# Expense Note vs Costbook

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.

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.

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

## The numbers

| Metric | Expense Note | Costbook |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/costbook-expense-tracker/id6821447451/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **2** |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Daily** |
| Monetization | — | Freemium |
| Size | 60 MB | 39 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.6** | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Notes XFC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1774181068) | [Mesut Altuncu](https://appshunter.io/developer/1624955662) |

## What reviewers say

### Expense Note

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/expense-note/id6736970933)

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### Costbook

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/costbook-expense-tracker/id6821447451)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support, iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Costbook Plus (Monthly) | $1.49 | per month |
| Costbook Plus (Yearly) | $12.49 | per year |
| Costbook Plus (Lifetime) | $29.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked 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.

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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.*