Counting Money: A Look at EyeNote, MCT Money Reader, Cash Reader, and Seeing AI iOS

Scott Davert

When I purchased my first iPhone in 2011, one of the first apps I bought was the Looktel Money reader for $9.99. It was an app I felt confident I would get plenty of use from. I was right: this app was unequivocally a top performer. In 2016, Looktel Money Reader was purchased by NantMobile Health, which changed the app to a subscription model. At that time, Looktel Money Reader still worked fine for me, so I never bothered to purchase the new application. Recently, I set up a new iPhone SE 2020 model, which I restored from a backup. Sadly, the app I purchased in 2011 was no longer available, prompting the search for a new solution. I simply typed “money reader” into the App Store, and chose the first four options that appeared. My research into this long-unexamined landscape is what follows. I tested four applications: EyeNote, MCT Money Reader, Cash Reader, and the currency recognition channel in Seeing AI. The latest version of each app was used on an iPhone SE 2020 running iOS 13.5.1. All apps were tested using the same bills under the same lighting conditions. To work, all of these apps require access to the iOS camera and the user must allow this permission to use the app.

EyeNote

Designed by the US Department of Engraving and Printing, this free app will only recognize US currency. The interface of the app is very simple as there is nothing detected by VoiceOver unless a bill is in view of the camera. The Money Reader app used to indicate that it was at least ready by saying "Money Reader Running," which this app does not do.

All US bills were identified within a second of being placed within view of the rear-facing camera. Results were read in the Samantha voice, even though Alex is my default voice. The result also flashed up on my braille display, indicating whether it was the front or back of the bill. I had to either use both hands, one to move the bill around and the other to read the result on my braille display, or press Spacebar + N to review a list of previous VoiceOver announcements. The app does not require an Internet connection.

Seeing AI

Another free option for recognizing money is the Currency channel within the free Microsoft Seeing AI app. It recognizes the following currency: US dollars, Indian rupees, British pounds, Canadian dollars, Euros, and the Japanese yen. To get to the Currency Recognition channel, you must select it with the VoiceOver Rotor. Once selected, flick left to choose the currency you wish to recognize. It's not possible to identify more than one type of cash at a time.

As long as the correct type of money is selected, Seeing AI does a good job of recognizing any denomination of bill. I tested both Euros and US Dollars. I understand that the Euro paper money has different sizes for different denominations, but it was the only other form of currency I had available that Seeing AI would recognize. Unlike the EyeNote app, Seeing AI does not specify the side of the bill being captured. All bills were identified correctly. Identification took approximately 2 seconds. The minor time difference may be a reasonable tradeoff, especially if you're making use of the app's other features and wanting to keep things simple. Note that to use any aspect of Seeing AI, you must have an active Internet connection.

MCT Money Reader

MCT Money Reader is an app that requires a subscription. You can get a three-day trial, but the cost for using the app is $0.99 monthly, or you can purchase a lifetime subscription for $14.99. Be aware, though, that it appears this application is not updated frequently. The App Store indicates it was last updated a year ago. MCT Money Reader can identify a range of currencies from the US dollar to the Iranian rial. To see the list, visit the app page in the App Store, linked at the end of this article.

I was able to get a single bill recognized, and then was immediately taken to the page where you must pay to continue. Although the app will continue scanning upon launch, you will not get the results of the recognition. After activating the three-day trial, I returned to the app and was able to use it to recognize bills.

Upon first launching this app, you will be taken to information about how the app will work to identify the currency you throw at it. All info is accessible in both braille and speech, and after pressing the Next button " a couple of times, you will be sent to the subscription area. Pressing the Back button returns you to the main screen of the app. When you launch the app, it will begin scanning. There is no indication of this in braille, but it's safe to assume that is what is happening. When moving the phone over the bank note you wish to recognize, various tones are emitted to assist you with bringing the bill in focus. Though it recognized currency in around 3 seconds, speech would prematurely get cut off. It will say "1 U", for example, when identifying a US dollar bill, so as long as you know what country your banknote is from you will know the denomination. The interrupted speech also happened on my iPhone XR running iOS 12.4.1, so it doesn't seem to be an iOS version issue, nor is it specific to one device. The identification result is also presented in braille without interruption, and through the VoiceOver announcement feature. Whether I chose a 5€ banknote or a US $20 bill, Money Reader was able to successfully identify whatever was in front of the camera.

There are some settings that may be of interest on this application. If you do not wish to use the audio feedback, for example, it can be turned off. This doesn't fix the issue documented above concerning the speech being interrupted. There is also a setting that allows you to manually start scanning. When this mode is active, VoiceOver will speak "start scanning," but it appears in braille as an unlabeled button. The identification process is the same as it is with continuous scan , complete with the interrupted speech. Finally, there is a money counter feature that can keep track of the amount of money it has recognized.

Cash Reader

Cash Reader is available as a 14-day trial upon subscription, and then costs $0.99 a month, $5.99 annually, or $17.99 for a lifetime subscription. It continues to receive updates, with the last one being six days prior to the writing of this article. This is reassuring, as new types of banknotes get released from time to time. Since Cash Reader supports the identification of nearly 100 currencies, it would seem updates would be vital. Due to the fact that so many types of money are recognized, it's not practical to list them all. You can find a complete list in the app, or by visiting the App page in the iOS App Store.

Upon first launch, you will be taken to a Getting Started area that allows you to set up the app as you wish. This includes granting access to the camera and selecting what currency you would like to recognize. You can also set up shortcuts using the Getting Started section so that you can tell Siri from anywhere to use the app to recognize the currency of your choice. It is even possible to set up multiple shortcuts. If you have the need to recognize multiple types of cash, you can set up a shortcut for more than one type of currency. After either creating a shortcut or simply pressing the Continue button, you must agree to the terms and you can then start recognizing money.

When you next launch the app, you will read what currency is presently being identified. If you flick right, you will find a Settings button that will give you many options that may be worth exploring. Most of these options aren't part of the setup process, but one exception is the type of currency being recognized. If you want, for example, the app to recognize all the currencies it can, you must download another file from their server. The app will tell you that it is trying to recognize 1 of over 568 banknotes, so it's important to be sure to get more of the bill in the camera's focus.

The next setting allows you to decide whether you wish to also have haptic feedback from the app communicate the denomination of the banknote. Next to this setting, you will find the option to learn what each series of vibrations means when a bill is recognized. The next heading allows you to record a Siri shortcut for the recognition of each form of currency.

Beyond that are several low vision settings to adjust contrast. The next heading allows the user to automatically enable the flashlight when your device determines it's in a dark environment. Following these settings, the user can configure the option to disable the beeps that will let you know the app is actively scanning. A muted phone, in this case, means a muted app. Next you have the option to speak either the denomination of the bill or both denomination and type of currency. You can also choose between the front and back facing cameras. Silent mode will simply send a vibration and not speak the denomination of currency. You can also set this to respect your mute switch. There are also options to send a link to a friend to download the app, the ability to view their various social media accounts, the option to add a button to the main screen that will allow you to your friend a picture of what you want to identify if something goes wrong, and the ability to re-run the tutorial, which is the first setup screen I discussed.

This app performed very well. Like all of the other apps, when a single type of currency is selected, recognition takes less than two seconds for each bill. Unlike the other three apps covered here, Cash Reader allows me to find out what denomination of bill I have without having to reach for my braille display, doesn't require me to hear VoiceOver, and allows me to discretely recognize money as needed.

With the recognition set to "all currencies," there was a slightly longer delay than the 1.2 seconds it took on average to recognize a specific currency. Typically, it took about five seconds to identify a note while using this mode. That said, it was able to recognize and correctly tell the difference between the Euro, US dollar, and Danish kroner.

Conclusion

In the US, the EyeNote app is a free, offline, and dedicated option for currency identification. Those residing in nations with supported currency have an affordable and feature-loaded contender in Seeing AI. For currencies that aren't supported by Seeing AI, Cash Reader will likely be there when you need it. This is also true if you prefer to receive the information tactilely, whether you use a braille display or not. Lack of updates and interrupted speech are just two reasons I can't recommend the MCT Money Reader. One positive note about all four applications is that every bill was identified correctly.