Comparison

Basic Checkbook vs Shared Ledger

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 multiple account types, including checking, savings, credit cards, and investments, providing a clear overview of your spending and financial health without requiring bank logins.

Highlights
  • Log all transactions in real-time
  • Track checking, savings, and credit card accounts
  • Monitor credit card debt and payment due dates
  • View monthly spending summaries
  • Schedule bills and income
  • Set low balance warnings
  • Track investment account values
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

Shared Ledger

Features
Read full description

Shared parenting. Clear expense records. Shared Ledger helps co-parents keep child-related costs, confirmations and repayments in one private place. Record school fees, medical costs and everyday expenses, agree on the split, and see what still needs attention. RECORD AND REVIEW TOGETHER • Add an expense or refund and choose how it is shared. • Attach a receipt or payment image when helpful; evidence is optional. • Confirm entries or ask for more information. • Keep the reason and history for every revision. SEE WHERE THINGS STAND • View confirmed and pending balances separately. • Create monthly settlements and record partial repayments. • Export PDF or CSV reports when you need a copy of your records. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Receipt recognition runs on your phone, and you can edit the results before saving. Attachments are encrypted before upload and access is checked against ledger permissions. START WITHOUT PAYMENT Create a ledger as a guest and try Plus for 30 days without payment. Link your account before subscribing so you can sign in again on another device. Keep your account linked before reinstalling the app. FREE AND PLUS Free includes the core recording, review, settlement, history and export workflow, within the free plan limits. Plus adds unlimited new records, recurring expenses, category split rules, more evidence storage and expiring read-only links for professional review. A Plus subscription covers the ledgers created by the subscribing account. Monthly and annual options are available; current prices appear in the app before purchase. Shared Ledger records expenses and repayments. It does not move money or determine legal obligations. Privacy: https://cbills.mlocore.com/legal/privacy Terms: https://cbills.mlocore.com/legal/terms Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Basic Checkbook4 screens
Shared Ledger4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is device support: Shared Ledger at 3 against Basic Checkbook's 1. Shared Ledger also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). 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

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 Shared Ledger sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Basic Checkbook ships an update every 3 days, Shared Ledger every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Basic Checkbook versus Shared Ledger: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBasic CheckbookShared Ledger
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (6 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings6 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 daysEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size29 MB24 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSean TrapaniQuite Awesome Limited

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Basic Checkbook

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

Shared Ledger

Subscriptions2
  • Shared Ledger Plus Monthly$5.991 Month
  • Shared Ledger Plus Annual$49.991 Year

Questions

Is Basic Checkbook free?
Basic Checkbook is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Shared Ledger free?
Shared Ledger is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Basic Checkbook or Shared Ledger have ads?
Neither Basic Checkbook nor Shared Ledger shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Basic Checkbook or Shared Ledger?
Basic Checkbook ships an update every 3 days, and Shared Ledger every 2 days. Most recently, Basic Checkbook was updated on October 31, 2026 and Shared Ledger on October 29, 2026.

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