For a few years, Quicken was top-of-the-line private finance budgeting and invoice administration software program packages. However today, extra trendy budgeting instruments exist. They join seamlessly along with your financial institution accounts, bank cards, and funding apps utilizing the newest know-how.
I used to be as soon as a giant fan of Quicken, however let’s face actuality — it is not the highest budgeting app in the marketplace — removed from it. When you’re in search of a Quicken different, we tried a number of choices, and listed below are our favorites.
1. Empower
Key Characteristic: Free monetary dashboard and wealth planner
- Pricing: Free
- Budgeting: Sure
- Internet Price Monitoring: Sure
- Computerized Syncing: Sure
Empower is a wonderful budgeting app for many who wish to construct wealth. It gives a free Private Dashboard that lets you observe your web value, your monetary accounts, and your price range. You too can earn a excessive APY in your financial savings by Empower’s no-fee Private Money account and make the most of Empower’s wealth administration companies if in case you have a portfolio stability of $100,000 or extra. With Quicken, I usually bumped into synching and connection points, however with Empower, which is web-based, account synching is seamless.
Empower lacks the budgeting capabilities of another apps on this checklist, but it surely’s the way in which to go in case your precedence is monitoring your investments and web value.
Execs
- Free to make use of
- Highly effective web value tracker
- Wealth administration out there
Cons
- There are higher budgeting instruments
2. Tiller Cash
Key Characteristic: Spreadsheet automation for full customization
- Pricing: $79 per yr
- Budgeting: Sure
- Internet Price Monitoring: Sure
- Computerized Syncing: Sure
Be taught extra about Tiller Cash
When you’re a fan of utilizing spreadsheets to price range, you will wish to know extra about Tiller Cash. Tiller Cash will automate your spreadsheets at a low price of $79 per yr after a free 30-day trial. With some tweaking, it will pull your information for you and put it right into a Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel doc. Whereas Quicken gives loads of options out of the field, I discover Tiller to be extra customizable.
You can begin with one in every of Tiller’s free templates or construct your personal, however after the preliminary work, you will have a totally automated spreadsheet tailor-made to your wants. You need to use this to trace your web value and set budgets. If there is a disadvantage, it is that it helps to be considerably snug with the fundamentals of spreadsheets (or want to study).
To study extra, learn our full Tiller Cash overview.
Execs
- Spreadsheet-based budgeting
- Provides versatile templates
- Monitor spending at a look with the Spending Developments sheet
- 30-Day free trial
Cons
- It has extra of a studying curve than another apps
Be taught extra about Tiller Cash
3. Vyzer
Key Characteristic: Subtle asset monitoring for larger web value customers
- Pricing: $0 to $149 month-to-month
- Budgeting: Sure
- Internet Price Monitoring: Sure
- Computerized Syncing: Sure
Vyzer is a monetary dashboard and administration system designed for high-net-worth people who handle a wide range of funding accounts. One limitation of instruments like Quicken is that it is difficult to trace property that do not match neatly into one in every of its integrations (and even then, typically the integrations do not work).
With Vyzer, you’ll be able to observe property that aren’t held neatly in a brokerage or checking account. They provide a service the place you’ll be able to add any kind, and they’ll parse it and add it to your property. Do you personal rental properties? In that case, do you discover it tough to trace money movement? With Vyzer, they may do it for you and ship that information to your dashboard.
Nobody else gives this. This lets you analyze your portfolio, handle your money movement, and do all the required evaluation as a result of these property at the moment are being tracked.
They’ve a free tier, simply added in mid-2023, the place you’ll be able to observe three portfolios (linking up three banks/brokerages) and use their instruments to see how they evaluate. This is not a timed trial; it is three portfolios tracked ceaselessly with entry to a lot of their monitoring and efficiency instruments.
Execs
- Free tier out there
- In a position to seize property not held in typical brokerage or checking account
- Highly effective instrument is appropriate for high-net-worth people
Cons
- Elite model is expensive ($149/month)
- Not very best for freshmen
4. ProjectionLab
Key Characteristic: Attractive monetary planning and forecasting instrument
- Pricing: $0 to $49 month-to-month
- Budgeting: Sure
- Internet Price Monitoring: Sure
- Computerized Syncing: No
Be taught extra about ProjectonLab
ProjectionLab is among the best-looking monetary instruments I’ve ever seen. It is a monetary planning instrument that features deterministic projections, historic backtesting, simulations, and extra that will help you plan to your future. What it lacks within the budgeting division, it makes up for in planning.
ProjectionLab has three tiers and a 7-day free trial – Fundamental (free), Premium ($9/month), and Professional ($45/month), when paid yearly. Fundamental permits you to mess around with the instrument however is not going to save your information until you improve to Premium. Premium offers you entry to each non-financial advisor function of the instrument (the whole lot a daily particular person would wish).
The place Quicken focuses on spending and saving to achieve objectives, ProjectionLab can let you know if that saving (and the way you might be invested) will make it easier to obtain these objectives. Be aware that Projection Lab just isn’t a budgeting instrument, so it is not going to be an excellent different if that is essential to you.
Our overview of ProjectionLab goes into a lot better element, together with a tour by the founder.
Execs
- Glorious monetary planning instrument
- Inexpensive – free model and Premium is barely $9/month
- Filled with projection and simulation instruments, together with Monte-Carlo and Sankey Money-Move
Cons
- To save lots of information, should pay for a Premium subscription
- Not a budgeting instrument
Be taught extra about ProjectonLab
5. You Want a Funds (YNAB)
Key Characteristic: Finest-in-class budgeting instrument
- Pricing: $14.99 month-to-month, $99 yearly
- Budgeting: Sure
- Internet Price Monitoring: Sure
- Computerized Syncing: Sure
Be taught extra about You Want a Funds
You Want a Funds is highly effective budgeting software program that may make it easier to construct a price range you’ll be able to develop into. It does greater than observe your cash; it helps you construct a framework for rising your wealth.
Consider it like Quicken with a character and a philosophy.
YNAB’s philosophy revolves round 4 guidelines:
- Give Each Greenback a Job
- Embrace Your True Bills
- Roll With The Punches
- Age Your Cash
These 4 pillars kind the muse for a budgeting app that has helped many individuals remodel their monetary lives and enhance their spending habits. If you wish to transition to a monetary instrument that may make it easier to do extra than simply report bills, you must take a look at YNAB.
For extra info, learn our You Want a Funds overview.
Execs
- Highly effective zero-based budgeting app
- May also help you enhance your spending habits
- Computerized financial institution syncing
- 34-Day free trial
Cons
- Would not provide a free plan
- Costlier than some alternate options
- No invoice monitoring
Be taught extra about You Want a Funds
6. Simplifi by Quicken
Key Characteristic: Cheap, on-line, & gentle model of Quicken
- Pricing: $3.99 month-to-month
- Budgeting: Sure
- Internet Price Monitoring: Sure
- Computerized Syncing: Sure
Be taught extra about Simplifi
Simplifi by Quicken is a light-weight budgeting app constructed by the identical staff as Quicken. The app has all the fundamental options you’d anticipate in a budgeting app—monitoring spending, setting a price range, setting financial savings objectives, and detailed stories of revenue and bills so you’ll be able to analyze your spending. It makes use of Plaid, so it syncs up with 1000’s of establishments.
It additionally consists of gentle funding monitoring with real-time quotes and even tracks cryptocurrencies. Simplifi prices $3.99 a month, however for a restricted time, it is simply $2 a month, making it one of many extra inexpensive paid apps out there. Be aware that whereas Simplifi gives a “Invoice Join” function that allows you to view your payments, there is not any approach to pay for them by the app.
For extra info, learn our full Simplifi overview.
Execs
- Inexpensive
- Intuitive app is simple to make use of
- Syncs to 1000’s of economic establishments
- Share your account with associate, advisor, and so on.
Cons
- Lacks in-depth funding monitoring
- No Invoice Pay function
7. Lunch Cash
Key Characteristic: Fantastically designed budgeting app
- Pricing: $10 month-to-month or $100 per yr
- Budgeting: Sure
- Internet Price Monitoring: Sure
- Computerized Syncing: Sure
Be taught extra about Lunch Cash
Lunch Cash is a superbly designed budgeting app that does one factor very nicely – price range. You’ll be able to sync your financial institution accounts or, should you favor, add CSVs along with your transaction information. When you’re a programmer, you may also make the most of their developer API. As soon as your information is in Lunch Cash, you’ll be able to break up, group, tag, and categorize all of your transactions precisely as you need. Afterward, you’ll be able to set a price range, which is able to hyperlink up along with your transactions and provide you with an concept of the place you might be.
Lastly, a web value calculator might help you perceive your progress. Lunch Cash is cheaper and simpler to make use of than Quicken. That mentioned, it lacks the invoice pay options Quicken gives, although it may possibly observe recurring bills and allow you to know when payments are due. Maybe the largest knock towards Lunch Cash is that they do not have a cell app for iOS or Android. Their web site can be utilized on a pill or cell machine, but it surely’s not very best.
Lunch Cash prices $10 per thirty days or $100 per yr and has a 14-day trial. Be taught extra in our full Lunch Cash overview.
Execs
- Computerized financial institution syncing
- Glorious options for organizing transactions
- Features a web value calculator
- Tracks recurring bills
Cons
- No free model
- No cell app
- No Invoice Pay function
Be taught extra about Lunch Cash
8. CountAbout
Key Characteristic: Can import information from Quicken
- Pricing: $9.99 to $39.99 per yr
- Budgeting: Sure
- Internet Price Monitoring: Sure
- Computerized Syncing: Sure
Be taught extra about Countabout
CountAbout was designed as a Quicken different. Based in mid-2012, it is among the solely private finance apps that may import information from Quicken. If you wish to transition away from Quicken however fear about shedding all of your information, you’ll be able to feed it your Quicken file, and it will populate itself. That’ll make the transition far much less painful!
Like Quicken, CountAbout is not free however solely prices $9.99/yr for the Fundamental subscription and $39.99/yr for the Premium subscription. The Premium subscription consists of computerized transaction downloads. A subscription mannequin means you’ve got full information privateness and will not get annoying advertisements like different corporations.
CountAbout is web-based, with multi-factor account safety, so you do not have to obtain a program onto your pc, and there is not any must take care of unwieldy syncing points – all you want is an online browser. And with CountAbout’s iOS and Android apps, your monetary info is at all times at your fingertips.
Execs
- You’ll be able to import your Quicken information
- 45-day free trial is longer than most apps
- Computerized account syncing
Cons
- No free model
- No Invoice Pay choices
- Minimal funding monitoring
Be taught extra about Countabout
9. Pocketsmith
Key Characteristic: Funds planner, calendar, and projector
- Pricing: $9.99 to $26.66 month-to-month
- Budgeting: Sure
- Internet Price Monitoring: Sure
- Computerized Syncing: Sure
Be taught extra about Pocketsmith
Pocketsmith is a freemium budgeting instrument that makes use of calendars and “event-based budgeting.” Being calendar-based implies that reasonably than viewing your transactions as merely a protracted checklist of transactions, the calendar helps you perceive when these transactions are taking place and if they’re doing so frequently. This helps inform you about your spending and is among the extra visible methods when in comparison with others on this checklist.
PocketSmith has a free choice that lets you manually import transactions, 12 budgets, 2 accounts, and projections for six months out. Basis, $9.95 per thirty days, billed yearly, will get you computerized transaction importing, limitless budgets, 10 accounts, and 10 years of projections. For $16.66 month-to-month, Flourish will get you 18 related banks, dashboards, and 30 years of projections. Fortune is $26.66 month-to-month and gives limitless accounts and 60 years of projections.
For extra particulars, try our full Pocketsmith overview.
Execs
- Provides a limited-free model
- Calendar-based app helps you visualize your price range
- Computerized account syncing (paid plans)
Cons
- Few funding options
- Free model may be very restricted
Be taught extra about Pocketsmith
10. Banktivity
Key Characteristic: Native Mac software
- Pricing: $49.99 to $99.99 per yr
- Budgeting: Sure
- Internet Price Monitoring: Sure
- Computerized Syncing: Sure
Be taught Extra About Banktivity
Constructed particularly for MacOS, Banktivity is a private finance cash supervisor that imports information from Quicken, so you do not lose something within the transition course of. It’s going to do the whole lot you need in a private finance app, together with budgeting, monitoring spending, scheduling and paying payments, monitoring your investments (together with actual property), and pulling information from monetary establishments.
It additionally has some highly effective reporting choices that, should you’re a report junkie, you’ll in all probability actually take pleasure in constructing, tweaking, and rebuilding. All that is additionally doable throughout iOS gadgets with seamless cell app synchronization.
It’s not free, although there’s a free 30-day trial interval. It has an annual subscription based mostly on the extent of service you need. Bronze begins at $49.99 a yr and goes as much as $99.99 per yr for Gold.
Execs
- Very best for Mac customers
- Can essential information from Quicken
- Schedule and pay payments
- Monitor investments (together with actual property)
- 30-day free trial
Cons
- No free model
- Not out there on Home windows – Mac solely
- Pricier than some apps
Be taught Extra About Banktivity
11. MoneyDance
Key Characteristic: Not cloud-based
- Pricing: One-time value choice of $65, or $9.00 month-to-month, $90 yearly
- Budgeting: Sure
- Internet Price Monitoring: Sure
- Computerized Syncing: Sure
Be taught Extra About MoneyDance
MoneyDance just isn’t as nicely often called another apps on our checklist however is value mentioning because it’s one of many few cash apps that does not depend on the cloud. If you’re involved about storing your information on-line, this answer retains your information native to your pc.
You’ll be able to nonetheless hyperlink your accounts on-line, which pulls your transactions routinely, however they solely retailer them in your pc. You’ll be able to enter transactions manually should you do not wish to hyperlink your accounts.
MoneyDance appears and appears like a checkbook, with the examine register for transactions, however has charts and tables for reporting. It does budgeting however may observe your investments, albeit it isn’t as feature-rich as others.
Moneydance is free to obtain and check out, but it surely prices $65 (you’ll be able to go for a $90 annual subscription if you’d like updates). The free model has all the identical options because the paid model, however you’ll be able to solely enter 100 guide transactions.
Execs
- Would not retailer info on the cloud, which is able to attraction to some customers
- Funding monitoring
- Computerized account syncing
- 90-day moneyback assure
Cons
- Steeper studying curve than competing apps
- Model with updates is $90 yearly
Be taught Extra About MoneyDance
12. EveryDollar
Key Characteristic: Follows Dave Ramsey’s Child Steps
- Pricing: $17.99 month-to-month or $79.99 yearly
- Budgeting: Sure
- Internet Price Monitoring: Sure
- Computerized Syncing: Sure
Be taught Extra About EveryDollar
Have you ever heard of Dave Ramsey? Many people swear by his strategy to managing funds, and EveryDollar is constructed with that in thoughts. It considers human psychology reasonably than relying solely on math, which could clarify why it’s so efficient.
Very similar to YNAB, EveryDollar makes use of the ideas of zero-based budgeting.
In zero-based budgeting, you assign each greenback to a class (or job, in YNAB parlance). It is a degree of rigor that may be refreshing or limiting, relying in your character. The app is gorgeous, out there in your smartphone, and has a free and paid model. The paid model prices $79.99 a yr.
Be aware: The paid model gives telephone help and automatic transaction importing, which is a giant time-saver; in any other case, you will need to manually enter the information.
Execs
- Makes use of ideas of zero-based budgeting
- App is visually interesting
- Computerized account syncing
- 14-day free trial
Cons
- Paid model is dearer than some alternate options
- No Invoice Pay
- No funding monitoring
Be taught Extra About EveryDollar
13. GoodBudget
Key Characteristic: Follows the envelope budgeting methodology
- Pricing: $0, $10/month, or $80/yr
- Budgeting: Sure
- Internet Price Monitoring: Sure
- Computerized Syncing: Sure
Be taught Extra About GoodBudget
GoodBudget is a free budgeting app based mostly on the envelope budgeting methodology. In envelope budgeting, you put aside a prescribed quantity for every spending class and spend it every month.
It is some of the fashionable cash administration strategies in private finance. The envelope refers back to the unique methodology of managing the sort of price range, the place you place bodily money into an envelope. While you run out of cash, you borrow money from one other envelope or make do.
GoodBudget provides know-how to the combination and synchs up financial institution accounts to assist observe your revenue and spending. You set the quantity for every class and watch as your spending nears the month-to-month restrict. It is out there for each iOS and Android telephones.
Execs
- Free model
- Very best for envelope-based budgeters
- Internet value monitoring
- Computerized account syncing (paid model)
Cons
- No funding monitoring
- Free model is restricted
Be taught Extra About GoodBudget
14. GnuCash
Key Characteristic: Open-source and free
- Pricing: Free
- Budgeting: Sure
- Internet Price Monitoring: Sure
- Computerized Syncing: No
GnuCash is free open-source accounting software program that, should you’re keen to place within the work, can replicate a whole lot of the Quicken expertise for these keen to scale the training curve. It options double-entry accounting (each transaction should debit one account and credit score one other), which is efficient however would require an adjustment should you’re not used to it.
It gives a lot of Quicken’s performance, resembling splitting and categorizing transactions, managing a number of accounts, scheduling transactions, and reporting that features charts and stories (stability sheet, P&L, portfolio valuation, and so on.).
Its massive benefit is that it may possibly deal with budgeting and investments, so it isn’t strictly a budgeting instrument.
Lastly, it gives QIF importing to import your Quicken information, plus OFX (Open Monetary Trade) protocol. This implies you’ll be able to pull in your information in case your financial institution gives the power to export transactions.
Execs
- Free
- Budgeting
- Invoicing instruments
- Would not help a number of customers
Cons
- Not user-friendly
- Not cloud-based
- No computerized account syncing
15. Dollarbird
Key Characteristic: Date & calendar-based budgeting
- Pricing: $39.99 to $59.99 per yr
- Budgeting: Sure
- Internet Price Monitoring: Sure
- Computerized Syncing: No
Be taught Extra About Dollarbird
Dollarbird is one other private finance app with a watch towards collaboration and a month-to-month calendar. The app builds a schedule of future revenue and expenditures that will help you plan. Dollarbird additionally gives a five-year monetary plan to ascertain longer-term monetary objectives and observe your efficiency towards them.
Dollarbird makes use of calendar-based cash administration. You’ll be able to collaborate with others (a associate, member of the family, or a staff) to handle a staff price range, although the collaborative piece requires the Professional model ($39.99 / yr).
Execs
- Inexpensive pricing
- Helps collaboration with members of the family
- Set long-term monetary objectives with 5-year plan
Cons
- No computerized account syncing
- Free model is restricted
Be taught Extra About Dollarbird
16. MoneyWiz
Key Characteristic: Freemium app with cryptocurrency help
- Pricing: $4.99 month-to-month, or $24.99 to $49.99 per yr
- Budgeting: Sure
- Internet Price Monitoring: Sure
- Computerized Syncing: Sure
Be taught Extra About MoneyWiz
MoneyWiz has been round since 2010. It helps nearly each working system you’ll be able to think about—the whole lot from Home windows to Android to iOS gadgets just like the iPhone and iPad—and it syncs them in real-time.
It is a highly effective budgeting instrument that integrates with 16,000+ banks in 51+ nations, together with cryptocurrencies. If importing out of your monetary establishment considerations you, you’ll be able to manually enter information, and it really works simply as nicely. For budgeting, you’ll be able to work with their classes (that are multi-level) or add your personal (and subcategories). You’ll be able to break up transactions, bulk edit, tag, and create highly effective stories. It will not pay your payments for you however does have notification options.
The freemium product has a free model with all of the performance minus synching throughout a number of gadgets and automatic transaction downloads. For that, you will need to purchase the Normal plan ($29.99 per yr) or Premium ($49.99 per yr or $4.99 per thirty days).
Execs
- Inexpensive pricing
- Helps cryptocurrencies
- Internet value monitoring
- Computerized syncing
Cons
- Free model is restricted
- Variety of out there options may overwhelm new budgeters
Be taught Extra About MoneyWiz
17. PocketGuard
Key Characteristic: Freemium budgeting-focused app
- Pricing: $155.99 per yr ($74.99 billed yearly)
- Budgeting: Sure
- Internet Price Monitoring: Sure
- Computerized Syncing: Sure
Be taught Extra About PocketGuard
PocketGuard is an easy budgeting app that hyperlinks your bank cards, checking and financial savings accounts, investments, and loans. It has an entire image of your funds, however its strengths are in budgeting—the way it updates and categorizes your spending because it occurs and appears for alternatives to save lots of. Utilizing your spending, it additionally builds a personalised price range based mostly in your information and the objectives you set for your self.
They’ve a free model and a Plus model. The free model has the whole lot it is advisable observe your bills and keep watch over them. Plus permits you to so as to add customized classes and observe money transactions like revenue and payments. Pricing is $155.99/yr should you pay month-to-month or $74.99 billed yearly (50% financial savings)
Execs
- Free model
- Computerized syncing
- Glorious budgeting options
Cons
- Free model is restricted
- Web site is cumbersome to navigate
Be taught Extra About PocketGuard
What to Look For in a Budgeting App
Your alternative of budgeting app will rely in your budgeting model and the options which are most essential to you. For instance, should you favor to observe a zero-based strategy to budgeting, you will possible be drawn to an app resembling YNAB or EveryDollar. When you love spreadsheets, Tiller Cash may attraction to you. That mentioned, most prime budgeting apps share a number of key options.
Computerized syncing allows your banking balances and exercise to be uploaded routinely into your budgeting app. This makes all the course of simpler and saves you from having to manually add your account information. Internet value monitoring goes past primary budgeting, but it surely’s an essential monetary measurement. As such, it is good if you may get the function in the identical app you employ to trace spending and handle your price range.
One other “nice-to-have” function in a budgeting app is a free model. Whereas many will not thoughts spending cash on the premium model to unlock all the options, should you simply desire a easy price range, most free variations have sufficient functionality to get the job achieved.
What Is the Finest Free Different to Quicken?
We think about Empower Private Dashboard to be the most effective free Quicken different as a result of it gives budgeting and wealth administration instruments. Whereas many different instruments provide one or the opposite, Private Capital gives each, so you may get it multi function place. Additionally they provide a wealth administration advisory service that will help you along with your investments.
FAQs
Intuit created Quicken On-line to compete with Mint. Close to the tip of 2009, they gave up and bought Mint. Afterward, they opted to close down Quicken On-line and bought all the Quicken unit to H.I.G. Capital in 2016. Quicken On-line not exists however you’ll be able to attempt Simplifi by Quicken in its place.
Any cloud-based different will work on a PC and a Mac. It is cloud-based, so it really works in your browser, which makes its working system agnostic.
If you’d like private finance software program designed particularly for Macs, Banktivity is your only option. It is one of many few private finance functions constructed particularly for MacOS and has the richest function set. Most significantly, it seamlessly integrates with iPhones and iPads.
It is extraordinarily unlikely that Quicken shall be discontinued. They’ve retired older variations of the software program and provides customers a path in the direction of upgrading to their subscription product (which carries no yr in its identify), however personal fairness corporations now personal it, they usually’re unlikely to close down Quicken given how a lot they’ve invested in shopping for it.
Abstract
When you’re not thrilled with utilizing Quicken to handle your funds, together with your price range, there are numerous alternate options, each free and paid, to select from. For zero-based budgets, we like YNAB and EveryDollar, each of which provide slick and intuitive apps, and strong budgeting options. In the end, you’ll be able to slim your alternative by making a listing of “must-have” options. From there, evaluate pricing and every other useful options which may make it easier to make a ultimate alternative.