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Personal Finance · head to head

E*TRADE vs Money Manager

E*TRADE logo

E*TRADE

Personal Finance

Express your investing style

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Money Manager logo

Money Manager

Personal Finance

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: E*TRADE stock and ETF trades were $0 commission but options carried a $0.65 per-contract fee, broker-assisted trades added a $25 surcharge, and margin interest rates ranged from 12.70% to 13.20% depending on balance tier (Internet Archive capture, 3 January 2023); 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: E*TRADE covers Advanced trading tools, Money Manager covers Expense tracking.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which E*TRADE and Money Manager actually diverge.

Attributes where E*TRADE and Money Manager differ
AttributeE*TRADEMoney Manager
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modeltransactionopen-source
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, IOS, AndroidWindows, Mac, Linux, IOS, Android
Founded19562005

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 E*TRADE

  • Advanced trading tools
  • Options and futures
  • Research tools
  • Mobile trading
  • Bank accounts
  • Wire transfers
  • 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.

E*TRADE

  • Budget Managementnot Money Manager
  • Expense Trackingnot Money Manager
  • Investment Trackingnot Money Manager

Money Manager

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

Where each one falls short

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

E*TRADE

  • Stock and ETF trades were $0 commission but options carried a $0.65 per-contract fee, broker-assisted trades added a $25 surcharge, and margin interest rates ranged from 12.70% to 13.20% depending on balance tier (Internet Archive capture, 3 January 2023)

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

E*TRADE

On request
  • Stock & ETF TradingFree
    • Commission-free trades
    • Real-time quotes
  • Advanced Trading$undefined/month
    • All Stock & ETF features
    • Options, futures
    • Advanced tools

Money Manager

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

Which should you pick?

Choose E*TRADE if

  • You need advanced trading tools.
  • You work on Web, IOS, Android.
  • You also want options and futures.
E*TRADE 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 E*TRADE or Money Manager better?
Neither clearly leads. E*TRADE starts at On request and Money Manager at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, E*TRADE or Money Manager?
Money Manager has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for E*TRADE and Free for Money Manager.
Does E*TRADE or Money Manager run on more platforms?
E*TRADE 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. E*TRADE starts at On request.
What is E*TRADE best used for?
E*TRADE is most often used for budget management, expense tracking, investment tracking. Of those, budget management and expense tracking are not what Money Manager is typically brought in for.
What can E*TRADE do that Money Manager cannot?
E*TRADE covers Advanced trading tools, Options and futures, Research tools, Mobile trading. Money Manager covers Expense tracking, Budget tracking, Reporting, Multi-currency support. Both handle IOS support, Android support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Money Manager: How much does MoneyManager Ex cost?

MoneyManager Ex is completely free and open source software with no charges, subscriptions, or hidden fees of any kind.

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