I have upgraded my mid 2009 MacBook Pro to an iMac and am looking for a good personal finance software. I have quicken but the version I use is not compatible with the OS. While I use personal capital for investing, I cannot import my years worth of data (I have finance records since 2003). Any recommendations? I performed a search but it seems most of the posts are dated. Thanks so much!
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Best personal finance app
- Thread starter madamelulu
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I have been happy with Banktivity.
www.iggsoftware.com
They also have iOS apps if you want to sync to iPad/iPhone (I don't).
Take Greater Control of Your Finances with the all-new Banktivity for macOS/iOS
Banktivity is a suite of macOS/iOS Proactive Money Management tools that help you plan, save, invest and spend. So you can confidently look forward to the future, while living and enjoying your best life today.
They also have iOS apps if you want to sync to iPad/iPhone (I don't).
I never found a financial app that could successfully and completely import my Quicken data. The one that did the best job was Moneydance, which I then used for years, but then I had a more advanced financial situation that it couldn't handle. I switched to Banktivity about a year ago, and I've been happy with it, but it still couldn't import all the Moneydance data correctly.
Sorry to reopen an old thread, but I thought I'd relate my recent Banktivity experience here for posterity.
I had been a long-time iBank 4 user, since 2012. With the purchase of a new MacBook it was no longer supported with Catalina. I contacted IGG support, and they instructed me to download Banktivity 5 (which worked on my old Mac), and use the 30 day trial period to 'update' my iBank 4 data file to a (I presume) newer format to use with Banktivity 7.
I did that, and moved that data file over to my new Mac. With that, they instructed me to use the 30 trial period for Banktivity 7 (what I ultimately wanted) on the new Mac, and import that newer data file. All went well, had a 30 day trial with Banktivity 7, was pretty happy with it too.
With 5 days left on that trial, I went to purchase the v.7 software, and it returned a 'Item is not available for sale' message. I contacted support again, and was told that there is a new version, Banktivity 8, hence v.7 being no longer for sale. They suggested I download that software, which I did.
But... (there's always a but in these stories!), it turns out that the new v.8 software is subscription only (absolutely no mention of that by them before I downloaded that version!), and there's no way to keep the v.7 I had been using. This is the reply I got:
Banktivity 8 is subscription based. There is not a one-time purchase option with Banktivity 8. If you are not interested in Banktivity 8 because of the subscription, unfortunately I don't have any options for you with Banktivity. I'd hate to see you go to another software package, but you may want to look into your other options.
You'd think at some point during my 30 day trial with v.7 that they would have sent a heads-up to purchase the software while I can. Nope, nothing. Needless to say I am not happy with what I consider to be a bait/switch type tactic. I fully believe at the time I made my initial query to IGG support, they knew that the v.8 was upcoming. Rather than alert me to that, they were happy to trap me into something that I didn't want or need. (I had previously told them I didn't require any extra cost type frills, as I enter everything manually).
Please note I'm not here to bash the Banktivity folks, it's good software that unfortunately no longer fills my needs. I will bash the rather weaselly way they went about this whole affair though. They could have been more open and honest about what was happening and/or going to happen. Not a good way to treat customers IMO.
So now I'm looking for another personal finance program for my Mac. Lucky I had been updating my old iBank 4 while using v.7, and can hopefully use that file to export to a new software package when I find one. If anyone has any recommendations I'd love to hear them.
I do not require linking to my banks, downloading transactions, or any extra frills like that. One thing I do require is multiple currency options, as I have accounts in 2 countries. Any suggestions will be appreciated and fully investigated, thanks in advance!
I had been a long-time iBank 4 user, since 2012. With the purchase of a new MacBook it was no longer supported with Catalina. I contacted IGG support, and they instructed me to download Banktivity 5 (which worked on my old Mac), and use the 30 day trial period to 'update' my iBank 4 data file to a (I presume) newer format to use with Banktivity 7.
I did that, and moved that data file over to my new Mac. With that, they instructed me to use the 30 trial period for Banktivity 7 (what I ultimately wanted) on the new Mac, and import that newer data file. All went well, had a 30 day trial with Banktivity 7, was pretty happy with it too.
With 5 days left on that trial, I went to purchase the v.7 software, and it returned a 'Item is not available for sale' message. I contacted support again, and was told that there is a new version, Banktivity 8, hence v.7 being no longer for sale. They suggested I download that software, which I did.
But... (there's always a but in these stories!), it turns out that the new v.8 software is subscription only (absolutely no mention of that by them before I downloaded that version!), and there's no way to keep the v.7 I had been using. This is the reply I got:
Banktivity 8 is subscription based. There is not a one-time purchase option with Banktivity 8. If you are not interested in Banktivity 8 because of the subscription, unfortunately I don't have any options for you with Banktivity. I'd hate to see you go to another software package, but you may want to look into your other options.
You'd think at some point during my 30 day trial with v.7 that they would have sent a heads-up to purchase the software while I can. Nope, nothing. Needless to say I am not happy with what I consider to be a bait/switch type tactic. I fully believe at the time I made my initial query to IGG support, they knew that the v.8 was upcoming. Rather than alert me to that, they were happy to trap me into something that I didn't want or need. (I had previously told them I didn't require any extra cost type frills, as I enter everything manually).
Please note I'm not here to bash the Banktivity folks, it's good software that unfortunately no longer fills my needs. I will bash the rather weaselly way they went about this whole affair though. They could have been more open and honest about what was happening and/or going to happen. Not a good way to treat customers IMO.
So now I'm looking for another personal finance program for my Mac. Lucky I had been updating my old iBank 4 while using v.7, and can hopefully use that file to export to a new software package when I find one. If anyone has any recommendations I'd love to hear them.
I do not require linking to my banks, downloading transactions, or any extra frills like that. One thing I do require is multiple currency options, as I have accounts in 2 countries. Any suggestions will be appreciated and fully investigated, thanks in advance!
Thanks for posting that and I'm sorry about the predicament you're in. I didn't know they were moving to a subscription model with Banktivity 8. I don't need to link to my banks either so I guess I'll just keep using Banktivity 7 for as long as I can and then I'll find other software.
I like See Finance 2 at the App Store.
SEE Finance 2
Manage all of your financial accounts in a single place and gain control over your finances. Track all of the financial accounts you might have including banking, credit cards, investments and others. Generate a variety of customizable reports and budget to keep your spending on target. Track...
apps.apple.com
I've tried several other personal finance apps over the years, including some listed above (iBank, SEE Finance, Moneydance, some others I can't remember). All were OK, but none has ever proved as robust and durable as Quicken. I have also tried some online apps (for example, Mint), but I dislike the lack of control over my data. I have Quicken data now dating back over 20 years. Some of this has been painfully imported, converted, exported, reconverted etc.. through other apps over the years but I always come back to Quicken. Quicken is still not perfect, but over the past year or so, it has renewed its commitment to Mac users and has steadily improved. Yeah, you have to pay for it every year. But you get what you pay for.
I loved Quicken on Windows but was disappointed by the Mac version, so it's good to hear that it's improved lately.
Thx for the sympathy guy. One of the frustrations of moving to a new computer is moving some of the essentials over to it, which ain't always easy to do. It's a bit of a painstaking experience and always stresses me the hell out!
You'd think especially with banking apps, they would have some understanding that you'd been with them a long time, and likely have years of data/records you need to keep. They don't care, it's 'gimme your money or screw you'. I don't remember the exact prices, but was something like $40 for the minimum plan, to $99 for the best plan. And you can be sure that they sorted things so that the features most people would want were only available in the $99 plan! Banktivity is a good product, but not that good, and shady business practices to boot. Screw them.
BTW, I'm a born/raised New Englander myself, CT boy now retired in Thailand.
Yeah I was weaned on Quicken myself back in the 90's or so. Good stuff back then. When I got my first Mac (2006) I naturally switched to Quicken for Mac and it was total garbage compared to the Windows version. Grew quickly tired of that and made the move to iBank 4. It was a bit clunky for me at first, but I got used to it.
Banktivity 7, for the brief time I had it to use, was a far sight better than my original iBank for sure. Was totally committed to, and ready to use that, until they pulled the rug out from under me.
Not sure what Quicken is all about now, but I'm just not willing to pay a yearly fee for something I don't need.
Been diligently scouring the web for some alternatives the past couple days. Found an app called Moneyspire which seems to have features I need, though not as refined as Banktivity. It had some bad reviews, but most concerned connecting with banks and all that, which I'm personally not concerned about.
I'll shoot off a few specific questions to their support folks and see what they have to say. I believe they also allow a free trial period to test it out.
Be happy to hear from anyone with any experience with the Moneyspire software!
I'll shoot off a few specific questions to their support folks and see what they have to say. I believe they also allow a free trial period to test it out.
Be happy to hear from anyone with any experience with the Moneyspire software!
I'm with Tah. I've tried many other financial management apps over the years, but nothing has been as good as Quicken in my opinion. I've never used the Windows version, but the newer Mac ones were definitely two steps forward, one step back from Quicken 2007, which I used forever. I'm running the most current version now & have bought the subscription. If you keep an eye out, you can usually find a renewal offer for around $25 or so. At $2/month, Quicken is worth it for me, for what I use it for & for the ease of connectivity with so many financial institutions.
I am surprised there are this many finance apps for mac, buying apps is a small market let alone personal finance and for the Mac. A quick browse in the Mac App Store shows you how dry things are. Everything is subscription, mobile, or via browser now. I wouldn't trust some small time company some where with important data.
I don't know if you know this but there is something called migration manager built into MacOS that transfers you files from your old computer to new computer even from Windows machine. You can also use Carbon Copy Cloner or SuperDuper that will make 1:1 replica of your storage.
I don't know if you know this but there is something called migration manager built into MacOS that transfers you files from your old computer to new computer even from Windows machine. You can also use Carbon Copy Cloner or SuperDuper that will make 1:1 replica of your storage.
This is where I stand. Quicken for Mac has improved greatly over the years, and I've never found another app that competes. And I also found cheap 2-year subscriptions for it on eBay.
And while I don't like doing many subscriptions, there are a few things worth paying ongoing money for...my finances is one of them. A good password manager is another.
So, yeah...I'd suggest Quicken.
Quick update on my progress, or lack thereof...
First off I'm a bit surprised at the Quicken love here. It was the poster boy, then whipping boy of finance apps, now apparently back in favor? Will keep that in mind as my search continues. I don't have a problem with spending the money, but don't like that once they get your CC number they auto-bill you every year. Had a problem with Norton AV on that once. Didn't even own that PC anymore and they kept billing my card. Trying to contact them was a nightmare, ended up having to cancel out my credit card to end that garbage!
I tried the free trial of Moneyspire today. Not impressed at first sight, but then I can live without the visual bells/whistles if the functionality is there. First off I imported my QIF file, lots of mistakes and things missing. Balances were off, reconciled accounts weren't reconciled. Not sure I want to deal with going over everything with a fine tooth comb to straighten all that out! I have too many years of records for that.
Also, and I may be wrong here and it could be a Moneyspire issue, it would not import the latest Banktivity 7 QIF file I had exported and saved on my Mac. Don't know if Banktivity does something to keep that from happening or what? When Moneyspire looked for a QIF file to import, the Banktivity ones were blanked out. Hmmm...
Also I am willing to (and may have to in the end) start 'new' and just enter a balance forward amount and create all 'new' accounts once I decide which app to go with. Not ideal as I'd lose lots (years!) of records and info. But at this point in life I'm not sure it matters so much anyhow!
I find Moneyspire, in my limited time with it, a bit clunky and not so intuitive. Anything new takes getting used to and all that, but not sure about that app right now. I'll give it a few more days and see. But right now when I see my balances totally off, I'm not very inspired.
First off I'm a bit surprised at the Quicken love here. It was the poster boy, then whipping boy of finance apps, now apparently back in favor? Will keep that in mind as my search continues. I don't have a problem with spending the money, but don't like that once they get your CC number they auto-bill you every year. Had a problem with Norton AV on that once. Didn't even own that PC anymore and they kept billing my card. Trying to contact them was a nightmare, ended up having to cancel out my credit card to end that garbage!
I tried the free trial of Moneyspire today. Not impressed at first sight, but then I can live without the visual bells/whistles if the functionality is there. First off I imported my QIF file, lots of mistakes and things missing. Balances were off, reconciled accounts weren't reconciled. Not sure I want to deal with going over everything with a fine tooth comb to straighten all that out! I have too many years of records for that.
Also, and I may be wrong here and it could be a Moneyspire issue, it would not import the latest Banktivity 7 QIF file I had exported and saved on my Mac. Don't know if Banktivity does something to keep that from happening or what? When Moneyspire looked for a QIF file to import, the Banktivity ones were blanked out. Hmmm...
Also I am willing to (and may have to in the end) start 'new' and just enter a balance forward amount and create all 'new' accounts once I decide which app to go with. Not ideal as I'd lose lots (years!) of records and info. But at this point in life I'm not sure it matters so much anyhow!
I find Moneyspire, in my limited time with it, a bit clunky and not so intuitive. Anything new takes getting used to and all that, but not sure about that app right now. I'll give it a few more days and see. But right now when I see my balances totally off, I'm not very inspired.
Re migration assistant yeah, thanks for that! With a new Mac and new OS (went from Yosemite to Catalina) some of my apps were no longer supported anyhow. So I manually moved my personal text and spreadsheet files, music, photos, etc. I'm a bit picky about what I want on the new Mac, don't have tons of things anyhow, and wanted a good clean start.
Funny that with my previous Mac purchase I migrated using a Time Machine backup. But it also imported the old OS with my apps and files. At the time I figured what the heck, it was like having my old computer on a brand new computer so no big deal to me. My mistake was not later upgrading the OS, and eventually my software got left in the dust. Oh well, live and learn. But this time I was more careful, more selective with what I moved, and still have the old Mac in case I forgot something!
I recently completed auto-renewal. For about two weeks before renewal, each time I opened the app Quicken gave in-app notification that renewal was approaching, including a link to the appropriate page in my account allowing me to make a change if desired. I thought it was very transparent & professional. FYI
Next year I will look for discounted renewal (as Dimwhit found on eBay).
So I gave up on Moneyspire already, a bit clunky and didn't import my QIF data well at all. Tried the trial version of Moneydance next.
Moneydance is a rather similar design to Moneyspire I thought, and also didn't import my QIF data well. It's a little better looking than Moneyspire, but also a bit clunky to use. Some intuitive things like contextual menu's on CTRL-click would help. As it is you need to say, click an account, then go to the Account menu to Edit, Delete, etc, whereas a CTRL-click on that account name showing those options would be much easier. Something that I can live with I guess, and they may improve that over time, or at least I'd hope they would.
The import of the QIF didn't go well as I said, so I started new and decided to enter some accounts manually just to get a feel for it. I created a couple of accounts, and used a balance forward amount to start with. It seems to be the way I'll have to go in the end as I don't trust the imports from my QIF file. I'll lose lots of historical records, but at the same time I'll get a clean start and just move forward from there. I definitely don't have the patience to sift through hundreds of transactions over 20 yrs or so, and try to sort and fix them!
The MD trial is two weeks and up to 100 transactions, and I'm starting to get used to it somewhat already. I'll give it a few more days before I decide to keep (purchase) it or not. Don't have that many other options available to me, so if I'm comfortable with MD in time, I'll go with it.
I was surprised that Quicken was not in the Apple App Store, don't know why that is. I checked out their website, and they do seem to have now gotten their act together, been at it long enough I suppose. I still prefer a one-time purchase to a script plan though, even if some upgrades may cost me later.
Moneydance is a rather similar design to Moneyspire I thought, and also didn't import my QIF data well. It's a little better looking than Moneyspire, but also a bit clunky to use. Some intuitive things like contextual menu's on CTRL-click would help. As it is you need to say, click an account, then go to the Account menu to Edit, Delete, etc, whereas a CTRL-click on that account name showing those options would be much easier. Something that I can live with I guess, and they may improve that over time, or at least I'd hope they would.
The import of the QIF didn't go well as I said, so I started new and decided to enter some accounts manually just to get a feel for it. I created a couple of accounts, and used a balance forward amount to start with. It seems to be the way I'll have to go in the end as I don't trust the imports from my QIF file. I'll lose lots of historical records, but at the same time I'll get a clean start and just move forward from there. I definitely don't have the patience to sift through hundreds of transactions over 20 yrs or so, and try to sort and fix them!
The MD trial is two weeks and up to 100 transactions, and I'm starting to get used to it somewhat already. I'll give it a few more days before I decide to keep (purchase) it or not. Don't have that many other options available to me, so if I'm comfortable with MD in time, I'll go with it.
I was surprised that Quicken was not in the Apple App Store, don't know why that is. I checked out their website, and they do seem to have now gotten their act together, been at it long enough I suppose. I still prefer a one-time purchase to a script plan though, even if some upgrades may cost me later.
I like See Finance 2 at the App Store.
SEE Finance 2
Manage all of your financial accounts in a single place and gain control over your finances. Track all of the financial accounts you might have including banking, credit cards, investments and others. Generate a variety of customizable reports and budget to keep your spending on target. Track...apps.apple.com
See Finance was next on my list of trials to test out. Been reading more and more about the support people apparently gone awol or something going on there. Shame as it appears to be a nice piece of software.
Whether it's a personal issue with the developer or a business related issue nobody seems to know. I'd assume if business related, that someone else would pick it up and go with it. But pure (wishful) speculation on my part.
Old song from one of my favorite bands from the mid-70's. Ambrosia, Holding On To Yesterday. That's you bro! You're what the younger phone zombies would call a dinosaur, haha!I feel all of your pain. I am clinging on to Microsoft Money 99.....yes 99! I run it on XP through Parallels. I am dreading the day when this potentially falls over. Needless to say this is the only application that I run on XP and it doesn't connect to the internet!
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Great discusison guys! Has anyone looked into Microsoft Money in Excel?
www.microsoft.com
It is part of Office subscription, so at the minimum it would cost $69.99, but you would also get full Office/OneDrive etc. I am paying close to $50 for Quicken subscription and I cant say I am impressed. For $20 more I can have a decent money management tool that I could use on any device and tons of other features. Does anyone have any experience with it?
Introducing Money in Excel, an easier way to manage your finances | Microsoft 365 Blog
Today, with the launch of Money in Excel, we are embarking on a journey to simplify your day-to-day money decisions to help you stay on track of your longer-term financial goals.
www.microsoft.com
It is part of Office subscription, so at the minimum it would cost $69.99, but you would also get full Office/OneDrive etc. I am paying close to $50 for Quicken subscription and I cant say I am impressed. For $20 more I can have a decent money management tool that I could use on any device and tons of other features. Does anyone have any experience with it?
I feel all of your pain. I am clinging on to Microsoft Money 99.....yes 99! I run it on XP through Parallels. I am dreading the day when this potentially falls over. Needless to say this is the only application that I run on XP and it doesn't connect to the internet!
You're not alone... I'm running the UK version of the last golden copy on MS Money, also in a VM through Parallels. In my case it's running on Windows 10 (it also runs on Vista should the 10 build ever break it!)
Just need Parallels to get the VM working on Apple Silicon
No further significant progress made. Moneydance is okay, not perfect for me, but okay. I'm really disappointed with the SEE situation, looked to be the one last trial to try before making my decision. The lack of a smooth and complete import of my old data is a bummer. Only app that did that for me completely was Banktivity, and screw them.
And in further reply to Benhama above, I can only say that the longer you wait to move on, the more frustrated and disappointed you'll be once you do it. Concessions will have to be made, as in my case where I'm willing to forego my years of accumulated data and move on and start from scratch again.
In the mean time I'm still keeping track of things on my old iBank 4 on my old computer. Should something come along that will cleanly import my old data, fine. Otherwise I start with a balance forward in each account, give up my years of records, and go on from there. Life's too short to worry about **** I can't control.
And in further reply to Benhama above, I can only say that the longer you wait to move on, the more frustrated and disappointed you'll be once you do it. Concessions will have to be made, as in my case where I'm willing to forego my years of accumulated data and move on and start from scratch again.
In the mean time I'm still keeping track of things on my old iBank 4 on my old computer. Should something come along that will cleanly import my old data, fine. Otherwise I start with a balance forward in each account, give up my years of records, and go on from there. Life's too short to worry about **** I can't control.