Quicken alternatives

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#1
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7-Jun-2018 11:50am
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Georgia
I've used Quicken for years at home and have many clients who use it as well. With the 2018 release Quicken has changed their pricing model. I know there is other personal financial software available but does anything else work as good as Quicken? I've had my issues with Quicken and realize they are far from perfect but nothing else I've found does as good.
 

#2
makbo  
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In The Counting House
DrCredit wrote:With the 2018 release Quicken has changed their pricing model. I know there is other personal financial software available but does anything else work as good as Quicken?

How exactly did they change the model?

Maybe Quicken, which was sold off by Intuit several years ago, is doing the same thing many tax pros do - "firing" their clients who are too cheap to pay a fair price for a valuable service?

"Personal finance" is a broad term. Other than tracking investment details, what does Quicken do that you can't do just as well with Quickbooks? I use bank feeds to download check and credit card transacts and automatically assign them to accounts. As for automatic bill pay, why use a 3rd party, when just about every major vendor allows autopay to be scheduled directly?

I can also produce cash flow reports in addition to P&L and balance sheet, and I already have a pretty good forecast for 2019 in my Quickbooks personal "company" file as well.

For investment portfolio, I simply check my balances once each quarter and update them by hand. And I expect ETrade and/or a financial planner to give me better info and advice on how to re-balance my investments (although to be fair I haven't used Quicken for that).

Of course, Quickbooks costs more, which leads us back to the first question.
 

#3
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Location:
Northern MI and Coastal SC
Quickbooks is always my suggestion, makbo covered it well. Quicken is a bit dumbed down for my tastes, but maybe that is because I better understand how to use other software vs. a consumer that wants that dumbed down presentation of info and UI.

FYI, QBO pricing is increasing. I hate QBO, but like QBD, though the 2018 release has been the least stable version I have used since 2004 edition. I thought 2012 was bad. Anxiously awaiting 2019 hoping it resolves lack of stability in 2018.
 

#4
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2468
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24-Apr-2014 7:54am
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Wisconsin
I use Quicken for my personal finances. From the time Quicken edged out Microsoft Money until Mint and YNAB came along, Quicken has not had competition. Sadly, it has really shown, but the sale of Quicken a couple years ago has breathed new life into the product. For me, it's a better/more stable product than at any time in the past ten years so I can't begrudge giving them a bit more money for it. Your mileage may vary.

If you're looking for free, Mint exists. YNAB is at around the same price point as Quicken when it's on sale.

makbo wrote:How exactly did they change the model?


It's a yearly subscription now rather than the planned obsolescence of requiring you to upgrade every third year to continue to use certain features such as bank feeds.
 

#5
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18
Joined:
7-Jun-2018 11:50am
Location:
Georgia
I really like being able to download my credit card and investment transactions. I don't use Quicken billpay but do like being able to download banking activity as well. After dealing with numbers all week long I want something simple to you when I get home.

The main reason for my question is that I like to have options.
 

#6
smtcpa  
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515
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28-Jul-2014 5:16am
Location:
Richmond, VA
I've looked every year for alternatives to Quicken. I end up with Quicken every time.
 


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