Comparison

CheckbookDash vs Kova

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

Head to head
About

CheckbookDash

This privacy-focused app acts as a digital checkbook register for your iPhone. It allows you to log income and expenses, categorize transactions, and visualize spending habits without ever sending your data online. Enjoy a clean, offline experience with customizable features.

Highlights
  • Privacy-first data handling
  • Offline functionality
  • Smart auto-categorization
  • Monthly spending dashboard
  • Customizable categories
  • CSV import/export
  • Accessibility options
Features
Read full description

**CheckbookDash is the modern, privacy-first checkbook register for iPhone.** Whether you're tracking daily expenses, monitoring your monthly budget, or simply keeping an eye on your bottom line, CheckbookDash keeps you in control — without ever sending your data anywhere. **Your Data, Your Device** Every transaction, category, and setting lives entirely on your iPhone. No account required. No cloud uploads. No subscriptions. No tracking of any kind. Just a clean, fast register that works offline, always. **A Smart Transaction Register** Log income and expenses in seconds. Each transaction captures the date, payee, amount, category, and optional notes. CheckbookDash automatically suggests a category based on the payee name using your own custom rules — the more rules you add, the smarter it gets. **Monthly Spending Dashboard** Visualize where your money goes with a beautiful bar chart broken down by category. Navigate forward and backward through months to spot trends, compare spending, and make more informed financial decisions. **Custom Categories & Auto-Categorization** Create categories that match your life. Set up rules so payees like "Whole Foods" or "Netflix" are categorized automatically every time you enter them. The longest-match rule always wins, so your most specific rules take priority. **CSV Import & Export** Bring in transactions from your bank's CSV export or share your register as a spreadsheet. Export by this month, last 3 months, or all time — your data, on your terms. **Designed for Comfort** - Compact or Comfy layout styles — your choice - Light, Dark, or System appearance - 8 accent color choices - Haptic and sound feedback - High contrast mode, reduced animations, and larger buttons for accessibility **No Ads. No Tracking. No Account. Free.** CheckbookDash is completely free. It contains no advertisements, no analytics SDKs, and no data collection of any kind. Your financial life is yours alone.

About

Kova

Features
Read full description

Kova is the fastest way to track your spending and stay on top of your money. Built for people who want a simple, private expense tracker that just works. Every dollar you enter stays on your device. Track expenses in seconds Add an expense in two taps. Pin your most frequent ones to Quick Add for one-tap logging on the go. Know where your money goes See your spending broken down by category. Drill into any category to see every transaction. Filter by last 7 days, this week, or last week to spot patterns fast. Budget with a plan that fits you Choose from three popular budget splits — 50/30/20, 60/30/10, or 70/20/10 — or build your own. Set a budget base amount and Kova shows you exactly how much you've spent against each group in real time. Built for the Caribbean Kova is GYD-first with full support for USD, TTD, BBD, EUR, and GBP. No forced currency conversions. Support for more currencies to come. Your data, your device No account required. No cloud sync. No tracking. Everything you enter is stored locally and stays private. Export your data as a CSV at any time. Completely free. Always. Every feature in Kova is free. No paywalls. No premium tier. No subscription.

Screenshots

CheckbookDash4 screens
Kova4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Kova at every 3 days against CheckbookDash's every 2 months. Kova also leads on iOS requirement (15.1 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

CheckbookDash ships an update every 2 months, Kova every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
CheckbookDash versus Kova: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCheckbookDashKova
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS26.215.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size3 MB21 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCALVIN EDWARD,RUSSELL NICHOLSONDevTech Solutions

In-app purchases

None

CheckbookDash

No in-app purchases

None

Kova

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is CheckbookDash free?
CheckbookDash is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Kova free?
Kova is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do CheckbookDash or Kova have ads?
Neither CheckbookDash nor Kova shows ads.
Which is updated more often, CheckbookDash or Kova?
CheckbookDash ships an update every 2 months, and Kova every 3 days. Most recently, CheckbookDash was updated on September 25, 2026 and Kova on September 24, 2026.

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