Cha-Ching Touch Now Available

[MacRumors]

Last month, we mentioned that Cha-Ching was coming to the iPhone and iPod touch, so we'd like to provide an update noting that it is now available for purchase [App Store] at an introductory price of $2.99.

Cha-Ching features:
- Location based, quick transaction entry
- Simple, fun budgeting
- Multiple account support
- Unlimited Custom Categories
- Synchronization with Cha-Ching for the Mac
- Multi Device Sync - Sync your Cha-Ching library with more than 1 iPhone/iPod Touch
- Passcode lock to keep your financial data safe

Users of the Mac version of Cha-Ching can sync their transaction histories to the iPhone version to provide on-the-go access.

Article Link: Cha-Ching Touch Now Available

 

[kgarr]

Location awareness to tell you where nearby payees are?

This will surely help those trying to avoid that bookie they owe all that money.

 

[crees!]

Avoid

Gonna avoid this one. Users of the current software know how bad the support is for the product. Not to mention this it is to be used with an "advance preview" of Cha-Ching 2.0. When I came across Mint (www.mint.com) I dropped Cha-Ching like a bad habit and there's no going back.

 

[diemos]

Cha-Ching man! Ill check it out.

 

[CTYankee]

Gonna avoid this one. Users of the current software know how bad the support is for the product. Not to mention this it is to be used with an "advance preview" of Cha-Ching 2.0. When I came across Mint (www.mint.com) I dropped Cha-Ching like a bad habit and there's no going back.

Yup...they promise a lot and make excuses when they don't deliver. They were supposed to have a beta of 2.0 last January, but it didn't show up for months. Then when it did they claimed they delayed it to make sure it was right. Since then they admitted they were no where near ready with it and only claimed it was ready so they could get in on MacHeist II (ie lead us on so they can get a big payday).

I would not want to hitch my financial data to this wagon. Others are far more reliable and competent (Moneywell).

 

[carrjar]

Midnight Apps showing Great Support

Gonna avoid this one. Users of the current software know how bad the support is for the product.

One look at the ChaChing Touch forum and you'll see countless responses from Midnight Apps. They may not have had the greatest reputation with ChaChing desktop, but they are much improved.

 

[csmitty]

Location awareness to tell you where nearby payees are?

This will surely help those trying to avoid that bookie they owe all that money.

Haha, now thats hilarious. I assume its if you in a certain place and want to enter data it will fill in the institutions name for you. Like say your bookie.

Also mint is excellent. not perfect. but close.

 

[hyeok]

I must say, I am highly disappointed with Cha-Ching Touch and Cha-Ching 2 beta. They have made some changes since Cha-Ching 1 that makes it very inconvenient/unacceptable for legacy users who already have thousands transactions entered. Furthermore, there are feature mis-matches between the iphone version and the mac version, which is unacceptable for two apps that are supposed to sync with one another.

 

[newmoomin]

I actually quite like the new iPhone app.

Yes, its a shame that the desktop version and mobile version are not the the same with the desktop feeling like an alpha, but the iPhone app is self contained and works very well for a version 1.

I wanted a nice money management app on the iPhone that can work without the need of a desktop, and at the moment, there isnt anything much better.

For alternatives for you, moneywell is coming out for iPhone at some point, and until Cha-Ching, I use iXspenseIt which was ok but a very bad UI and ugly icon.

 

[cthielen]

Cha-Ching Touch Thoughts & Clarification on Midnight Apps

I downloaded this right away and have used it for a few hours now and am liking it. It feels fairly solid and has all the features you'd expect.

Midnight Apps made a bad promise to have Cha-Ching 2 ready for MacHeist II, because, if I heard correctly, it was part of their acceptance for MacHeist. They did not deliver. They also are staffed by two individuals presumably and until recently, had poor customer relations.

And while experience is one of the best indicators for future performance, Midnight Apps has cleaned up their act by greatly improving their customer relations, and they have delivered a great iPhone app that will hopefully bring them enough money to keep up a pace for Money 2.

It is a shame that they only have an advance beta of Money 2 for us to use, but the iPhone app is far too lucrative not to release, and if Money 2 isn't near ready, it isn't near ready. On the bright side, you don't have to use the beta Desktop version at all, the iPhone app is self-sufficient, and I'm sure Money 2 is still coming along, perhaps even faster if they have decent sales on the App Store.

Also, to address the question of location awareness, it is not to find shops, but to remember shops you've already been at, so if I make a transaction at the same Starbucks every morning, it will know my location when I hit "New Transaction" and say, "Oh, you're at Starbucks, right?" so I don't have to do that step.

Very cool stuff!

 

[mainstreetmark]

Yeah, I second Mint. You don't have to type in anything ever, since it hooks up to your online bank, with the added benefit of being able to hook up to your credit cards, car loans, home loans, paypal and retirement stuff. Also it's free.

It's not perfect, but it's less not-perfecter than Chaching.

 

[chr1s60]

At first this sounded promising, but then I started reading and it seems like there are a lot of negative comments about the company and the program. I think I am gonna pass on this one.

 

[papaburgundy]

mint.com

Gonna avoid this one. Users of the current software know how bad the support is for the product. Not to mention this it is to be used with an "advance preview" of Cha-Ching 2.0. When I came across Mint (www.mint.com) I dropped Cha-Ching like a bad habit and there's no going back.

Gonna second the plug for mint.com! Works awesome. Although, it is kind of depressing when you see your net worth...

 

[jmadlena]

Gonna avoid this one. Users of the current software know how bad the support is for the product. Not to mention this it is to be used with an "advance preview" of Cha-Ching 2.0. When I came across Mint (www.mint.com) I dropped Cha-Ching like a bad habit and there's no going back.

Just looked at mint.com... thank you! I had heard about it but never tried it. It is pretty much everything I need, plus an iPhone app. If only Washington State didn't have backwards mobile banking laws I could just use the Bank of America iPhone app. Oh well... This will work very well for me.

 

[cthielen]

mint.com?

I know Midnight Apps isn't perfect, but beware mint.com. They have been profiled in respected magazines and are a legitimate company, but be sure to check the entire agreement before you hand over your online banking credentials. You are giving mint.com the ability to have complete access to your online banking functions, and that's a step too far for me.

 

[cnorth3]

I know Midnight Apps isn't perfect, but beware mint.com. They have been profiled in respected magazines and are a legitimate company, but be sure to check the entire agreement before you hand over your online banking credentials. You are giving mint.com the ability to have complete access to your online banking functions, and that's a step too far for me.

A warning worth heeding, especially since Mint plans to make money by selling third-party services. That said, I read through their agreement and was satisfied. After a few hours of trying it, it looks like I may have finally found what I'm looking for!

 

[ggbrown]

I think this app is excellent. It does everything I need, and more. At $2.99, it's less than the price of a Latté, and will still be there tomorrow.

In my opinion, it's a steal. Congrats and thank you to the developers.

G

 

[csmitty]

Although, it is kind of depressing when you see your net worth...

Yea I kinda wish you could turn that part off. I can get rid of a grand easily, but the rest is gonna be there a while. Such is life

 

[swindmill]

I wanted a nice money management app on the iPhone that can work without the need of a desktop, and at the moment, there isnt anything much better.

Ledger meets this criteria very well.

 

[spaceballl]

I tried for a long time to use Cha Ching, but I never liked it much. I just went back the good old spreadsheet method. Much more customizable and with custom functions you can make it do all of the same stuff. And with Numbers, it actually does look quite attractive!

 

[Snowy_River]

Desktop links?

Okay, so I have only just started to explore this question, being prompted by reading about ChaChing, but so far I haven't found any good answers. What I want to know is whether there are any accounting/checkbook/ledger type apps out there that provide the ability to connect to standard desktop apps, such as MYOB, the app that I use. If need be, I suppose I could use something like ChaChing, and just reenter the data manually when I get in front of my desktop, but it would be nice if there was a more elegant solution.

Any thoughts?

 

[Love]

I've been looking for desktop software for finance, and I thought Cha-Ching looked really nice - it's really stubborn to use. I prefer Money-its great

 

[reubs]

Glad I looked for this; Chaching desktop is kind of annoying, and I'm wondering if the Touch/iPhone app isn't the best way to go just to keep track of expenses and then plug them into a spreadsheet at the end of the day...

As far as budgeting goes I haven't found Mint to be customizable in that way. If someone can tell me how to manually set a budget in Mint, then I'll go there all the way. Until then, Mint just serves as a way to see all of my accounts at once, and for that it's wonderful.

 

[danny_w]

I have been looking for a simple checkbook/ledger for the Mac that also has an iPhone counterpart, so I downloaded the Cha-Ching desktop 2.0 beta and it wouldn't even launch (it always quit before opening). I only need a fairly simple app that can show multiple accounts, with a running total for each and for all, and allow manual entries so that I can see the "real" amount available to me (something mint.com, Quicken Online, and others like them can't do). Budgeting and the ability to enter recurring transactions would be nice but not a necessity. I would prefer to download transactions separately and merge them myself (I don't feel safe about mint.com's having my banking credentials). So far I have narrowed the choices down to 1) iBank (IGG Software), 2) Checkbook Pro (Splasm Software, no iPhone app unfortunately), and 3) Moneywell (No Thirst Software). I have some troubles seeing distinctly, so the colored backgrounds of iBank (different colors for different categories) is really nice. Actually Checkbook Pro does everything that I really need, is easy to use, and cheap ($25), but unfortunately does not have an iPhone app. Are there any others that I should consider?

EDIT: Splasm Software just sent me an email telling me that they are working on an iPhone version of Checkbook that will sync with the desktop version. No word however on when it may be available.

 

[danny_w]

Does anybody have any experience with the other iPhone syncing software out there? Is iBank the only other one beside Cha-Ching right now? I really want to get something soon but don't want to spend the $60+ that iBank wants unless it is really the best. I haven't tried the beta version 3.5 yet; what are the major differences, and will it be a free upgrade if I buy now?