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Personal Finance · head to head

Apple Pay vs Moneydance

Apple Pay logo

Apple Pay

Personal Finance

The easier way to pay and send money

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Moneydance logo

Moneydance

Personal Finance

Cross-platform personal finance management

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Apple Pay has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Apple Pay apple Pay works only in countries and regions that support contactless payments and is not available in all markets; Moneydance the free trial is limited to 100 manually entered transactions
  • They diverge on capability: Apple Pay covers Digital wallet, Moneydance covers Bill tracking.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Apple Pay and Moneydance actually diverge.

Attributes where Apple Pay and Moneydance differ
AttributeApple PayMoneydance
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelfreeone-time
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsIOS, WatchOS, MacOSWindows, Mac, Linux, IOS, Android
Founded20142001

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Personal Finance).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Apple Pay

  • Digital wallet
  • Secure payments
  • Contactless transactions
  • P2P money transfers
  • Credit cards
  • Debit cards
  • WatchOS support
  • MacOS support

Only in Moneydance

  • Bill tracking
  • Investment monitoring
  • Budget tracking
  • Financial forecasting
  • Investment accounts
  • OFX import
  • Windows support
  • Mac support

Both cover

  • Bank accounts
  • IOS support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Apple Pay

  • Contactless in store payment from iPhone and Apple Watchnot Moneydance
  • Paying in apps and on the web without entering card detailsnot Moneydance
  • Sending money between Apple users with Apple Cash and Tap to Cashnot Moneydance

Moneydance

  • Desktop personal finance management on macOS, Windows and Linuxnot Apple Pay
  • Importing and reconciling bank and credit card transactions locallynot Apple Pay
  • Tracking investments and budgets without a cloud-only servicenot Apple Pay

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Apple Pay

  • Apple Pay works only in countries and regions that support contactless payments and is not available in all markets
  • Apple Cash is available only in the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico
  • Apple Cash Family accounts and Tap to Cash transactions are each capped at 2000 USD within a rolling seven day period
  • Mac support requires a Touch ID equipped model
  • A card works only if the issuing bank supports Apple Pay, and banks may charge their own overseas usage fees

Moneydance

  • The free trial is limited to 100 manually entered transactions
  • A one-time Buy Once purchase covers Moneydance 2024 plus one free upgrade to the next major release, not all future versions
  • Bank connection features are sold separately as the Moneydance Plus subscription rather than included in the one-time purchase
  • Business use requires one licence per computer, while the household licence covers personal use only

Pricing, plan by plan

Apple Pay

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Secure payments
    • P2P transfers
    • Transit passes

Moneydance

On request
  • Perpetual License$59.99/month
    • Full feature set
    • Free updates

Which should you pick?

Choose Apple Pay if

  • You need digital wallet.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on IOS, WatchOS, MacOS.
  • You also want secure payments.
Apple Pay review

Choose Moneydance if

  • You need bill tracking.
  • You work on Windows, Mac, Linux, IOS, Android.
  • You also want investment monitoring.
Moneydance review

Questions people ask

Is Apple Pay or Moneydance better?
Neither clearly leads. Apple Pay starts at Free and Moneydance at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Apple Pay or Moneydance?
Apple Pay has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Apple Pay and On request for Moneydance.
Does Apple Pay or Moneydance run on more platforms?
Apple Pay runs on IOS, WatchOS, MacOS. Moneydance runs on Windows, Mac, Linux, IOS, Android.
Can I use Apple Pay for free?
Yes. Apple Pay has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Moneydance starts at On request.
What is Apple Pay best used for?
Apple Pay is most often used for contactless in store payment from iphone and apple watch, paying in apps and on the web without entering card details, sending money between apple users with apple cash and tap to cash. Of those, contactless in store payment from iphone and apple watch and paying in apps and on the web without entering card details are not what Moneydance is typically brought in for.
What can Apple Pay do that Moneydance cannot?
Apple Pay covers Digital wallet, Secure payments, Contactless transactions, P2P money transfers. Moneydance covers Bill tracking, Investment monitoring, Budget tracking, Financial forecasting. Both handle Bank accounts, IOS support.
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