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Personal Finance · head to head

Banktivity vs Strands

Banktivity logo

Banktivity

Personal Finance

Personal finance for Mac and iOS

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Strands logo

Strands

Personal Finance

Personal and business financial management modules for banks, owned by CRIF

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Banktivity runs on macOS, iPhone and iPad only, with no Windows, Android or web version; Strands transaction categorisation accuracy depends on local merchant data, and banks in smaller markets face months of tuning before customers trust the categories shown.
  • They diverge on capability: Banktivity covers Account tracking, Strands covers Transaction categorisation.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Banktivity and Strands actually diverge.

Attributes where Banktivity and Strands differ
AttributeBanktivityStrands
Pricing modelsubscriptionquote
PlatformsMac, IOSWeb, iOS, Android, REST API
Founded2007Unknown

Identical on both: starting price (On request), free tier (No), 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 Banktivity

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

Only in Strands

  • Transaction categorisation
  • Personal financial management
  • Business financial management
  • Lighthouse
  • Automated savings
  • Account aggregation

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 Strands
  • Investment and net worth trackingnot Strands
  • Retirement planning projectionsnot Strands
  • Connecting to over 14,000 financial institutionsnot Strands

Strands

  • A retail bank adding budgeting and spending insight without building a categorisation enginenot Banktivity
  • A bank wanting personalised product offers driven by observed spending and credit datanot Banktivity
  • A credit union offering small business customers cash flow forecasting inside online bankingnot Banktivity
  • A Nordic institution combining Strands insight with open banking account aggregationnot 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

Strands

  • Transaction categorisation accuracy depends on local merchant data, and banks in smaller markets face months of tuning before customers trust the categories shown.
  • It is now a product line inside CRIF, a credit bureau, so roadmap priorities follow group data strategy rather than standalone software competition.
  • Commercial terms are often bundled with other CRIF services, which makes a standalone comparison against a pure PFM vendor harder to run.
  • Money management features have weak measurable impact on bank revenue, so the business case relies on engagement metrics that are difficult to tie to profit.
  • It is a white-label component, so the bank still owns design, support and customer communication, and a poor in-app implementation reflects on the bank rather than the vendor.

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

Strands

On request
  • Strands AI Finance Suite$undefined/year
    • Licence scaled by end customers or active users
    • Modules licensed separately for personal, business and Lighthouse
    • Implementation and categorisation tuning charged as a project

Which should you pick?

Choose Banktivity if

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

Choose Strands if

  • You need transaction categorisation.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, REST API.
  • You also want personal financial management.
Strands review

Questions people ask

Is Banktivity or Strands better?
Neither clearly leads. Banktivity starts at On request and Strands at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Banktivity or Strands?
Banktivity starts at On request and Strands at On request.
Does Banktivity or Strands run on more platforms?
Banktivity runs on Mac, IOS. Strands runs on Web, iOS, Android, REST API.
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 Strands is typically brought in for.
What can Banktivity do that Strands cannot?
Banktivity covers Account tracking, Bill management, Investment tracking, Budget forecasting. Strands covers Transaction categorisation, Personal financial management, Business financial management, Lighthouse.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Banktivity: Does Banktivity offer a free trial?

Yes. Banktivity offers a 30-day free trial at any subscription level with no credit card required. This allows you to test the platform before committing.

Source
Strands: Who owns Strands?

CRIF, the Italian credit bureau and information services group, which acquired it to combine money management software with credit data.

Banktivity: What devices does Banktivity support?

Banktivity is available on Mac, iPhone, and iPad with cross-device sync. Data is encrypted end-to-end across all devices.

Source
Strands: Is it sold to consumers?

No. It is licensed to banks and credit unions who embed it in their own applications under their own brand.

Banktivity: How many banks does Banktivity connect to?

Banktivity connects to 14,000+ banks, allowing direct connections to most major financial institutions.

Source
Strands: Does it include account aggregation?

It supports aggregated external accounts, with CRIF and partners such as Enable Banking supplying the open banking connectivity.

Banktivity: What financial planning tools does Banktivity include?

Banktivity includes budgeting, financial reporting, investment portfolio tracking, retirement planning tools, and net worth tracking across all your accounts.

Source
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