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Personal Finance · head to head

Banktivity vs Credit Karma

Banktivity logo

Banktivity

Personal Finance

Personal finance for Mac and iOS

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Credit Karma logo

Credit Karma

Personal Finance

Free credit scores, reports, and more

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Credit Karma has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Banktivity runs on macOS, iPhone and iPad only, with no Windows, Android or web version; Credit Karma state tax filing costs 15 USD even though federal filing is 0 USD
  • They diverge on capability: Banktivity covers Account tracking, Credit Karma covers Free credit score.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Banktivity and Credit Karma actually diverge.

Attributes where Banktivity and Credit Karma differ
AttributeBanktivityCredit Karma
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionfreemium
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsMac, IOSWeb, IOS, Android

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Personal Finance), founded (2007).

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 Banktivity

  • Account tracking
  • Bill management
  • Investment tracking
  • Budget forecasting
  • Bank accounts
  • Investment accounts
  • Mac support

Only in Credit Karma

  • Free credit score
  • Credit report monitoring
  • Credit card recommendations
  • Tax filing
  • Credit bureaus
  • Financial institutions
  • Web support
  • Android support

Both cover

  • IOS support

What people use each for

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

Banktivity

  • Personal budgeting and money management on a Macnot Credit Karma
  • Investment and net worth trackingnot Credit Karma
  • Retirement planning projectionsnot Credit Karma
  • Connecting to over 14,000 financial institutionsnot Credit Karma

Credit Karma

  • Monitoring a credit score and the factors affecting it for freenot Banktivity
  • Comparing credit card and loan offers with Approval Oddsnot Banktivity
  • Filing federal tax returns at no chargenot Banktivity

Where each one falls short

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

Banktivity

  • Runs on macOS, iPhone and iPad only, with no Windows, Android or web version
  • Pricing is not shown on the product page and sits behind a separate plans page

Credit Karma

  • State tax filing costs 15 USD even though federal filing is 0 USD
  • Credit Spark builds score history against TransUnion, and the site states that not all lenders use TransUnion credit reports or scores
  • Card and loan listings are advertising placements, disclosed on the site as compensation from third party advertisers
  • Send and score update frequency limits are not published on the site

Pricing, plan by plan

Banktivity

On request
  • Monthly$4.99/month
    • Full feature access
    • Cloud sync
  • Annual$39.99/month
    • All monthly features
    • Discounted rate

Credit Karma

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Credit score monitoring
    • Credit reports
    • Personalized recommendations

Which should you pick?

Choose Banktivity if

  • You need account tracking.
  • You work on Mac, IOS.
  • You also want bill management.
Banktivity review

Choose Credit Karma if

  • You need free credit score.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, IOS, Android.
  • You also want credit report monitoring.
Credit Karma review

Questions people ask

Is Banktivity or Credit Karma better?
Neither clearly leads. Banktivity starts at On request and Credit Karma at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Banktivity or Credit Karma?
Credit Karma has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Banktivity and Free for Credit Karma.
Does Banktivity or Credit Karma run on more platforms?
Banktivity runs on Mac, IOS. Credit Karma runs on Web, IOS, Android.
Can I use Credit Karma for free?
Yes. Credit Karma has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Banktivity starts at On request.
What is Banktivity best used for?
Banktivity is most often used for personal budgeting and money management on a mac, investment and net worth tracking, retirement planning projections, connecting to over 14,000 financial institutions. Of those, personal budgeting and money management on a mac and investment and net worth tracking are not what Credit Karma is typically brought in for.
What can Banktivity do that Credit Karma cannot?
Banktivity covers Account tracking, Bill management, Investment tracking, Budget forecasting. Credit Karma covers Free credit score, Credit report monitoring, Credit card recommendations, Tax filing. Both handle IOS support.
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