CheckbookEase freeware has facilities for balancing the checkbook for one account and managing the home budget. The trails package also includes the trial for the premium package that has added facilities such as multiple accounts, calendars day planner and a picture viewer.

Pros: Checkbook Ease Freeware is a free checking account and household budget program. It has a lot of features that make it easy to use and understand. Household budgeting can be done and viewed together with the checkbook balance so that home budget adjustments could be done on a continuing basis. Whatever adjustments become apparent can be done on a continuing basis to balance the budget always. Besides the back of the envelope budget planner one could add retirement planner, home purchase planner, a college planner to optimize overall planning and accounting.

The application is totally flexible about transaction types. There are 100 odd predefined types to choose from. Transactions can be split across budget heads. When issuing checks numbers can be generated automatically, payees can be defined, payments scheduled so as not to forget a bill payment. Quick search and recall of previous bank statements are possible.

Printing of accounts, archiving of accounts are available. The premium account also includes internet download of statements, back up/restore of data and import of data.

Cons: For the premium package the additional feature of day planner, multiple calendars, notepad and picture viewer do not seem to have a logical uniformity. Feel more like just some functionality thrown together to try and enhance value. On the other hand for the small price the publishers charge for the premium version it is an amazing collection of features. Export of data to packages like Money or quicken would be useful.

Overall the application rates a level of very good utility, 4 stars.