Pocket Register vs Checkbook
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Pocket Register
Manage your finances without linking bank accounts. Track deposits, withdrawals, and recurring bills to maintain a running balance and plan your spending before payday. Import data from other apps and spreadsheets for a seamless transition.
- Manual transaction logging
- Running balance with pending/cleared entries
- Recurring transaction setup
- Payday spending planner
- Bank statement reconciliation
- Data import (CSV, QIF, OFX/QFX)
- Receipt scanning
- Category budgeting with progress bars
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Keep a running balance, track upcoming bills, and plan what's left before payday, without linking your bank. Pocket Register is a no-frills checkbook register, right in your pocket. Whether you're managing your main account, a cash stash, or a side budget, Pocket Register makes it easy to: - Log deposits, withdrawals, and transfers - See your running balance, with pending and cleared entries kept apart - Set up recurring transactions: weekly, every two weeks, twice a month, or monthly (perfect for paydays) - Plan ahead: see upcoming bills, debts, and what's safe to spend before your next paycheck - Reconcile against your bank statement - Import your history from other checkbook apps, spreadsheets and banks (CSV, QIF and OFX/QFX) - Scan receipts with the built-in document scanner - Set monthly budgets per category, with progress bars - Get smart category suggestions as you type, or add an entry by typing or speaking it - Save Quick Fills for repeat transactions - Stay organized with memo notes, splits, and date selection - Works fully offline by default. iCloud Sync is available as an optional Pro feature. Plan Ahead: The optional Plan tab shows your projected balance, upcoming bills and debts, and what's safe to spend before payday, built from your own recurring transactions. It stays out of the way until you need it, so a simple register stays simple. Switching Apps: Bring your history with you. Pocket Register reads CSV files from other apps and banks, QIF files from Quicken, Money and checkbook apps, and OFX/QFX bank downloads. You review everything before it's added, and likely duplicates are flagged. Beautiful Design: Cleanly designed for iPhone, iPad and Mac computers with Apple silicon, with full light and dark mode support. No Bank Linking: You enter your own transactions, so there are no bank logins to connect. Your transactions stay on your device by default. iCloud Sync is opt-in and uses your private iCloud account. Lightweight: Simple by design, built for speed and clarity. Widgets (Pro): View your balance and recent transactions at a glance. Home Screen widgets in three sizes, plus Lock Screen widgets so your balance is always one tap away. Whether you're tracking a vacation budget, side hustle income, or just keeping tabs on daily spending, Pocket Register gives you full control, offline and clutter-free. Pro (one-time purchase): - Removes all ads - Unlimited accounts and transactions (free includes 2 accounts and 300 transactions per 12 months) - Unlimited recurring transactions (free includes 5) - Unlimited splits (free includes 2 parts per split) and Quick Fills (free includes 3) - Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets - iCloud Sync across all your devices - Ask: questions about your spending in plain English, answered on your device - Custom color themes - Family Sharing for up to 5 family members - Advanced CSV export with profiles, presets, splits, and Excel/YNAB-compatible formats Already using Pocket Register? If you started before version 3.9, your free plan stays the same: 500 transactions per 12 months, unlimited splits and recurring transactions, and widgets included.
Checkbook
Manually track your income, expenses, and bills to manage your finances. Organize transactions, plan your monthly budget, and stay ahead of upcoming payments. Offers a free tier with limited accounts and a one-time purchase for unlimited access and advanced budgeting features.
- Track income and expenses
- Manage up to 2 accounts for free
- Attach receipt photos
- Monthly budget planner
- Bill and recurring payment tracking
- Calendar view for upcoming activity
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Your money, in a checkbook you control. Checkbook brings your accounts, transactions, bills, receipts, and monthly budget together. Record what happened, see what’s coming, and make a plan for what’s next. Keep track of your money • Manage up to 2 accounts for free • See cleared and pending transactions and running balances • Record income, expenses, and transfers • Attach receipt photos to transactions • Search and organize entries with categories and payees Plan your month with Budget Set your monthly income, add planned expenses, and see what remains. Organize your plan by category and account, or bring eligible bills and recurring schedules into your budget. Your budget is a planning tool separate from your recorded transactions. Stay ahead of bills See bills and recurring entries together, review upcoming activity in Calendar, and manage paid and pending entries without losing posted payment history. Go Pro with a one-time purchase • Add unlimited accounts • Get access to budget planner No subscription. Checkbook helps you record and organize your finances; it does not connect to your bank or send bill payments for you.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Checkbook at 5.0 against Pocket Register's 4.4. Checkbook also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 69%). Pocket Register's advantage is ratings volume (25 vs 4). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Pocket Register sells 4 one-off in-app purchases and Checkbook sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Checkbook holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pocket Register has 25 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 69% of Pocket Register's written reviews are positive against 100% of Checkbook's.
Pocket Register ships an update every 6 days, Checkbook every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Pocket Register | Checkbook |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (25 ratings) | 5.0 (4 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 69.2% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 25 — better | 4 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 days | Every 4 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 18.5 | 17.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 18 MB | 10 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Chad Pickard | McKittrick LLC |
Customer experience
Pocket Register
Checkbook
In-app purchases
Pocket Register
- Small Thanks Tip$0.99
- Medium Thanks Tip$2.99
- Big Thanks Tip$4.99
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- Pocket Register Pro$9.99
Checkbook
- Checkbook Pro$5.99
Questions
Is Pocket Register free?
Is Checkbook free?
Which has better reviews, Pocket Register or Checkbook?
Do Pocket Register or Checkbook have ads?
Which is updated more often, Pocket Register or Checkbook?
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