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kgphotos

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Dec 6, 2017
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Hi.

I am looking for a finance/money management app. What do you all recommend? Would like to be able to balance checkbook, create a budget, keep track of spending, etc. My husband and I use to use Quicken but it seems that they really only support Windows now.

Thanks for your replies!
 

BaldiMac

macrumors G3
Jan 24, 2008
8,788
10,910
Hi.

I am looking for a finance/money management app. What do you all recommend? Would like to be able to balance checkbook, create a budget, keep track of spending, etc. My husband and I use to use Quicken but it seems that they really only support Windows now.

Thanks for your replies!
Quicken has a well supported Mac app since they left Intuit.
 

kgphotos

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Dec 6, 2017
311
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Quicken has a well supported Mac app since they left Intuit.
Really? Was just on their site comparing plans and it seems like more Windows support than Mac. It's been a while since we used Quicken. From what I remembered it was good. But like I said the "Compare Plans" page didn't seem to list much for Apple support- just a Windows icon. I know they make a desktop app.

I just remember after I typed this... Banktivity! Seems like a great app. Mac and iOS. Anyone use this? Pro/Cons?
 

kgphotos

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Original poster
Dec 6, 2017
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BaldiMac

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Jan 24, 2008
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Really? Was just on their site comparing plans and it seems like more Windows support than Mac. It's been a while since we used Quicken. From what I remembered it was good. But like I said the "Compare Plans" page didn't seem to list much for Apple support- just a Windows icon. I know they make a desktop app.

I just remember after I typed this... Banktivity! Seems like a great app. Mac and iOS. Anyone use this? Pro/Cons?
It's mostly just a few wizards for some planning and analysis. I think savings goals are the only things missing that I consider basic functionality. All of the things listed in the OP are supported by the Mac version.
 
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kgphotos

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Original poster
Dec 6, 2017
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It's mostly just a few wizards for some planning and analysis. I think savings goals are the only things missing that I consider basic functionality. All of the things listed in the OP are supported by the Mac version.
Thanks for this info. Will compare with Banktivity.
 

chabig

macrumors G4
Sep 6, 2002
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I switched to See Finance years ago when Intuit abandoned the Mac. I've been happy with it ever since.

 
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kgphotos

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Original poster
Dec 6, 2017
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I switched to See Finance years ago when Intuit abandoned the Mac. I've been happy with it ever since.

I’ll check it out. Thank you.
 

MikeDr206

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Oct 9, 2021
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Quicken was spun out of Intuit (or vice versa)… Quicken is now a separate company than TurboTax.

The Mac version is a lot better than before — and is well supported. However, it still does not have feature parity with the Windows version.

It’s overkill, but I run Windows 11 in a VM using Parallels on my Apple silicon Macs in order to run the Windows version of Quicken
 
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MikeDr206

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Oct 9, 2021
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Wait, I lied! Quicken just announced Quicken Personal & Business for Mac in December. I am intrigued.
 

BaldiMac

macrumors G3
Jan 24, 2008
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Quicken was spun out of Intuit (or vice versa)… Quicken is now a separate company than TurboTax.

The Mac version is a lot better than before — and is well supported. However, it still does not have feature parity with the Windows version.

It’s overkill, but I run Windows 11 in a VM using Parallels on my Apple silicon Macs in order to run the Windows version of Quicken
What do you feel are the top features missing from the Mac version that are in the Windows version?
 

minnellac

macrumors newbie
Nov 1, 2008
2
0
I’ve been using Quicken for around 30 years on the Mac. At one point the reports were a bit jenky, but the Mac support has really improved in the last 5 years or so. It is a subscription though, and I am sure I am not using more than a small fraction of its capabilities. It wouldn’t surprise me if there are less expensive alternatives that are equally functional for most peoples’ needs. It is very good about pulling data from multiple accounts and simplifying the reconciliation process.
 

MikeDr206

macrumors 6502
Oct 9, 2021
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What do you feel are the top features missing from the Mac version that are in the Windows version?

well, until just after posting my original reply, I hadn’t realized that they came out with a Personal & Business version! That was the biggest omission — I run my solo legal practice using Quicken (QuickBooks is overkill), and we also used to have a rental property that I managed through Quicken.

I’m going to download the Mac version and see if it has everything the Windows version of Home & Business does.

The other feature that used to be missing (well, I think the Mac version has it now) is tags. I use transaction tagging extensively, and at one point this feature wasn’t in the Mac version. and it may still not be, but I believe it is.
 
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MikeDr206

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Oct 9, 2021
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I’ve been using Quicken for around 30 years on the Mac. At one point the reports were a bit jenky, but the Mac support has really improved in the last 5 years or so. It is a subscription though, and I am sure I am not using more than a small fraction of its capabilities. It wouldn’t surprise me if there are less expensive alternatives that are equally functional for most peoples’ needs. It is very good about pulling data from multiple accounts and simplifying the reconciliation process.

Quicken I feel excels at automatically downloading data from banks, credit card companies, etc., on a daily basis. And since they’ve been spun off, any issues that crop up are handled pretty quickly — if I ever have an issue for a given financial institution, when I go to the community forum there’s always an update regarding the problem.

In terms of using just a small fraction of the functionality, I think this is no different than, say, Microsoft Word. Most people just use 10-15% of the features… but the specific features one person uses are different than those another person uses.
 
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deepspacecowboy

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Jan 1, 2024
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Why do you feel it's much better? Personally, I was put off by the UI. Too crowded and busy for me.
In fairness, it’s been a few years since I checked out Quicken. I don’t find the Banktivity UI crowded. I think it’s very intuitive over all. I’m also very impressed with the overall speed of the UI. Back in the iBank days it was very laggy but now it’s lightning fast. Reporting is very flexible. The new single line register is very easy to read. Banktivity supports tagging. I like the envelope budgeting features.

I also appreciate that they are an Apple centric company that has been supporting Apple platforms for over 20 years. I realize that Quicken is no longer an Intuit product, but I’d still rather support a developer who is all in on Apple. Their tech support is great. They’ve implemented several features I’ve suggested. Their founder/lead developer has reached out to me to get feedback on future features. They seem like they really care about their users.
 

BaldiMac

macrumors G3
Jan 24, 2008
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In fairness, it’s been a few years since I checked out Quicken. I don’t find the Banktivity UI crowded. I think it’s very intuitive over all. I’m also very impressed with the overall speed of the UI. Back in the iBank days it was very laggy but now it’s lightning fast. Reporting is very flexible. The new single line register is very easy to read. Banktivity supports tagging. I like the envelope budgeting features. I also appreciate that they are an Apple centric company that has been supporting Apple platforms for over 20 years. I realize that Quicken is no longer an Intuit product, but I’d still rather support a developer who is all in on Apple. Their tech support is great. They’ve implemented several features I’ve suggested. Their founder/lead developer has reached out to me to get feedback on future features. They seem like they really care about their users.
UI aside, Quicken also supports tagging and a single line register. So the only feature that you mention that Quicken lacks is envelope budgeting. Not something I need, but certainly nice for some people.

I've been looking to find an alternative to Quicken to save a bit of money on the annual subscription, but nothing is standing out. Heck, Banktivity is now more expensive than Quicken.
 

deepspacecowboy

Suspended
Jan 1, 2024
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UI aside, Quicken also supports tagging and a single line register. So the only feature that you mention that Quicken lacks is envelope budgeting. Not something I need, but certainly nice for some people.

I've been looking to find an alternative to Quicken to save a bit of money on the annual subscription, but nothing is standing out. Heck, Banktivity is now more expensive than Quicken.
I don’t know what Quicken costs but I don’t think $70/year for a product I use every day is bad. I generally avoid subs but Banktivity is one I don’t mind paying.
 
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deepspacecowboy

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Jan 1, 2024
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Another thing I like about Banktivity is that the iOS apps are pretty much full-blown apps, not just helpers. Again, I haven’t followed Quicken in recent years, so maybe Quicken is that way too now.

The Banktivity iOS apps connect to banks just like the desktop and offer a similar feature set. I still prefer the desktop app, but it’s great having most (all?) of the same features in the mobile apps when needed.
 

njvm

macrumors regular
Jul 17, 2018
206
61
A second for See Finance 2 - meets all my needs and I have been a Quicken and Banktivity user.
 

BaldiMac

macrumors G3
Jan 24, 2008
8,788
10,910
I don’t know what Quicken costs but I don’t think $70/year for a product I use every day is bad. I generally avoid subs but Banktivity is one I don’t mind paying.
It's not bad. Quicken is just slightly less. My issue is that the price has almost doubled over the last few years. Heck, I used to pay $35 every 2-3 years. Then the subscription started around the same price annually. Now it's up to $65 per year.
 
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