Personal finance software for Mac

If anyone has any firsthand experience with any of these apps, thanks for sharing it!

That's exactly what I want although I'll run Windows XP on my about to arrive MAc if I have to. I'd like to import the last three years' data from MS Money too. Much preferred MS Money to Quicken.

I went with Quicken for Mac and can just say I am luke warm about it. It was awful to make the change from Money '06 to Quicken '07 for Mac, I had to have tech support at Quicken help and it wound up taking 3 days and several hours on the phone getting all problems worked out. I would try any of the other suggestions before going with Quicken. I also thought about running XP so I could keep Money, but I have made the complete switch and there are no MS programs on my Mac.

I certainly want to try to do the same as you. I expect that doing so is necessary to get the full benefits and stability of the Mac systems.I only update Money monthly and then use it only occasionally to find data so it's not a big problem to run Windows for that.

MS Office 2003 is the main program I use and I'm hoping that Mac Office will be a total replacement for that.

I too had relied on MS Office, but when I made the switch, I swore off MS products in all ways. I currently am using NEO Office and it works fine and is free.

I've bought MICROSOFT OFFICE2004 with my Mac so I'll see how that goes. I'll have a look at NEO though. Do you have a link for it. NEO doesn't bring it up.

The link to Neo Office is: http://www.neooffice.org/neojava/en/index.php

... while checking out what Maclife's website had to offer. MacLife is the revamped version of Mac Addict.

Finance To Go

Looks promising!

http://www.iggsoftware.com/ibank/index.php

I tried iBank, encouraged by the 30-day refund policy, and I'm "sending it back." I have used Quicken on Windows for 14 years and am currently using Quicken 2006 Deluxe. Having bought a 24" 2.8ghz iMac just 2 weeks ago, I wanted to go as Mac as possible. (I have had Macs longer than my "Pee Cee of Crap," as we all call our old gone PC in this household.) So now with Parallels I use Quicken. Anyway, specifically, I did not like the reconciliation functionality in iBank. It's so different from Quicken that I was having a hard time making the change.

(Why did I buy it if I didn't like it? In order to convert more than 50 transactions I had to buy it... and I needed ALL my data so I could try all the features of iBank.)

Does anyone know of a Mac financial program with a similar reconciliation feature? BUT NOT QUICKEN FOR MAC - also, I need the image attachment feature that iBank and the Windows version of Quicken have. If I can't get these features then I guess I'll be maintaining Parallels and WinXXPro just for Quicken!!!

....(other than the mixed reviews I've read) is that it's not written to run natively on Intel-based Macs, which is what I'm planning to buy.

I've downloaded the trial version of MoneyDance (PC version) and it seems OK so far. Definitely more of a "homemade" feel than Quicken or Money. I'm still playing with it so it's too soon to post a review.

Forget Quicken for Mac, it is a terrible, awful program, and has caused me much heartache and headache, as well as lost data due to incompetent and ignorant technical support (all based in India). I am looking at iBank and fortora Fresh, and am leaning toward fortora Fresh. I have read mixed reviews about iBank, but not seen any independent feedback on fortora Fresh.

Neither of those programs currently allows for on-line billing, however I have Bank of american and can do on-line payments through their website independantly (whether or not I have Quicken).

Also, both iBank and fortora Fresh do not have as sophisticated a set-up for categories and classes (they don't have classes at all) that Quicken has, and that is probably the best and only good thing I can say about Quicken for Mac.

I switched from my dead Vista PC to a big ol' honking, blazin, screamin Intel double-barrel iMac 2 years ago. "BLISS!" I had served about 12 years of hard time with Micrsoft-in-Hell, and I, too, had become dependent upon Quicken for Windows for my personal finances.

But I always felt that Quicken for Windows was WAAAY too technical and a lot of overkill. It was like using your SLAP-CHOP to dice one shallot!

So I came across iBank for Mac. Not bad.

Here's the deal about iBank for Mac : it feels and looks a lot like Quicken, so that's a plus for a former Quicken addict. It does all the basics WITHOUT all the MARS LANDER technology!

...BUT, as an earlier contributor wrote [above], iBank's "Reconciliation" function is way dumb! I still haven't figured out how to reconcile my bank statements! The iBank manual is not helpful on this topic, either. I haven't checked around the web [too lazy and sluggish], but I'll bet there's an iBank forum out there somewhere where some smarty pants could likely educate us dummies on this particular module in iBAnk. Note To Self: "Look for iBank Forums."

So I choose to hang on to my iBank because, as I said above, it does everything else easily, visually, and you hardly have to learn any new moves! It's _almost_ Quicken.

iBank would definitely be a "10" if only the reconciliation function made easy, logical, visual sense! On balance, I'm staying with it. As it is, I just print-off my monthly register and do a manual "ticking" job with my calculator to balance my bankbook. Things could be worse. I cud still be in Windows Hell!

They are not cheap but offer double entry and you can download your statements and reconcile very easily.
Their products are universal, Have used different versions on my Macs for many years.

... it looked like overkill to me. Plus the complete lack of any free tech support would be a concern.

I rashly bought for Quicken for Mac when I switched to Mac. I HATE IT! I should have stuck with MS Money and used Boot Camp!
I read an interview with the chief (empty) suit at Intuit. H says they plan to de-emphasize Quicken in favor of small business and tax software. I doubt that Quicken for Mac will ever get any better than it is.

I have been using quickbooks for 5 yrs running up to 4 companies at once (2 of them using assisted payroll). I decided to make the switch from qkbks 2006 pro (windows) to qkbks 2007 for mac. I have had nothing but HUGE problems:

1) i was on tech support for 4-5 hours (over 2 days) until someone finally came up with this solution: in order to successfully convert from windows to mac, you need to delete all kinds of custom reports, your password, then delete or shorten EVERY MEMO ENTRY LONGER THEN 40 CHARACTERS in length. what a joke! i looked back through years of entries and did it anyways. It took hours. they also tried to make me pay for the $79 support fee AFTER paying $200 for the program in order to tell me this ridiculous fix they call a "conversion".

2) the mac version does not do direct connect with your bank. I typically enter in checks directly into the "write check" feature with "pay online" checked and then click "online banking" and then transfer the virtual check to the bank (ie. wachovia, chase,..) and they transmit the payment to the relevant vendor. forget about this in the mac version. they say you can do it in pro 2009. YOU CANNOT. i found out after buying and upgrading to '09 (4 days after buying and paying for '07).

3) I paid for the 2009 online download and upgraded a mere 4 days after i bought the 07 at an apple store. (which by the way i need to send back to inuit before they will reimburse me the $200 i paid for it. the apple store wont take it back). so i am now out $400 bucks, have a weak program that doesn't pay bills through direct connect, was a nightmare to convert from a windows version, and has already evidenced glitches.

4) so now i am going to return the 09 version and will run bootcamp/virtual PC or just keep using a windows system to run this program. the mac version just isn't good and the tech support is a nightmare. save yourself the headache.

5) as an aside I used to absolutely love this program (my history is Windows based). However, Intuit has done nothing but gone down hill over the last few years. Tech support has huge wait times, is $79 per encounter and i often have difficulty with understanding the person on the other end, they force you to upgrade every few years, and i find more glitches with each subsequent version (although they are nicer interfaces).

i would greatly appreciate a recommendation for another program preferably mac based, but not absolutely necessary.

I have heard of MYOB and Peachtree but don't know much about them. But i have just about had it with Intuit. any advice would be appreciated.

Seems you found this thread a little too late to help you.

Intuit has always dumbed down the Mac version of their software by removing bells and whistles that were available, and expected, on the Windows side.
Earlier versions of QuickBooks had on-line banking included which made check writing and reconciling an easy, but not necessarily painless, process.

I could never understand how a supposed cross-platform financial program would use a completely different format on each platform for storing the data. That is positively Asinine! Akin to M$ deciding to make Excel for Windows use one format and Excel for Mac use another. Neither could open the other without the "help" of a convertor, Tech Support(Paid) or a whole lot of user editing.

The Chairman of Intuit is/was on the Board of Apple, and has always said that the Mac version and Windows version would come into line with each other. They do advertise that the two are "compatible" but never get to the "fine print"

Despite years of practice, Intuit have failed to deliver a decent product, be it QuickBooks or Quicken, for the Mac.

You may want to take a look at MYOB and see how they compare, although there will still be the expense of purchasing it and "possibly" a conversion problem.

Thanks for sharing, it may save some others from the same fate as you

P

Dear MSTRANKO and others;

I have been researching MAC accounting systems for months for a new business and have concluded that Intuit and Quickbooks for MAC is the one to stay away from. I have used Quickbooks 2004 for MAC for years and love it, but it won't work on newer MAC's beyond OS 9.2.2 and when you hit the wall, you had better go shopping for something else. i.e. MYOB, Account Edge, FinanceToGo, etc. Intuit does not appear to be serious about MAC accounting. Their support and policies are awful: they are rude, unflexible, yada, yada, yada. Everybody and everything I read and hear about Intuit Quickbooks for MAC just scares the heck out of me. Old report formats, stoogy, don't work well with banks and credit cards, lose data, you name it. I am still looking and just have not found what I will use, but it won't be Quickbooks!!!

I hate Quicken for Mac (but used it with my PC for over 15 years and loved it). I have just spent a second gruelling round dealing with incompetent, ignorant Quicken tech support who have (for the second time in three months) completely fouled up my Quicken data in their ineffectual attempts to solve what is clearly a software glitch. They insisted I had corrupted data in my system, which I didn't. Everything they did to my program resulted in loss of data, and the underlying software problem is still not solved. In addition, after spending over two hours on the phone with them, I went back to my Quicken account and tried something else - cleaning up my list of categories - which resulted in 6 crashes in the space of a half hour, and further data loss.

I hate Quicken and am very anxious to find a good accounting and on-line payment program for my Mac. Any ideas? And I refuse to run any Microsoft program system on my Mac - it's bad enough I have to run Microsoft Office for Mac in order to communicate with the majority of the rest of the computer-world.

Please do advise!!!

interesting piece of software.

Certainly worth checking out the free trial

BTW, you could always run iWork on your Mac instead of MS Office or, you could try Open Office or Neo Office. Both have a very good price, FREE!

Pages/Number/Keynote, all in iWork, are capable of opening and saving as .doc, xls, pps/ppt, respectively

P

Thank you. Yes, after I posted last night I did some online research and found three programs - the top three rated for Mac: Fortora Fresh, Moneydance, and iBank (OSX Money Management). I think I'm going to try Fortora Fresh.

Thanks.

It's called Quicken Financial Life and is a from-the-ground-up rebuild. I installed the beta and it looks really promising.

How did you get the beta? I singed up but got the thank you but.... reply.

How is it going compared to the current version of Quicken Windows. I tried all the Mac Specific finance software, but none seemed to do all that I can with Quicken. I am still using in Parallels but would hope the Mac version is good enough to make me switch.

Maybe it was easier to get then. I haven't used Quicken for Windows since the 2004 version, which I hated enough to buy MS Money. Intuit is adding functionality to the beta a little at a time so at present there are still things QFL can't do (e.g. reporting, reconciliation) but those are coming. The basic interface is a huge step up from Quicken for Mac 2007.

The only other Mac finance software I've tried are iBank and Moneydance, neither of which impressed me. I sent a question to Moneydance support and got a response around six months later, long after I had removed it.

As far as I know, Quicken Life has no support for tracking brokerage accounts or a TDSP. That's a deal breaker for me...

Inspired by this thread and tired of Quicken opening about a dozen windows on my desktop every time I start it, I downloaded a couple of trial software packages yesterday. I really like iBank. Not only is iBank a Mac software product that is easy to use, it has done a great job downloading and organizing brokerage accounts for me. In fact, my 401k plan is held by Fidelity NetBenefits and iBank is the only financial management program I have found that quickly and easily downloads data from this site. When setting up that account the software warned me that NetBenefits downloads are not yet working for everyone, but I had no problem at all. The iBank program does go a little over the top with the Mac eye candy - who needs to see their transactions in Cover Flow view? - but the extraneous stuff can be easily turned off by using iTunes-like icons. The iBank support site also seems to include a lively set of discussion boards that are monitored by employees of the company. I just may keep this one.
Dave

I have tried many different financial apps for the Mac. Some are ok, but the best by far is Mint.com. It is not specifically for the Mac because it is web based. The best thing about it is that all of your transactions are automatically updated so that you dont have to do the complicated download and import that you would in Quicken, etc.. Check out this <a href="http://thesmallstep.com/2009/03/18/mint-review/">review of Mint.com</a>

http://thesmallstep.com/2009/03/18/mint-review/