$1.99
  • Medium Tip$4.99
Show 2 more
  • Full Unlock$9.99
  • Generous Tip$9.99

Questions

Is Balance My Checkbook free?
Balance My Checkbook is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Simple Register free?
Simple Register is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Balance My Checkbook or Simple Register?
Simple Register is rated higher. Balance My Checkbook averages 4.7 out of 5 from 5.1K ratings, while Simple Register averages 5.0 from 11 ratings.
Do Balance My Checkbook or Simple Register have ads?
Balance My Checkbook shows ads; Simple Register does not.
Which is updated more often, Balance My Checkbook or Simple Register?
Balance My Checkbook ships an update every 3 weeks, and Simple Register every 2 weeks. Most recently, Balance My Checkbook was updated on November 1, 2026 and Simple Register on October 31, 2026.

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