Checkbook - Ledger Reviews

by Justondean

August 7, 2020
I still have not heard anything out of the developers. I am on the most recent version of Checkbook and those bugs are still there.

I’ve also noticed another bug. Maybe a requested feature.
I cannot reorder my accounts. That seems pretty easy. I expected to click on “edit” and have the three line hamburger handles to move the accounts around but they aren’t there. Please work to allow that. The accounts are listed in the order they are created which I’m sure is easier programming but doesn’t make sense for organization. Should be alphabetically. Or sortable. Or manual sort like I’m wanting.

Oh and I quit using your ‘budget’ feature. Totally not worth using. Isn’t accurate or right. Too much trouble to begin with.
Wish I had my money back on that feature.

June 11, 2020
Sorry to leave this to get your attention but there are two big bugs to fix.

First is the fact that I can’t leave feedback from within Checkbook . I tap it but nothing happens.

Second is the search feature. When I search, the top most result is covered by a grey area so that I can’t see it. I have screenshots to show if someone will reach out to me.

I mostly like Checkbook . I picked you so I can have multiple accounts. I have lots of them for checking accounts, savings accounts, loans, notes, credit cards, investment accounts, etc. the budget’s feature needs lots of improvement before it’s useable.

by HXYZ

I downloaded onto my iPhone and PAID for the upgrades so I could use multiple accounts AND backup data. Then I went to iPad and it says the backup downloaded successfully but when I. Lick on restore from backup it was saying I need to pay for an upgraded version but wouldn’t let me. So I went to Checkbook Store and paid $4.99 AGAIN for Checkbook on my iPad it it still won’t let me sync my backup from my iPhone to my iPad! So out $9.98 for the same app to be on my iPhone and iPad but can’t get the account data from my iPhone onto my iPad….they lied in the program information that there was no need to pay for Checkbook to be on multiple devices because without paying I could not even access backup which I paid for on other device. Can’t get the this app registers to show on both devices is frustrating

by Wyzard4872

I have been using Checkbooks (the free version because I have only needed to deal with one checking account) for years now, and it's always been great! Until....... last update that is.

I started noticing that my balance was off by 1 cent. And it could have been 1 cent more than my bank one day, and 1 cent less the next. Occasionally it would be right, but more often than not it was wrong. I checked and checked for a mistake on my part but when doing additions it seems to sometimes add them correctly and other times it's off. And putting in a reconciliation of 1 cent only fixes it for that time you are using Checkbook . Close it (remove it from active apps) and reopen it and it could be off by 1 cent again! And you never know if it's more or less than your actual balance until you check with the bank.

Now I know what you are saying, "it's only 1 cent" or at least I've said that for months now because I do love this simple app. BUT how can I be certain? Today it's 1 cent but what if tomorrow it causes an unnecessary bounced check? If I wanted to do that, I'd use the paper counterpart and screw up the math myself!

No thanks, that makes Checkbook only free if you don't bounce a check, otherwise it's $35 per mistake! I've sent a bug report to the developer, but not heard anything back (as others have mentioned). So I'm afraid it's the delete button for Checkbook after years and years of happy transactions.

by Shamrockgirlworld

I’ve been using Checkbook since 2015 and between that time I’ve upgraded. I’d love to us Checkbook but it needs an update.
Reoccurring payments aren’t hitting when they occur. I have to manually enter them and delete them once they hit days or weeks later. It also depends if other transactions occurred before and during the transaction time. It’s hard to calculate pending transactions when they aren’t subtracted on time or at all.
The math on the expenses is off. For example, say you go shopping and get ‘Food’ and ‘Shopping’, or split the receipt or transaction. I have to literally separate the check in separate categories and separate logs. One receipt may have several ‘parts’ and the math does calculate split receipts. When you use the graphs, the split payments/transactions are not calculated at all or in the category.
Unfortunately, I’m going to have to use another app. If one massive update happens to fix this issue, I’ll come back. But for now, I need Checkbook to work as it should. It hasn’t worked the way it used to since at least the beginning of 2019. It’s great when it works but now it’s tedious and not worth my effort.

by Squareshot

Update: for many years Checkbook has had a bug which causes it to perform incorrect arithmetic. Correct addition and subtraction are pretty much the most important functions in a this app app. I reported this to the author several times but it still occurs fairly often, one or two cents off here and there. It’s a nuisance. More importantly, it’s something that simply shouldn’t occur in a finance app.

Tried several similar apps for account management, found I preferred this one for its balance of functionality and ease of use. Intuitive interface, not bloated or overly complicated.
It falls short in facilitating projection of expenses/balances in the immediate future: I would like to see my recurring transactions in the register before they happen, perhaps in a different color, so that they are automatically included when I make an estimate of my upcoming activities. With the addition of that function, this would definitely be a 5-star app!

by Jdscott612

I am replacing iReconcile, which is no longer supported by the developer, and am having a hard time to ding a comparable app. First, I love the looks of this this app app. It’s easy to use and looks great. I would give it 5 stars if it had a look ahead option to show recurring transactions in the register. It is the only thing keeping me from upgrading g to the paid version and using Checkbook. I contacted the developer and this is not a planned upgrade. Too bad because I have seen a lot of reviews of this app apps from people looking to replace iReconcile and this was one of the best features of the program. Only one app has it now and I don’t like the looks of the register (too small) and it’s not as easy to marked transactions as cleared. Please add a look ahead feature to Checkbook and I will change my review to 5 stars and buy the paid version, but most importantly start using Checkbook at the beginning of the year.

by Am Sells

I needed a quicker way to track my spending instead of the paper check register book. This work for a bit. Drawbacks
-When reconciling your this app to your bank statement you can check off an item in the this app but it does not tell you what the end balance was for that date so you can’t fully reconcile them.
-I often found myself forgetting whether or not I had put a transaction into the this app and when I went to search half of the letters I typed in kicked me out of Checkbook .
-in Checkbook they give you setting options where you can click on big report, feature request, I like it, contact us, and website but the only two it lets you actually go into are the website and I like it

If you don’t do reconciliations and you just need something to track your purchases this will work perfect for you. Someone posted that they had issues with the math being off. I had it spot on when I first started it. Since then it has been a couple of months and I haven’t been able to fully reconcile it, the numbers don’t add up and I don't have the time to check the work of an app. that is supposed to be doing math on its own.
I have purchased another app. to try. This one just doesn’t do what I need it to do.

by Pottyczar

I use Checkbook exclusively for my checking and savings accounts and really enjoy its ease of use but the one thing that nags the heck out of me is that memorized transactions don't show up on the designated date each month. I have reoccurring transactions that are saved for the 10th & 15th of the month that still haven't been added as of the 25th of the month! I have deleted them and re-entered them to an earlier date to try and push the issue but it seems to add the transactions whenever it feels like it. I have to mentally remove the money from my balance. Doesn't that defeat the purpose of Checkbook ? It delays my ability to reconcile the accounts too since my statements come out around the middle of the month so I have to wait for Checkbook to "decide" to add the transactions.

by GrandBillay

I have been using Checkbook for 6+ years and have loved it. The downfall is the option to add recurring payments. One would think you could add the payment & insert the date that the payment is to be applied to your account but it only allows you to use the date that you input the information. Even after entering it then returning to the recurring screen it allows you the change the date but then doesn’t save the change. So you have to input the information the first time on the actual date of the payment. BUT even then it doesn’t show in the transaction screen on the correct date. It’s frustrating and makes zero sense. My suggestion would be to allow the date to be set & immediately pull to the transaction screen so you can see the upcoming payment. Seems like an easy and reasonable fix. At this point the recurring payment tab is an inept feature.

by Kali_gurl

In a world where swiping your card is the norm, balancing my accounts prove difficult. Checkbook allows me to enter all of my transactions so that my ledger balance is up-to-date even if my bank account is not. I like that it allows me to add recurring items and that I can create reports to see my spending habits.

Now the cons - suddenly my recurring biweekly transactions aren't moving into my accounts. I've tried updating the dates, shutting it down and restarting, but it's not updating, so I had to add them all myself. The other thing is that the reports show your spending by category, but I wish it also gave a list of all of the transactions included in each category so that I had an easy way to see the specifics all in one place. And I do have the paid version.

by Mmathews1167

I have thoroughly enjoyed Checkbook and my quirk has nothing to do with the functionality of Checkbook . I realize I didn’t have to pay for Checkbook but that should be irrelevant to making sure Checkbook is free of misspellings. I have been naming my own categories until today, I decided to browse through to see what was available and there it was starring me right in the face! The word Restaurant spelled “Restuarant”. I realize this is something that most will find to be petty but then again there will be others that read the review and get where I am coming from with my review. I have an Elementary Education degree and I strive to do my best every day with my grammar whether it is my spelling or spoken word. With that all being said, I really like Checkbook and would recommend it to anyone looking for an easy to use yet accurate this app app. 😊

by Lara B11

I have had Checkbook for a long time and it’s fine but now I am looking at getting a new app because the math is off in Checkbook. You can put in the exact amount you see in your bank for something that you bought and Checkbook doesn’t calculate it correctly. It will be off by a couple of cents and it drives me INSANE!!! It does not happen every time but it happens a lot! I really wish they could fix this. I have to try to add something to the register to get it to match with my bank. And it’s not user error nor my bank. It’s Checkbook . I hope this makes sense. Please fix this!!!!

by Jentai7

I love the interface of Checkbook, it works well with everything I need. Complete and total perfect this app register, complete with the easy add of recurring bills/income.
Unfortunately, the math doesn't add up! It hits it right about 75% of the time.. But when it's wrong, it sends me into a math checking frenzy!! And sure enough, it ends up with me adding in a few cents here and there to make it a "correct" balance. A problem I see from other review as well. This is super frustrating when I am trying to follow my budget as well..
Math, being the point of Checkbook, should not have errors. I have used Checkbook for 4 years, maybe? I am just now writing a review because I went to put a 1 cent error fix in, and the total went from 74 cents to 76 cents. What the heck?
For the most part, Checkbook is amazing. The math not adding... 1-2 cents adds up fast!!

by Ginger 45678

I wanted to try Checkbook for a little bit before posting a review. I. Love. It. Some people on here probably grew up tracking purchases in a this app. I did not.
Finally, I got sick of overdrafting, or living paycheck to paycheck. ACH payments aren’t instantaneous, and my water bill had to be paid with a check. And the utilities guy wouldn’t cash the checks until he had three or four at a time!
I could probably fly by the seat of my pants as a teenager with my finances, but I now have two kids with activities fees and dances and field trips and it’s nice to know how much money I actually have as opposed to what the current balance is on my checking.
Also, the ability to upload images is priceless. We recently opened an HSA, and I’ve been able to upload digital receipts of copays or prescriptions.
I cannot stress enough how important it is as a millennial to have Checkbook. It helped me get my finances under control, and now I’m getting out of debt as opposed to drowning in it. My husband and I haven’t used credit cards in a year, because now there are no more “surprises” that we have to make up for. We know how much money we have at all times. Love love love it. Worth every penny for the extras, too.

by BGY Junior

I got Checkbook about 4 and a half years ago to delete the usage of a real this app at home and I haven’t gone back to it since. I use Checkbook literally every single day. It saves all of your actions so if you go to a place more than once, it already has the name saved so you just write in the price and the category is already saved.

One thing I think that should change in Checkbook is to allow the user to be able to delete these saved “Descriptions”. Because if you have used Checkbook for a long time, you’ll start to have to scroll through items that won’t be needed again and it can get annoying.

by Makana2011

this app app has helped me stay on top of my finances. I know exactly how much I have in all my accounts. The reports tell me where I spend my money because it forces you to put every transaction into a category. Plus, you can add, delete or change the category list.
I was even able to email me my monthly report and print it out to give to my financial advisor.
The upgrade prices are so cheap for the value.
What’s also great is that after I enter in a receipt into my digital this app app, I go straight to the FETCH app and snap shot it for points to earn gift cards. It’s a total win-win!
Mahalo to the developer(s)!🌺 Ashlyn

by Snoflake_21

I was wanting a way to not only do my this app right on the spot but a break down by category. This part could be improved on but it may be in the paid version which I plan on getting but it can be used exported to an excel spreadsheet very easily and a sort from there is a breeze. I have not found to much about Checkbook I don't like. Awesome awesome awesome. I have been using this for a couple of months now and I really like Checkbook. Well worth the money. One thing I have found is when you do the backups, you need to create a new one each time so you get the most updated info. This is not clear on how to do this but you need to add a new local backup by hitting the + sign in the upper right hand corner.

by Funicochi

I am a long time fan and user of Checkbook (5 years?). I love it's simplicity. I love the charts and reports. I use it many times daily and input all expenditures. It is the most used app I have, and feels almost like a friend.

Now, I have had to make small calculating adjustments to Checkbook. Sometimes it's math doesn't jive with my accounts as posted in the bank. I'm assuming this is because of some accounting adjustments that are beyond my current mathematical abilities to understand (like decimal placement .0000 when I only account for .00). I have to add or subtract a penny here or there,but frankly I'd rather do that than get rid of Checkbook .

So why a five star review with an imperfection? Because it deserves it and I want others to enjoy it as well.

by Kollette27

Been using Checkbook since late 2017. Used 2 other “register” apps prior, and they BOTH became obsolete with no updates and Apple’s constant software updates. The last time I had to swap apps, I lost a huge amount of proof of purchases because my phone wouldn’t even open it enough to back it up. Every time I tried, I got this “not supported, please update message”, yet there were no updates. I paid for all of those apps, then to lose all my information because they weren’t updated to compatibility with iOS.

Now, I love this register. It’s the best one I’ve used so far. I hope the devs will be able to keep it going, although I usually run several iOS updates behind, there always comes a point when I’m basically forced to complete an iOS update, and I don’t want to lose all my financial info in the process.

by Lor1402

Checkbook has been life-changing for me. I will confess I balanced my this app using a paper check ledger only by saying the amount I had in the this app was “close enough” to what the bank told me I had. I feel like I’ve taken control of my finances using this ledger. It’s easy to Record your transactions immediately upon purchase instead of waiting to get home and write it in the check ledger. And many times I’ve forgotten by the time I’ve got home to write something in the this app that I had purchased with my debit card. Consequently I was frequently dipping into my overdraft account. I haven’t used my overdraft account in six months because of this ledger. I’ll never go back to the old way.
One thing I wish… I wish there was a different way besides dropbox to back up the ledger. I’m not a fan of dropbox.

by Speakeasyusa

Pros: The expense categories are great for tracking spending and the fact that you can edit them to make them personalized is even better. The reports are fantastic; income and expense graphs are very helpful! Checkbook is also very user-friendly.
Cons: No "available balance" line. As this is a this app balancing app (among other things) an available balance would be strongly suggested for an update. Other apps have this. Lastly, the icons are limited for the expense categories; a few are just plain bizarre (chain?). More would be appreciated (clothing, shoes, bikes, things that represent hobbies/activities). Just my humble opinion.

Overall quite a decent app.