[kitm]

I would like to try out Money again but it’s too restrictive in it’s demo. For a program this important (and esp when I’m trying out several programs) you are restricted to 15 days. That’s too short a time to try out the program. The best demo I’ve found is Moneydance which only restricts you to entering 100 NEW transactions with NO time limit before you have to buy it. Note that this doesn’t restrict imported transactions as does iBank which only allows 75 Total transactions; too few to evaluate the program.

[DannBohn]

Cha-Ching hasn't been in development in a very long time. Also, the developers refuse to respond to users (even beta testers) It would be best to remove this from the list until official word from Midnight Apps (good luck!)

[DannBohn]

i've given up on Mac desktop money managers. I'm currently using iMobileMoney from iMobileWare on my iPhone and it's great! better than all the above's mobile solutions

[pef105]

I'm also surprised that a piece on money managers says not one word about investments and how the various applications handle investments. I once used Quicken 2007, but when support for it fell away and Quicken Essentials omitted full handling of investments, I switched to Moneydance. I've been very happy with the change.

[alcourt]

I've actually been using gnucash (gnucash.org) for about ten years or so, crossing three platforms (Linux, Solaris, OS X) with the same dataset and no migration challenges. I'm surprised that it seems to always be overlooked on OS X money manager lists.

The Mac specific build now available is very easy to use, though it has a few X11 rough edges still, mainly in additional dialog boxes like opening a new file.

Compared to other products, the main complaint seems to be that it tries to be accurate to accounting principles rather than ease of consumer use. This has created some barriers to some users. Improved setup tools to set up new accounts have simplified such considerably.

It does support many online banking systems to automatically pull data and import it. Most of those it cannot automatically query, one can download an OFX file (MS Money) and readily import that.

[brosenbaum1]

I did a lot of research on this when switching from years of Quicken use and wound up choosing iBank and am very glad I did.
iBank has excellent downloading, excellent sync with iPhone version, easy to use, super support. Only downside is the desktop version is very mouse intensive, hard to navigate using keyboard alone.Other than that it's intuitive, reliable, fast & MUCH MUCH better than Quicken (essentials, non-essentials, any version).
Mint is good but doesn't have enough customization for my needs.

[talmy]

Very disappointing review since it doesn't cover the capabilities of the products. I'm concerned about following stock investments, which most of these programs won't do. After trying and rejecting every program that has a free trial, I ended up using Quicken in a Windows virtual machine, switching from Microsoft Money in a Windows virtual machine.

[Mystakill]

kitm, on 25 June 2010 - 08:55 AM, said:

... No iPhone app.

Actually, there is an iPhone app for MoneyDance. I just synced mine up with my wife's MBP yesterday.

[TowerTone]

I had used Quicken for years on my PC. When I switched to a Mac, that was the only thing I missed.
I used Quicken 2006 and the 2007 but was never satisfied with either.

I was so fed up with Intuit that I switched to iBank and got the iPhone app, also.
I spent a lot of time trying to get it to sync through MobileMe. It never worked, even with several people at iBank helping.
I never got the hang of the auto-downloads with my bank. Even if it showed no new transactions, it would still load some that had already been recorded.
I never got used to the way you had to tab through the fields, change dates, add a new transaction.

When Quicken Essentials came out, I gave it a try, then demanded my money back.
After more time with iBank and more transactions screwed up, I went back and looked at Quicken again after they updated it.
It is very basic I know, and has no iPhone version (yet), but I finally gave up on iBank.
I just don't like the way iBank presents the information, and the iPhone app was useless without auto-sync.
Also, reconciling was a monthly cuss-fest. I hated their system.

I got a version of iFinance with a bundle, and if Quicken goes south, I may have to resort to that,
but so fay, Quicken Essentials has come around to work fine for my limited needs,
and it has yet to screw up my balance.

[bonesb]

rfmansfield, on 25 June 2010 - 08:01 AM, said:

For what it's worth, the only thing I miss from my pre-iPhone days is Pocket Quicken that I used to run on my Palm Treo. I entered expenses into it when I was out and about and then synced it to desktop Quicken when I got home. It was a very nice solution.

Agreed. Wishing that app was available for the iPhone when I ditched my VZW Treo 755p! Intuit pulled the licensing agreement from the company that made PQ for the Palm platform - yet another utterly absurd move by Intuit.

[jaksenlanier]

I dont need a professional thing, i just need something that can keep track of my paychecks from my part-time job and the stuff im spending it on.

[AMCarter3]

I concur that the two best contenders are iBank and MoneyDance. How could anyone write an article about contenders in this space without including them?

I do not agree that the "old" Quicken (2007) is terrible. It actually works. It has all the basic functionality, including investment tracking, that most people with more complicated finances needs want. Yes, it needs a full upgrade to OS X standards and lots of improvements. The new Quicken Essentials is so basic and so lacking in features (like budgeting, custom reports, investment tracking, etc.) that it does NOT meet hardly anyone's needs. It is a real shame that Intuit decided, once again, to short-change Macintosh users with a program that is so lacking in the basics. Like many people, I hope a group like iBank or MoneyDance can bring their product up to a level where it takes over the market and puts Intuit in its place - the rear seat of the bus. After 25 years, it ought to be clear to everyone that Intuit does not care enough about the Macintosh market to invest the development resources to put out a product that matches or exceeds (heaven forbid) the capability of Quicken for Windows. What a insult to us. And shame on us for buying their crap.

[AMCarter3]

Try Money Dance.

TowerTone, on 25 June 2010 - 04:00 PM, said:

I had used Quicken for years on my PC. When I switched to a Mac, that was the only thing I missed.
I used Quicken 2006 and the 2007 but was never satisfied with either.

I was so fed up with Intuit that I switched to iBank and got the iPhone app, also.
I spent a lot of time trying to get it to sync through MobileMe. It never worked, even with several people at iBank helping.
I never got the hang of the auto-downloads with my bank. Even if it showed no new transactions, it would still load some that had already been recorded.
I never got used to the way you had to tab through the fields, change dates, add a new transaction.

When Quicken Essentials came out, I gave it a try, then demanded my money back.
After more time with iBank and more transactions screwed up, I went back and looked at Quicken again after they updated it.
It is very basic I know, and has no iPhone version (yet), but I finally gave up on iBank.
I just don't like the way iBank presents the information, and the iPhone app was useless without auto-sync.
Also, reconciling was a monthly cuss-fest. I hated their system.

I got a version of iFinance with a bundle, and if Quicken goes south, I may have to resort to that,
but so fay, Quicken Essentials has come around to work fine for my limited needs,
and it has yet to screw up my balance.

[vocaro]

How could the author of this article completely ignore both iBank and MoneyDance? They're two of the oldest and most popular money managers for Mac...

This post has been edited by vocaro: 26 June 2010 - 01:14 PM