Open The Books

Name: Open The Books
Rating: 2.5 (88 reviews)
Author: American Transparency

By: American Transparency

Reference

Features & Capabilities

Open The Books is a Chrome extension that provides access to the United States Government checkbook since 2000, including contracts, grants, loans, direct payments, and farm subsidies.

It also includes seven-year salary histories for 2.2 million federal employees, state checkbooks in at least 16 states, and public salaries from 36,000 local government units. The app supports hyper-localized spending insights by GPS location, a ZIP code, or searches by vendor name or employee last name. With a state checkbook fly wheel interface and data from American Transparency, a 501(c)3 non-profit, this extension aims to increase government transparency and empower citizens to hold government accountable.

User Growth & Download Statistics

App Data Analytics Education

By:

American Transparency

Rating:

2.50

(88)

Version:

3.2 Last updated: 2025-09-24

Version code:

878374385

Creation date:

2011-12-19

Compatible devices:

Size:

5.91MB

URLs:

Website ,Privacy policy

Full description:

Source:

Apple Apps Store

Data ingested on:

2026-06-08

Compare stats and ranking:

Ranking

# 199,050 ▼ 494

For Developers

Monetize with App Pass Boost with Extension Booster

Contact the developer

Chrome-Stats does not own this Apple app. Please use these information below to contact the Apple app developer.

Developed by:

American Transparency

Apple Apps Store

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/open-the-books/id485809631

Website:

http://www.openthebooks.com

User Reviews

Users like the idea and value the data when the app runs, but stability and currency issues dominate. Repeated freezes/crashes, startup failures, outdated state data, and UI glitches (half-folded pages, screen-fit problems) degrade the experience across iOS devices, leading to inconsistent results despite strong potential.

Pros

Provides useful government finance data when the app works, matching the website
The concept and data are valuable; users see it as a good idea with useful information
Has potential to be a strong mobile resource for transparency when stable

Cons

Frequent freezes, crashes, or becomes unresponsive, often during navigation or after input
Does not open on some devices or at startup (eg, iPhone 11, XR)
Data is outdated, with state-level information not updated for years (around 2018) and lacking regular updates
User interface issues such as pages folding and not fitting the screen, with content often half visible
Search/navigation can freeze or hang, requiring an app restart

Recent reviews

First time it said my password was not good. Second time it said my email was already being used. Duh by me! Fix this problem

by pr*****, 2025-01-08

I noticed they updated the app. Now you have to donate $$ to use the app or when your free trial is over you’re done using it. Just deleted it, buh-bye.