Best Quicken Like Program For Mac
Quicken was traditionally known as one of the best personal finance software options for desktop users. However, the Mac version had traditionally lacked the features found in the PC version, and that was disappointing to many users. While last year's version was a big improvement, it still wasn't there for everyone.
After using Quicken for Mac 2019 for several weeks, we're happy to see that Quicken has continued the improvements over prior years. It's not as robust as we'd like to see yet, but it's definitely been moving in the right direction.
See the section below for more details on using Quicken to replace Microsoft Money. You Need a Budget: YNAB is personal finance software with strong budgeting features. The software runs on Windows or Mac computers, with iPad, iPhone, Android and Kindle Fire apps, as well as an app for the Apple Watch. I chose Ace Money which is a very good substitute for Quicken on a PC (the Mac version runs via an emulator. Hopeless and looks like a DOS program). As I recall it was something like $60 one time and syncs most accounts pretty well.
So, how did Quicken for Mac 2019 do? Honestly, it's an incremental improvement over 2018. But we like the direction it's going, and if you can get a great deal on pricing (which you typically can on Amazon or when they have a sale), it could be worth it.
- Incremental improvements over 2018 version
- A great mobile app with seemless sync across platforms
- Price is still a concern, but if you can find a great deal, go for it
Product Name |
Price |
Platform |
Promotions |
Key Features Of Quicken For Mac 2019
Quicken For Mac continues to build on the many traditional features that Quicken users expect. As always, it comes with great spending tracking (compared to other online options like Mint and Personal Capital), it has investment tracking, and budgeting.
For 2019, they have improved the usability of the platform, but the navigation is still a little challenging. Even after using Quicken for about a week, I still find it hard to get to different reports. It's not intuitive.
They also improved the web interface for Quicken. If you don't want to use the desktop software, and prefer a web version (like what you get with Mint), you can have that now. But I prefer the app over the web version.
Here's what the home screen looks like:
Instead of being under reporting, most of the things you'll care about are actually available by clicking on the 'Acccount' sidebar - for example, your income and spending isn't viewable under 'Reports', but it's actually visible under 'Banking'.
Here's an example:
Here's another example. One silly thing that's missing is having income and expenses together on one page. I think there is a report you can run, but there's no easy to access dashboard that compares your income to your expenses (except in the mobile app, which is odd).
Quicken for Mac dramatically improved their investment tracking for 2018, but this is one area that didn't continue to improve into 2019.
There are still issues here. When I imported my accounts, some positions transferred the cost basis, while others didn't. Not a huge deal, but very odd. Also, it's still missing key reports that I valued in the Windows version - most notably the asset allocation and ability to play with your allocation in the program.
See the investment screen here:
Also, Quicken touts that you can now see investment performance, but it consistently showed 'N/A' for every account. My guess is that Quicken calculates this in the program, versus using historical data. That is a good thing in that you get a real snapshot of your performance, but a bad thing in that you need the Quicken app to consistently update to make it happen.
Here's what the screen looks like:
If you check the comments below, you can find other frustrating experiences with the investing tracking in Quicken for Mac. It has so much potential, but it's just not there yet.
Quicken 2019 Mobile App
The Quicken 2019 for Mac mobile app is probably my favorite feature that has been improved. This app has existed since the last few versions, but I found it glitchy years ago and gave up on it. For this review, I started using it again, and it's actually a bit more user friendly than the desktop version.
Here's the home screen of the mobile app:
As you can see, you get your account balances and recent transactions right at the top of the page. You can link this with Quicken's new credit card, and easily categorize your transactions on the go. It then seamlessly syncs with the desktop version.
One of the features I love on the mobile app, which is missing in the desktop version, is easily being able to see your income and expenses against each other.
Here's what that looks like:
Quicken Like Program For Mac
I don't know why this can't just be included on the main page. There's also something funky up with the net income over time graph... maybe a glitch?
The pricing for Quicken For Mac 2019 continues to be a focus point for most users. Quicken changed their pricing model last year to a subscription-based model, instead of a one-time fee. I see this as both good and bad.
It's bad, because many Quicken users kept their software for years, and never upgraded. For users, this was fine - because you could avoid bad rollouts like Quicken for Mac 2017. However, to continue to receive updates and banking information, you had to update every few years anyway or Quicken would cut you off.
It's good, because my hope is with more recurring revenue, Quicken can continue to improve their software and ensure banking connectivity.
Quicken For Mac 2019 has three price points this year. I think 90% of users would benefit simply using the Deluxe version, which is $49.99/yr at full price.
Here's what the pricing looks like:
Quicken For Mac Help
Deluxe | |
|---|---|
Best For: | Users with investments and loan tracking |
Price: | $49.99/yr |
It's hard to say if Premier is worth the huge additional price. I think Deluxe is the best value, for the added features of investment and loan tracking. But I've never used BillPay, and I highly recommend that most people don't use a service like BillPay because not only does Quicken charge more, but many banks charge for the service as well.
Note: For Windows, there is also a Home and Business version. However, we think most consumers with a small business would benefit more from using a tool like Quickbooks, versus using Quicken Home and Business.
Special Promotional Pricing
As you probably already know, Quicken is notorious for running promotional pricing all the time. Recently, they were offering 40% off their prices - which I think is a fair price for the product.
I would have a hard time paying $49.99 per year for Deluxe, but paying $29.99 per year makes much more sense - especially considering that I would typically upgrade every 2-3 years, this aligns much better with the pricing I'd expect.
However, in our search for deals, we found that Amazon.com is offering a 14-month subscription of the Deluxe version for $38.49 (which is 30% off full price). Given the $49.99 price is $4.17 per month, Amazon's deal is $2.75 per month. Still not as good as Quicken's own sale, but the second best deal we've found.
Check out the deal on Amazon here.
Quicken World Mastercard
Another interesting product/feature that Quicken launched this year is the Quicken World Mastercard. The Quicken credit card provides real-time transaction notifications in the Quicken mobile app, and offers integration with Quicken for Mac desktop.
This card also gives you a free year of Quicken Deluxe when you spend at least $500 in the first 90 days. If you already have a subscription, you'll get a 1 year extension.
The card offers 2x rewards points on all your qualified spending, and has no annual fees.
Given that this card is really about integration with Quicken, we're surprised that you don't get Quicken free every year as long as you spend at least $500 per year. Otherwise, all the rewards are on par or below the other top rewards credit cards out there.
Pros And Cons Of Quicken For Mac 2019
Quicken Essentials For Mac
As you can see, there are some definite improvements in Quicken for Mac 2018 versus the prior year. However, it's still not perfect and it still has a lot less features than you'll find in the Windows version.
Pros:
- Great mobile app to compliment the desktop version
- Improved Loan Tracking
- Spending Tracking Categories and Reporting
Cons:
- Poor Navigation And Not Intuitive
- Still Lacking Some Key Investment Features Like Asset Allocation
- New Subscription Pricing Isn't Worth It At Full Price
Final Verdict
The final verdict is that we're giving Quicken for Mac 2019 four stars. As I've been using it more and more, I'm actually liking it more than many of the free online money management tools out there. This is especially true since the mobile app has become much more useful.
However, for those that want desktop software, AND if you can get it at a discounted price, Quicken for Mac is a much better piece of software than before.
Have you tried Quicken for Mac 2019? What are your thoughts?
Quicken For Mac 2019
- Product Cost - 60
- Ease Of Use - 83
- Tools And Features - 90
- Customer Serivce - 85
Summary
Quicken For Mac 2019 has continued to improve on what’s been working and has an even better mobile app experience.
Best Overall: Quicken
Having been around for several decades, Quicken is one of the most established of all the personal finance software on the market. You can use the software to manage various aspects of your financial life from budget creation to debt tracking, savings goals, and even investment coaching. The software features Excel exporting, which allows you to manipulate and perform additional calculations on your data. Some of the more advanced features include bill paying, which allows you to set up payments for your bills right from the software. You can even use it to track the value of your assets to have an accurate calculation of your total net worth. The app is robust enough to manage both your personal and business expenses and even handles property management functions like rental payments from tenants. The software starts at $34.99 and is available for Windows, MacOS, iOS, and Android.