Comparison

Expense Note vs Costbook

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

Head to head
About

Expense Note

Features
Read full description

Digital solutions designed to help you manage your personal finances more organized and efficient. We offer a variety of services to ensure that every aspect of your spending and donations is properly recorded, so you can achieve your financial goals without a hitch.

About

Costbook

Easily track personal expenses, set budgets, and manage shared costs. Scan receipts with AI to log spending quickly. Collaborate on lists with friends and see who owes whom.

Highlights
  • Expense logging in any currency
  • Budget setting per list
  • AI receipt scanning
  • Shared expense tracking
  • Home/Lock Screen widgets
  • Apple Watch app
Features
Read full description

Costbook is a simple, good-looking expense tracker. Log what you spend in seconds, set budgets and see where your money goes: your monthly spending, a trip, a wedding or any project. When costs are shared, invite others to a list and Costbook works out who owes whom. Friends join for free. TRACK YOUR SPENDING • Add an expense in seconds, in any currency • Separate lists for every budget: monthly spending, trips, events, projects • Set a budget for each list and see what's left • Charts by category, payment method and person • Search every expense across all your lists SCAN INSTEAD OF TYPING • Scan a receipt or bill and let AI fill in the amount, merchant, category and date • Keep receipt photos with every expense SHARE WHEN YOU NEED TO • Invite others with a link or QR code; they join for free • See who owes whom at a glance and record payments • Get notified when someone adds an expense WHEREVER YOU ARE • Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets, Live Activities • Apple Watch app for quick entries • iPhone and iPad, light and dark mode • App lock with Face ID or passcode • 34 languages • No ads COSTBOOK PLUS Free: up to 5 expense lists, scanning, and joining shared lists. Costbook Plus adds unlimited lists, sharing your own lists, sync across devices, map view, PDF/CSV export, printing, app lock and custom app icons. Choose a monthly or yearly subscription, or a one-time Lifetime purchase. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage or cancel them in your App Store account settings. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://www.jupiteryazilim.com/costbook/privacy

Screenshots

Expense Note4 screens
Costbook4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Expense Note at none against Costbook's 3. Expense Note also leads on iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.0). Costbook's advantage is update cadence (daily vs every 3 months). On price, ads 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. Costbook sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.49 per month. Expense Note asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Expense Note ships an update every 3 months, Costbook daily. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Expense Note versus Costbook: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterExpense NoteCostbook
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—2 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsDaily — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Freemium
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS15.6 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size60 MB39 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperNotes XFCMesut Altuncu

In-app purchases

None

Expense Note

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Costbook

Subscriptions2
  • Costbook Plus (Monthly)7 Days trial$1.491 Month
  • Costbook Plus (Yearly)7 Days trial$12.491 Year
One-time1
  • Costbook Plus (Lifetime)$29.99

Questions

Is Expense Note free?
Expense Note is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Costbook free?
Costbook is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Expense Note or Costbook have ads?
Neither Expense Note nor Costbook shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Expense Note or Costbook?
Expense Note ships an update every 3 months, and Costbook daily. Most recently, Expense Note was updated on October 30, 2026 and Costbook on October 31, 2026.

Other comparisons