The personal finance program Quicken has been the industry’s darling for many years. When it was sold to HIG Capital, it was with the assurance that users would continue to enjoy the same benefits as before, but with the added expansion and enthusiasm (read: new features) that new ownership can bring.
However, this sale has left some users wondering about alternative methods of tracking their spending and creating a budget. Luckily, the personal finance space has evolved over the last several years, and there are plenty of new players ready to swoop in to provide them with the guidance they need. Here are a few alternatives to the personal finance program giant that are worth checking out.
Table of Contents:
8 Quicken Alternatives
1) Personal Capital
Personal Capital may have the best all-around money tools available, and they are completely free! Like Quicken, Personal Capital users can link all of their accounts and track them all in one place. This even includes tracking your investments and your net worth. Also like Quicken, Personal Capital tracks all of your spending and categorizes it for you — allowing you to get a clear picture of where your money is going each month.
Personal Capital also features a retirement planning tool and a retirement savings fee analyzer. It can be used either on a desktop or through a mobile device. One thing Quicken users might miss is the ability to track and pay your bills from within the software itself. Even lacking this feature, Personal Capital is certainly one app that you should try.
Read our Personal Capital review
2) Pocketsmith
PocketSmith is a personal finance software app that allows you to connect your bank accounts, investment accounts, loans and credit cards to see a big picture view of your finances and find out your net worth. A great feature you’ll find here is the ability to forecast your money and run “what-if” scenarios to project future balances. Other features include creating budgets, setting up alerts if your money is running low and reminders to pay bills, though an actual bill paying function isn’t available.
There is a free version but it’s very basic and you’ll have to input your bank info manually. The Premium version is $9.95 a month or $89 a year and gives you access to connect 10 accounts, automatically imports your bank feeds and comes with 10 year budget projections. The Super package is $19.95 per month or $169 annually and gives you 30 year budget projections and the ability to connect an unlimited amount of accounts.
Want to try the Premium monthly subscription at a special price? Get 50% the first two months when you sign up here.
See our review of Pocketsmith here.
3) Mint
For long-time Quicken users, Mint is probably the app which is the most similar. Like Quicken, the Mint app allows you to view all of your accounts in one place. Simply link your accounts, and the Mint software tracks your entire financial life. Through their desktop or mobile app, you can use Mint’s budgeting software, track your investments, and view your categorized expenses.
They also offer users alerts and advice, as well as the ability to get a free credit score. In addition to Mint, Quicken users should check out Mint Bills. This is a fun feature that helps you monitor your bills and pay them directly through the app. Best of all, both Mint and Mint Bills are free.
4) You Need a Budget (YNAB)
If you’re looking for a great budgeting software, YNAB is it. YNAB takes the guesswork out of budgeting by providing you with a flexible “living budget” that will save you money and help you stay positive. However, if you’re looking for complete automation, YNAB is not it. The program connects directly with your bank account(s), but you have to tell it when to download transactions. You are also able to schedule known transactions ahead of time or download transactions that you can then load to YNAB.
More good news is that YNAB works everywhere — even without an internet connection. In addition to the desktop software, YNAB has an app available for iPhone, iPad, and Android devices. The software does cost $50/year, but the license is good for all YNAB updates. Plus, you can try the program for free before committing!
See our review of YNAB here.
Related: YNAB vs. Quicken
5) GoodBudget
GoodBudget is a free mobile app that can be used to help you create a budget based on an “envelope system.” It is a pretty basic setup, but it gets the job done.
Just sync your bank accounts with GoodBudget, and it will help you track both your income and your spending. Simply set an amount for each category, and you can easily see how close you are to reaching your spending allowance for the month. You can also sync your budget across multiple phones, so everyone in your household has access to the information. This app is available on iOS and Android devices.
Related: 4 Budget Types and the Best Tools for Each One
6) HomeBudget
If you’re looking for a very detailed mobile app to help replace Quicken, HomeBudget could be a great choice. This app may have the best interface of all the mobile apps on this list. It is clean, color coded, and easy to read. Once you link your accounts, you’ll be able to see your expenses, income, budget, accounts, and bills. There is also a chart that shows you how much you are spending as a percentage of your income.
This app also offers you the ability to search for past transactions, so you can easily pull up any information you may need. HomeBudget is available in iOS for $4.99 (free for the lite version) or on Android devices for $5.99.
7) Dollarbird
Dollarbird is a mobile app that uses a monthly calendar as the basis for its design. This makes it easy for you to see when and where you may have expenses coming up. After you sync your accounts with Dollarbird, the app helps you track your spending and income.
Unique to Dollarbird is the 5-year financial plan, which allows you to set (and hopefully meet) your financial goals. Dollarbird also alerts you to any upcoming bills that need to be paid. The app is available for free on iOS and Android devices.
Related: Tracking Your Cash Flow with Google Docs
8) Level Money
Level Money is an easy to use personal finance app that helps you track your daily, weekly, and monthly spending and income. Simply, link your bank account to the app and let Level Money do the rest.
With this app, you can automatically generate a monthly plan based on your income and expenses. You can also compare your spending from month to month and track your spending by merchant and category. The app is simple, effective, and free. You can find it on iOS and Android devices.
Wrapping Up
Whether you are a Quicken user looking for alternatives, or someone who is just ready to get their finances in order, know that you have many options. These are several of our favorite financial tools, available to help you automatically track your saving and spending habits. Since many of them are free, there is no risk to trying them out.
Sign up for a few of them, and see which you like best (and which you’re likely to stick with!). It doesn’t matter how you track your money, as long as you do it.
Listen to our show on 22 of the best money tools
Article comments
I still use a spreadsheet that I created 15 years ago. I like the customization and the way I track things, and so far I have not found any program that comes close to meeting my needs.
any chance you are willing to share this template of yours. I’d like to start using a spreadsheet, but building one from scratch seems daunting…
Care to share? Our family could really use it to kee better track. Thanks.
Would you be willing to share?
Well, if you ask me, the most critical part of preparing for retirement is just having a plan. Whether you use a spreadsheet or a tool like OnTrajectory or some other website — you have to get everything out in front of you so you can make smarter decisions. Once you do that, then implementing your disciplined retirement strategy becomes critical.
There is no solution for people who do not use online banking in the list above. I do not want w monthly fee for any software or application
Hey Kathleen,
If you don’t want to link any accounts with online apps, the best way to go in the list above would be with YNAB. If you don’t want to pay any fees at all, you can create your own spreadsheet or just use pen and paper. Hope that helps.
Still using Q2004 Dlx since it converted and imported Q2002 Dlx files even after the Q2002 files became corrupted. What a nightmare that became. Anyway, still looking for a desktop money tool that will import Quicken files. Tried GnuCash but it botched the conversion/import and although free, offers neither the versatility nor the user-friendly GUI Q does. This article was still helpful though.
My Quicken accounts are my financial records, needed in case of an audit. How can I prepare for the possibility of the demise of Quicken? Are any money management programs able to import the data, and thus preserve the records and go forward?
The program will still run, so you can still pull up your data, do manual entries, generate reports, etc. You just won’t see any updates, etc.
I use Geltbox money -automatic download from any website (banks,credit cards).
I like that I can keep my data locally instead of in the cloud.
An excellent home finance planner and tracker.
Any experience with MoneyDance ?
Also, I don’t think you mentioned Quicken’s move to an annual subscription model in Canada that has enraged many Canadian users (and many US users as it’s just a matter of time until they implement it in the US). The main issues were that the annual rate is $60-$100 and only through Quicken (can’t buy it from retailers like Amazon at a discount) and two you won’t be able to enter manual entries if you don’t renew your subscription.
I’ve used Quicken forever & it was “Wealthbuilder” before that. Quicken has been good in creating my annual detailed expense layout as a 1099 employee for tax purposes! I haven’t quite found a decent replacement! I wait each year when Costco has a discount (like right now) & update every few years (have to cuz of security protocol requirements, or so they say). I also use Personal Capital but that is sorely lacking in detailed expense categories & none if you have rental property! It is excellent for stock/mutual fund/ETF investments & retirement planning! I do pay $10/m to WF to integrate my checking account to Quicken so I wont have to manually do it, but at this point I think I’m ready to try some of the other choices listed here! Love DoughRoller for great blogs & feedback!
It is really hard to find that *perfect* software, especially if you have more intricate finances (investments, rental properties, etc.). It sounds like you have yours down to a pretty good system, though. Let us know what you think if you do end up trying any of the other companies… we’re curious to hear what you think.
Thanks for being a loyal Dough Roller reader!
Warmly, Stephanie
I am no fan of online/cloud based financial programs. I feel like everything is out there anymore and we are headed for no privacy at all, hackers breaches everyday. I still use quicken and enter transactions every morning. It is not hard to do. Because Quickens budget is subpar, use YNAB and a spreadsheet. If quicken goes to subscription based, then I will just use the old YNAB and spreadsheet. Once YNAB 4 is no longer working will use spreadsheet. I hate being forced to use online stuff with little to no customization.
thanks,
Marty
This new annual subscription is making me look at alternatives, too. Does anyone know what the lifespans are expected to be for Quicken Deluxe 2016 & same for Quicken Deluxe 2017??
Canadian 2017 is a one year subscription. Otherwise 2016 and us 2017 are for three years. 2018 is subscription everywhere. That is why I will find another way.
Word of caution regarding Personal Finance. Yes it will accumulate investment and banking information, BUT then they use it to try to sell you on their investment services. Trying to move you away from safe mutual funds like Vanguard into their relative expensive adviser services with investments in their picks of individual stocks. Saying no to the phone solicitation/meeting apparently sounds like maybe to the Personal Finance adviser who will call again. I just deleted my account to avoid the hard sell.
JTB
I have used Quicken and turbo tax for over 30 years; I will not put my finances in the cloud or accept an annual subscription deal with Quicken; I heard a rumor that Fidelity was creating personal financial software…Anyone heard anything about that??? I am looking into Quicken alternatives currently; I have lived with Quicken disabling downloading capability every 2-3 ears to force new software purchase …but I am now ready to leave quicken entirely…on principle…Nick
My Quicken 2016 has stopped downloading statements from my bank without having to go in and reset the account. Apparently 2018 version fixes it but they want $30 the first year and $70/yr after, auto pay! I really need a good alternative!
I am not paying $70/yr for Quicken. I was upgrading every two years. Now, I too have to look for alternatives.I have the 2017 version. I guess I have a year to find a new one.
The one answer I didn’t see was do any of the 7 programs mentioned import my Quicken files? If not those are there others, I don’t mind paying for it (except subscription)
Moneydance imports Quicken files easily. I ran them in parallel and MD works fine. I am so used to Quicken and the interface is different. I will use my 2016 Quicken until expiration in 2019, then it’s bye-bye. I won’t subscribe to MS Word either. Its just another money grab IMO.
I don’t want to do subscription Quicken either. I have 2016 and it was worse than 2015 IMHO. I set up bill pay at the utility or whatever – I just want to be able to track in a program. I have used quicken since 90’s I believe. It still downloads from bank but will stop April 30, 2019.
Is anyone at DoughRoller actually working on answering a lot of these questions (very valid IMO)? I too am looking for a (1) NO cloud, (2) Quicken file compatible, (3) banking/budgeting/investment program that is NOT browser based. Anyone? Bueller?
Same here!!!
Same boat. Quicken offers 14-month subscription on Amazon, but don’t really want to pay Quicken every year or so.
Looking for DESKTOP software (not Mint.com or Personal Capital) that will update information from brokerage accounts at Fidelity, Vanguard, etc.
Looks Like Moneydance, Fortora Finance, AceMoney, and Moneyspire do not separately track IRAs, 401(k) so you get “capital gains” that include tax-free accounts.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=20738
It’s free, no longer supported, no longer updated, no longer updates accounts automatically. But I’ve used it since 2005, there’s still a community of users, and someone does have a program that will update accounts automatically, but it takes some computer wizardry to get it to work, more than I’m willing (or smart enough) to tackle.
Where can I find the program that can update from the banks automatically?
I am still using Quicken 2011. That, in my opinion, was the last usable version of quicken. I bought a couple of other versions but they were terrible. The new subscription model is a no go for me. I will NEVER subscript to software. I have yet to find a suitable alternative to Quicken. Most want you to store everything on their severs. NO WAY! I have started writing my own software as nothing exists.
My sentiments exactly. Each new version got worse and worse. And, buggy. I use 2015 and the clipboard copy interaction stops working after about 30 minutes. You can continue to use the software forever, without the downloading of stock prices and use of Quick Pay.
If you don’t get the paid version, you cannot add more accounts, like a new bank account
So everyone who was a long time Quicken user hates the new subscription arrangement and is looking for alternatives.
Is there anything that will take care of the simple needs of a retiree that has forsaken the usual retirement model, hunkered down to SS and an odd job and frugal living, no investments, volunteer work?
I’m in the same boat you are. I just want to keep track of my income and expenses – for free.
Google Sheets – a spreadsheet if your needs are that simple. Quicken offers a lot of value tiered at various program “levels”. As much as I hate the forced rental – I get it – they can’t hire folks to work for free. The program has value that they should be able to earn a return on. All the programs out there are going this way. Office, etc. The reality is they don’t change that much year to year, but the task of updating the programs to fix bugs and continue to run in current operating systems is not trivial. So where 20 years ago each update to the program brought material improvements, now the changes are trivial on their face, though the “under the hood” work may have been substantial. I get it. If they didn’t go to the new subscription model, we would all stop buying new versions, yet we’d expect them to address bugs or updates to run on the newest OS versions. They can’t survive without a subscription approach.
Using Quicken since 1990s. Hate the more than 3 times the price as 2 years ago, but went wjth it. Many Canadian investment funds (i.e. Tangerine investments) have not updated since October 2018… matter brought with Quicken, but customers are given the runarounds. This is why i am now forced to look for another similar software. I really liked Quicken, but since Intuit sold it, the service and product quality went downhill. I just refuse to pay $90CDN per year and get only a portion of the promised featutes.
DItto, I don’t use the Quicken Bill pay feature, I use my bank’s bill pay. I want a simple program that lets me download the transaction data from my bank into an easily readable register.
me too. I don’t want the learning curve of new software. I just want to download transaction data from my bank, categorize, and print reports.
Me, too. I just want to have different accounts, income and expenses. Don’t care about budgets or having the program doing my bill payments.
Savings 2 is an app that is a replacement for Quicken on Mac that aims to simplify by eliminating unnecessary features. It is also very affordable. I am the developer of this app. Go to savingsapp.com to learn more.
Can I say that a program that was once very good is now something I despise? Ok so I don’t go with the annual rent program and “I thought” all I was losing was web connect for automatic downloading of my credit card accounts. I’ll go back to the old way of downloading the QFX file and import. WRONG! Apparently Quicken 2015 is not allowing an import of QFX files. Another push toward their rental policy! Since the days of DOS I’ve used Quicken but I am going on a long hard search to find an alternative. Who ever the heck owns the program these days deserves a loss of revenue and a lower stock price. Errrrr!!!!!!!!
Hello URDRWHO, I am in the same position you are. Have selected a software other than Quicken? If so, who have you selected. Everything I see is pointing to Personal Capitol but I have my concerns.
JMOYA
None of these work like I need them to I have tried Mint nope, Personnel capital NOPE. Yes they let you set a budget yes they let you see your accounts but they don’t let you make hypothetical adjustments before paying. they do not let you make savings goals (virtually move money out of the accounts) this is things I want and need.
Try Moneyspire. Great finance program.
Moneyspire is mediocre at best and their CS is non existent.
Works for a few days then wont download and Customer Service is no where to be found.
With Mint you can change transaction dates when needed (for budgeting alignment). For us who receive a 1st of the month paycheck, which usually posts early when the 1st falls on a weekend or holiday (non-banking day), the inability to change the date completely messes up the ending month and next month budgets. Same with any bank “auto-drafts” on the 1st. Happens about 3 times a year. Or what if I make an ATM withdrawal on or near the last day of the month but want it to hit the next month where it will be spent? This makes Personal Finance (PC) worthless for budgeting. The change transaction date feature has been requested for years and PC ignores it. Poor customer service in my opinion. No thanks to PC.
Mint sounds great.. until you login and have to stare at the screen to see anything. Seems like no one in their UX / Grahpic Design department took any classes about contrast – which there is NONE! It’s about (at the time of this writing) 95% light grey on white – nearly impossible to see – unless you’re a millennial or under 25 with 20-20+ vision! OMG! Mint.com fix this!!!
guys,try cubux.net
Apparently, those who are bashing Quicken’s subscription requirement have not used Quicken Bill Pay in previous versions. That feature cost $9.95 a month for 20 transactions with Quicken 2016 and prior. That’s $119.40 annually! With the 2018 Premier version Quicken Bill Pay is included although I understand you only get 15 transactions. Don’t misunderstand, I am not a Quicken happy camper. I’ve been on board since 198x and have come close to saying good bye to the bill pay feature several times (Quicken takes that feature away when the version is retired forcing you to upgrade to the current version) and just print checks with a printer. But you still have to buy stamps and those stamps add up not to mention the proprietary envelopes and blank checks. It’s a catch 22 scenario. The perfect program would be one that allows a dot matrix printer to print the account number and routing number on blank check stock, plus the latitude where to place my name and address and the name and address of the payee so I could use a standard #10 envelope which I could purchase at Walmart. I fear that is asking too much. Why not a laser printer? Those checks come 3 to a sheet and most laser printers will not allow a single check to advance through the printer. On the flip side check reading equipment in the banking industry probably will not read the account and routing numbers printed with the ribbon in dot matrix printers. Oh, what to do???
Why not just use your bank’s online bill pay? Mine all offer it for free. Works fine. Yes, I have to login, but
“Quicken Bill Pay” was not required to pay bills through the Quicken 2016 software. You were basically sending a scheduled transaction to your checking account bank. Essentially telling your bank to send it at a specified date. “Quicken Bill Pay” was an intermediary cloud service that charged a fee to people that didn’t know that you didn’t need to use it.
Simply put, I scheduled ALL my bill payments through the Quicken software for years and it never cost me a dime.
Some people (like me and others posting replies here) only want a program to track our accounts. We don’t want to share our financial details with third parties that change their program features with the wind and can’t be trusted with our personal information (if Equifax and Yahoo can be hacked, you think Quicken is safe?). I have 20 years of Quicken records, but I’m not willing to use Quicken anymore because I shouldn’t have to pay a monthly fee for a product I can’t control, particularly when I only use a small portion of the features. I don’t need (or want) a service; I want a product. But, it looks like in this case, I’m just going to have to make my own. Last time I had to upgrade Quicken (2017), I found a spreadsheet template for tracking accounts, but managed to get by with 2017. As that’s no longer an option, looks like I’m going to become more familiar with LibreOffice spreadsheets.
i have a chrome book and would like an app that would allow me to print out checks on my lap top
I am simple, I want a budget program/software that I do not need internet to use. I do not need to pay bills with it, just set up and track the budget, I can pay them online with my bank. I do not mind entering what I spend where it needs to go. Thank you anyone who can lead me in a direction
I would recommend Microsoft Money
Not available since 2009
1. Do any of these programs allow you to reconcile your bank statement?
2. Can any of these download Quicken data, such as scheduled payments? Or do they need to be entered manually?
3. Do any of them allow you to view and do entries into a register-like view like Quicken does?
Same question. Also how much does it cost?
My Quicken expired. I am simple…I just want to download my transactions and write checks and at the end of the year put in categories for taxes. That’s it. What can I use?
Even if expired, there is a workaround. Set up a new “downloads” cash account, download as .qif, import into the new account, then transfer transactions to appropriate other account. A bit more work, but has gotten me by for years… until now, my program won’t even open! crashes within the first few seconds. I’m moving on to excel… which is even more work, but no expiring! I WAS a loyal quicken customer until they started putting a limit on their software’s life!
I don’t want a cloud based solution – I don’t trust that my financial information won’t end up in the wrong hands. I want a solution that runs on MY computer – not in the cloud – period.
Any recommendations?
Any open source software will do this. They are made to suit your needs, not the needs of some corporation. Try GnuCash. It doesn’t do everything, but it does a lot and is a very old established project.