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Betterment vs Money Manager

Betterment logo

Betterment

Software

Your path to financial independence

From
$5/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Money Manager logo

Money Manager

Software

Personal and household finance tracker

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Money Manager has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Betterment digital automated investing charges $5 per month fee for accounts under $24,000 balance; Money Manager databases created by version 1.4.x are not readable by current releases and produce the error MMEX database version 13 doesn't work with this MMEX version, requiring a manual conversion procedure
  • They diverge on capability: Betterment covers Automated investing, Money Manager covers Expense tracking.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Betterment and Money Manager actually diverge.

Attributes where Betterment and Money Manager differ
AttributeBettermentMoney Manager
Starting price$5/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionopen-source
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWindows, Mac, Linux, IOS, Android
Founded20082005

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

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 Betterment

  • Automated investing
  • Retirement planning
  • Financial advisory
  • Goal tracking
  • Bank accounts
  • Investment accounts
  • Web support

Only in Money Manager

  • Expense tracking
  • Budget tracking
  • Reporting
  • Multi-currency support
  • Import/Export
  • CSV
  • Windows support
  • Mac support

Both cover

  • IOS support
  • Android support

What people use each for

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

Betterment

  • Small investors starting with automated investing at no minimum balancenot Money Manager
  • Fee-only digital wealth management for accounts under $24,000 via $5/month flat feenot Money Manager
  • Premium advisory access for high-net-worth individuals with $100,000+ balancenot Money Manager

Money Manager

  • Free desktop personal finance tracking on Windows, macOS and Linuxnot Betterment
  • Running a portable personal accounts file from removable media on Windowsnot Betterment
  • Categorising spending and reporting on personal accounts without a subscriptionnot Betterment

Where each one falls short

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

Betterment

  • Digital automated investing charges $5 per month fee for accounts under $24,000 balance
  • Premium advisory service requires minimum balance of $100,000 in eligible investments
  • Foreign transaction fees apply to checking account (though reimbursed after the fact)
  • High-balance fee discounts only available above $1,000,000 account balance

Money Manager

  • Databases created by version 1.4.x are not readable by current releases and produce the error MMEX database version 13 doesn't work with this MMEX version, requiring a manual conversion procedure
  • Linux is supported only through Flatpak builds for aarch64 and x86_64
  • The download page states no system requirements, deferring them to a separate compatibility page
  • There is no vendor support contract; the project is distributed as open source with no paid tier

Pricing, plan by plan

Betterment

$5/month

No published plan breakdown. See the Betterment review.

Money Manager

Free
  • Open SourceFree
    • Expense tracking
    • Budget management
    • Reports

Which should you pick?

Choose Betterment if

  • You need automated investing.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want retirement planning.
Betterment review

Choose Money Manager if

  • You need expense tracking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Windows, Mac, Linux, IOS, Android.
  • You also want budget tracking.
Money Manager review

Questions people ask

Is Betterment or Money Manager better?
Neither clearly leads. Betterment starts at $5/month and Money Manager at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Betterment or Money Manager?
Money Manager has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $5/month for Betterment and Free for Money Manager.
Does Betterment or Money Manager run on more platforms?
Betterment runs on Web, iOS, Android. Money Manager runs on Windows, Mac, Linux, IOS, Android.
Can I use Money Manager for free?
Yes. Money Manager has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Betterment starts at $5/month.
What is Betterment best used for?
Betterment is most often used for small investors starting with automated investing at no minimum balance, fee-only digital wealth management for accounts under $24,000 via $5/month flat fee, premium advisory access for high-net-worth individuals with $100,000+ balance. Of those, small investors starting with automated investing at no minimum balance and fee-only digital wealth management for accounts under $24,000 via $5/month flat fee are not what Money Manager is typically brought in for.
What can Betterment do that Money Manager cannot?
Betterment covers Automated investing, Retirement planning, Financial advisory, Goal tracking. Money Manager covers Expense tracking, Budget tracking, Reporting, Multi-currency support. Both handle IOS support, Android support.
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