Comparison

Basic Checkbook vs Horizon Checkbook

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

Head to head
About

Basic Checkbook

A simple, offline digital checkbook register that tracks all your transactions and updates your balance instantly. Manage multiple accounts and easily reconcile with your bank statements.

Highlights
  • Running balance updates
  • Transaction logging (deposits, withdrawals, checks, transfers)
  • Bank statement reconciliation
  • Search and filter transactions
  • Multiple account management
  • CSV export
Features
Read full description

Your bank app shows what cleared. Basic Checkbook shows what's real. Most banking apps only show transactions that have already posted, not the check you wrote yesterday, the bill that hits Friday, or the withdrawal you made this morning. Basic Checkbook is a personal register where you log every dollar as you spend it, across checking, savings, credit cards, and brokerage accounts, so your running balance is always accurate, up to date, and yours. No bank logins. No credentials on anyone's server. Just a fast, private register that works the way a checkbook always has, only better. WHAT YOU CAN DO • Log purchases, deposits, bills, withdrawals, checks, credits, and transfers as they happen • Watch your true running balance update with every entry • See every account's combined total at the top, with card debt subtracted • See any month at a glance, free: money in, money out, your net, and your biggest expense • Track credit cards alongside your bank accounts: what you owe, the credit you have left, your APR, and the day payment is due • See how much of a card's limit you are using, so you know when a balance is creeping up • Decide what interest costs you: your card shows a projected charge on its due day, and you accept, adjust, or skip it • Add a transaction from your home screen with the Quick Add widget • Add a transaction hands-free with Siri, the Shortcuts app, or Spotlight • Mark items cleared one at a time, fly through a statement with Quick Reconcile, or balance a statement step by step • Void a canceled or torn-up check and keep it on the record while the money returns to your balance • Tag transactions with as many labels as you like, and reuse any tag with one tap • Filter by type or status and search your whole register by payee, amount, memo, or tag • Schedule bills and income every 1 to 4 weeks, twice a month, monthly by date or weekday, quarterly, or yearly, with reminders, and skip one • Set a low balance warning and get a notice two days before a scheduled bill takes the balance under it • Earn interest on savings: choose the day it posts each month, and see the total at a glance • Track a brokerage account, 401(k) or IRA by its value: type it, paste it, scan a screenshot, or ask Siri, and Checkbook writes the gain or loss, keeps what you put in separate, shows your return, and reminds you to update it • Scan a check or receipt to fill in the details automatically • Track a different currency per account • Keep every account in sync across your devices with iCloud, free • Back up your entire register to a file and restore it anytime • Lock the app with Face ID, Touch ID, or a passcode BASIC CHECKBOOK PREMIUM Two ways to upgrade: Lifetime Premium, a single purchase that never renews and never expires, or a yearly plan if you prefer it. Both unlock: • Unlimited accounts: keep checking, savings, credit cards, brokerage, and more in one place • Your accounts over time: tap the total and see how they have moved, month by month, with a tile for each one • Full Monthly Recap: the tags and payees you spent the most on, plus save any month as a PDF • Payoff plan: set a monthly payment on any credit card and see the payoff date and what the interest will cost • Projected balance: where your balance is headed from your scheduled and recurring activity • Receipt photos: attach a receipt to the transaction it belongs to • Spending analytics: charts, trends, budgets, and period comparisons • Monthly PDF statements: clean, bank-style statements for any date range • CSV import and export: bring your history in, or take it anywhere • Color themes and app icons: premium palettes and home-screen icons Basic Checkbook doesn't connect to your bank or your brokerage. It never reads your transactions or stores your credentials anywhere. It's your ledger: private, accurate, and completely yours. Privacy Policy: https://basicapps.tech/privacy Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Horizon Checkbook

Features
Read full description

Track your spending, schedule upcoming transactions, and use **Look Ahead** to see your future balances before the money leaves your account. Know what’s really available to spend and avoid the surprise of an upcoming bill pushing your balance too low. SEE WHAT’S AHEAD Look Ahead projects your balance into the future using the transactions you’ve already scheduled. See the impact of upcoming bills, subscriptions, purchases, paychecks, and deposits before they happen. AVOID OVERDRAFTS Spot potential shortfalls before they become overdrafts. Horizon gives you time to adjust your spending, move money, or plan around upcoming expenses. KNOW YOUR TRUE BALANCE Track transactions as they happen and mark payments as cleared when they appear at your bank. See the difference between what your bank reports and what you actually have available after accounting for transactions still in progress. Horizon combines the clarity of a traditional checkbook register with something a checkbook can’t give you: a clear view of what comes next. Know what you have. See what’s ahead. Stay ahead of overdrafts.

Screenshots

Basic Checkbook4 screens
Horizon Checkbook3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Basic Checkbook at every 2 days against Horizon Checkbook's every 6 days. Basic Checkbook also leads on iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.2). On price, ads, 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. Basic Checkbook sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $23.99 per year and Horizon Checkbook sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Basic Checkbook ships an update every 2 days, Horizon Checkbook every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Basic Checkbook versus Horizon Checkbook: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBasic CheckbookHorizon Checkbook
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (3 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings3 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 days — betterEvery 6 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS17.0 — better26.2
Further details — not scored
Size27 MB69 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSean TrapaniSean Howell

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Basic Checkbook

Subscriptions1
  • Annual Premium$23.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime Premium$59.99
1 purchases

Horizon Checkbook

One-time1
  • Full Version$1.99

Questions

Is Basic Checkbook free?
Basic Checkbook is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Horizon Checkbook free?
Horizon Checkbook is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Basic Checkbook or Horizon Checkbook have ads?
Neither Basic Checkbook nor Horizon Checkbook shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Basic Checkbook or Horizon Checkbook?
Basic Checkbook ships an update every 2 days, and Horizon Checkbook every 6 days. Most recently, Basic Checkbook was updated on October 12, 2026 and Horizon Checkbook on September 30, 2026.

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