Comparison

Basic Checkbook vs Quillbook

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

Head to head
About

Basic Checkbook

This personal finance app helps you track your real-time balance by logging every transaction as it happens. It supports various account types, offers detailed spending insights, and provides tools for managing bills and credit cards. Enjoy a private, secure register that works like a traditional checkbook but with enhanced digital features.

Highlights
  • Log all transaction types in real-time
  • Accurate running balance updates
  • Credit card and debt tracking
  • Monthly spending insights
  • Scheduled bill payments and reminders
  • Account reconciliation tools
  • Quick Add widget and Siri integration
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, 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 • Bring your history from another checkbook app: import its QIF or CSV file, free • Lock the app with Face ID, Touch ID, or a passcode BASIC CHECKBOOK PREMIUM Two ways to upgrade: Lifetime Premium, one purchase that never renews or expires, or a yearly plan. 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 export: take your history 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

Quillbook

Features
Read full description

Quillbook is a check register you keep in your pocket. Enter checks, deposits, withdrawals, and fees; mark each one cleared when it shows up at the bank; and see two balances at all times — what your register says, and what has actually cleared. Made for people who want a simple, readable, trustworthy record: • LARGE, CLEAR TYPE — big, bold balances, high contrast, and entries and labels that grow with your iPhone's text size. • TWO BALANCES, ALWAYS — your register balance and your cleared balance, side by side. • ONE-TAP CLEARING — when an item clears, tap its "Pending" label to mark it Cleared (tap again to undo). Pending items stay visible. • RECONCILE WITH STATEMENT — enter the closing date and ending balance from your bank statement, then tap each entry that appears on it. The statement balance, your marked balance, and the difference stay in view; when the difference reaches zero, finish, and those entries are marked Reconciled. You can undo the last reconciliation. • UPCOMING BILLS — set up recurring entries (monthly, every 2 weeks, or weekly) and see the next date of each one across your accounts, soonest first; a date that has passed without an entry is marked Overdue in red. Choose for each whether it is added to the register automatically on the date or when you tap Paid to record it, skip a date when you need to, and turn on optional reminders that are created on your iPhone. • CHECK NUMBERS — automatic numbering for checks, with a warning on duplicates. • SEARCH AND FILTER — find entries by payee, type, or pending/cleared status. • BACKUP AND RECOVERY CENTER — every save is atomic and checksummed, and the app keeps redundant snapshots on your device. Back up your full ledger to Files anytime, and restore from a backup with a clear preview first. • CSV EXPORT — your records are always yours. Export any account as a spreadsheet-ready CSV file, free of charge. • PRIVATE BY DESIGN — no sign-up, no bank connection, no ads, no tracking. The app's only network traffic is with the App Store, for purchase, restore, and purchase-status checks (nothing from your ledger or personal data is sent by the app); your records stay on your device. The free version includes one account with every feature above. Quillbook Pro — a single one-time purchase, not a subscription — unlocks multiple accounts at the same time. Quillbook is a personal record-keeping tool. It does not connect to your bank and does not provide financial advice. Balances reflect what you enter.

Screenshots

Basic Checkbook4 screens
Quillbook4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Basic Checkbook at every 3 days against Quillbook's every 2 weeks. 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 Quillbook 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 3 days, Quillbook every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on November 10, 2026.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Basic Checkbook versus Quillbook: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBasic CheckbookQuillbook
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (9 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings9 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 days — betterEvery 2 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS17.016.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size29 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSean TrapaniYuya Tanaka

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Basic Checkbook

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

Quillbook

One-time1
  • Quillbook Pro$4.99

Questions

Is Basic Checkbook free?
Basic Checkbook is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Quillbook free?
Quillbook is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Basic Checkbook or Quillbook have ads?
Neither Basic Checkbook nor Quillbook shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Basic Checkbook or Quillbook?
Basic Checkbook ships an update every 3 days, and Quillbook every 2 weeks. Most recently, Basic Checkbook was updated on November 10, 2026 and Quillbook on November 10, 2026.

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