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Fidelity vs Money Manager

Fidelity logo

Fidelity

Software

Building a better financial future

From
On request
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: Fidelity options trades carry a 0.65 USD per contract fee on top of zero commission; 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: Fidelity covers Commission-free trading, Money Manager covers Expense tracking.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Fidelity and Money Manager differ
AttributeFidelityMoney Manager
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modeltransactionopen-source
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, IOS, AndroidWindows, Mac, Linux, IOS, Android
Founded19462005

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 Fidelity

  • Commission-free trading
  • Retirement planning
  • Advisory services
  • Research tools
  • 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.

Fidelity

  • Commission free trading of US stocks and ETFsnot Money Manager
  • Holding IRAs, 401(k) plans and taxable brokerage accountsnot Money Manager
  • Trading bonds, options and mutual funds from one accountnot Money Manager

Money Manager

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

Where each one falls short

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

Fidelity

  • Options trades carry a 0.65 USD per contract fee on top of zero commission
  • Non Fidelity mutual funds carry a 49.95 USD transaction fee per purchase
  • Secondary market bonds cost 1.00 USD per bond, while new issues are free
  • A foreign settlement fee of 50 USD applies per trade
  • Margin rates are tiered by debit balance, from 11.825 percent below 25,000 USD down to 7.50 percent at 1 million USD or more, against a base rate of 10.575 percent effective 12 December 2025
  • Margin liquidation by the broker costs 32.95 USD per liquidation

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

Fidelity

On request
  • Brokerage$undefined/month
    • Commission-free trading
    • Research tools
  • Advisory$undefined/month
    • Personal advisor
    • Wealth management

Money Manager

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

Which should you pick?

Choose Fidelity if

  • You need commission-free trading.
  • You work on Web, IOS, Android.
  • You also want retirement planning.
Fidelity 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 Fidelity or Money Manager better?
Neither clearly leads. Fidelity 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, Fidelity or Money Manager?
Money Manager has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Fidelity and Free for Money Manager.
Does Fidelity or Money Manager run on more platforms?
Fidelity 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. Fidelity starts at On request.
What is Fidelity best used for?
Fidelity is most often used for commission free trading of us stocks and etfs, holding iras, 401(k) plans and taxable brokerage accounts, trading bonds, options and mutual funds from one account. Of those, commission free trading of us stocks and etfs and holding iras, 401(k) plans and taxable brokerage accounts are not what Money Manager is typically brought in for.
What can Fidelity do that Money Manager cannot?
Fidelity covers Commission-free trading, Retirement planning, Advisory services, Research tools. Money Manager covers Expense tracking, Budget tracking, Reporting, Multi-currency support. Both handle IOS support, Android support.
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