Comparison

CardValet vs The Reckoner

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

Head to head
About

CardValet

Take full control of your debit and credit cards with instant on/off toggles, spending limits, and location-based restrictions. Receive real-time alerts for all transactions, monitor purchases, and manage your cards digitally from your smartphone.

Highlights
  • Turn cards on/off instantly
  • Set spending limits
  • Restrict usage by location
  • Control merchant categories
  • Receive real-time transaction alerts
  • View purchase history
  • Activate cards and set PIN
Features
Read full description

NOTE: This application is powered by Fiserv, Inc. but is activated through specific financial institutions. Check with your financial institution to ensure they participate in CardValet prior to downloading. CardValet helps you efficiently manage your cards digitally. TAKE CONTROL Stay in control of your card. Turn your card ON/OFF, set spending limits, decide where, when and how your card can be used. - Set card to be on or off in an instant, restricting whether it can be used or not - Restrict your card purchases to specific locations (merchants located within a certain range of your phone or select city, state, country or zip code on an expandable interactive map - Select merchant categories (Restaurant, Travel, Entertainment etc.) and transaction types (Instore, eCommerce, ATM etc.) to control purchases on your card - Enable or disable international transactions - Establish spending limits to allow transactions up to a certain dollar value and decline transactions when amounts exceed the thresholds set by you BE ALERT Receive real time alerts on all purchases, select purchases or when a card transaction is attempted but declined. Customize your alert preferences and get notified as per your choice. Alerts are sent in real time, immediately after a transaction has taken place, and help you quickly detect unauthorized activity on your card. VIEW YOUR CARD PURCHASE View your purchases, add memos and tag your purchases for easy tracking. DO IT YOURSELF Mange your card at your fingertips. Activate your card, set card PIN or report your lost/stolen cards seamlessly by making a call from the App. Key Benefits - Receive alerts to monitor transactions and help protect from fraud Actively manage your money and take charge of your card usage - Remotely control and monitor children’s spending - Helps ensure business spending policy compliance

About

The Reckoner

Features
Read full description

The Reckoner splits group expenses and remembers exactly who owes what, so you don't have to. HOW TO SPLIT A RECEIPT Snap a photo of any receipt. AI reads the items, tax, and tip. Tap to assign items to people and it does the math to the penny. HOW TO USE GROUPS Make a group for a trip, a house, or a regular crew. Add expenses, split evenly or by item, and always see a clear running balance of who owes whom. HOW TO SPLIT A ONE-OFF MEAL (no group needed) Add who's there, scan or type the total, assign items, add tax and tip, and get everyone's share instantly. HOW TO SETTLE UP When it's time to pay, hand off to Venmo, PayPal, or Zelle in a tap and mark it settled. The Reckoner tracks the money — it never touches it. THE RECKONER PRO Pro unlocks unlimited expenses and 50 AI receipt scans a month. 7-day free trial, then $2/month or $20/year. The Reckoner is an expense-tracking tool. It doesn't move money and isn't financial, accounting, or tax advice. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

CardValet4 screens
The Reckoner4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: CardValet at none against The Reckoner's 2. The Reckoner's advantage is update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 4 months). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. The Reckoner sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.00 per month. CardValet asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

CardValet ships an update every 4 months, The Reckoner every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
CardValet versus The Reckoner: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCardValetThe Reckoner
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (19K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews18.8% of reviews—
Number of ratings19K — better—
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 6 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size86 MB17 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFiserv, IncJunior Varsity Enterprises, LLC

Bugs and requests

CardValet

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Unable to reset password
  • Inconsistent account syncing
  • Repeated 'too many devices' errors

Requested features

4 requests
  • Balance and spending overview
  • Fingerprint/biometric login
  • Ability to add multiple cards
  • Improved notification system

The Reckoner

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

CardValet

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

The Reckoner

Subscriptions2
  • The Reckoner Pro7 Days trial$2.001 Month
  • The Reckoner Pro7 Days trial$20.001 Year

Questions

Is CardValet free?
CardValet is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is The Reckoner free?
The Reckoner is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do CardValet or The Reckoner have ads?
Neither CardValet nor The Reckoner shows ads.
Which is updated more often, CardValet or The Reckoner?
CardValet ships an update every 4 months, and The Reckoner every 6 weeks. Most recently, CardValet was updated on October 26, 2026 and The Reckoner on October 15, 2026.

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