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Personal Finance · head to head

Money Manager vs Moneydance

Money Manager logo

Money Manager

Personal Finance

Personal and household finance tracker

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Moneydance logo

Moneydance

Personal Finance

Cross-platform personal finance management

From
On request
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: 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; Moneydance the free trial is limited to 100 manually entered transactions
  • They diverge on capability: Money Manager covers Expense tracking, Moneydance covers Bill tracking.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Money Manager and Moneydance differ
AttributeMoney ManagerMoneydance
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelopen-sourceone-time
Free tierYesNo
Founded20052001

Identical on both: platforms (Windows, Mac, Linux, IOS, Android), 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 Money Manager

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

Only in Moneydance

  • Bill tracking
  • Investment monitoring
  • Financial forecasting
  • Bank accounts
  • Investment accounts
  • OFX import

Both cover

  • Budget tracking
  • Windows support
  • Mac support
  • Linux support
  • IOS support
  • Android support

What people use each for

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

Money Manager

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

Moneydance

  • Desktop personal finance management on macOS, Windows and Linuxnot Money Manager
  • Importing and reconciling bank and credit card transactions locallynot Money Manager
  • Tracking investments and budgets without a cloud-only servicenot Money Manager

Where each one falls short

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

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

Moneydance

  • The free trial is limited to 100 manually entered transactions
  • A one-time Buy Once purchase covers Moneydance 2024 plus one free upgrade to the next major release, not all future versions
  • Bank connection features are sold separately as the Moneydance Plus subscription rather than included in the one-time purchase
  • Business use requires one licence per computer, while the household licence covers personal use only

Pricing, plan by plan

Money Manager

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

Moneydance

On request
  • Perpetual License$59.99/month
    • Full feature set
    • Free updates

Which should you pick?

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 reporting.
Money Manager review

Choose Moneydance if

  • You need bill tracking.
  • You work on Windows, Mac, Linux, IOS, Android.
  • You also want investment monitoring.
Moneydance review

Questions people ask

Is Money Manager or Moneydance better?
Neither clearly leads. Money Manager starts at Free and Moneydance at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Money Manager or Moneydance?
Money Manager has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Money Manager and On request for Moneydance.
Does Money Manager or Moneydance run on more platforms?
Both run on Windows, Mac, Linux, IOS, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Money Manager for free?
Yes. Money Manager has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Moneydance starts at On request.
What is Money Manager best used for?
Money Manager is most often used for free desktop personal finance tracking on windows, macos and linux, running a portable personal accounts file from removable media on windows, categorising spending and reporting on personal accounts without a subscription. Of those, free desktop personal finance tracking on windows, macos and linux and running a portable personal accounts file from removable media on windows are not what Moneydance is typically brought in for.
What can Money Manager do that Moneydance cannot?
Money Manager covers Expense tracking, Reporting, Multi-currency support, Import/Export. Moneydance covers Bill tracking, Investment monitoring, Financial forecasting, Bank accounts. Both handle Budget tracking, Windows support, Mac support, Linux 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.

Source
Moneydance: How much does Moneydance cost?

Moneydance pricing is not disclosed on the main website; customers must visit the purchase page to view rates. The software includes a 90-day money back guarantee.

Source
Moneydance: Is there a free trial?

Yes, Moneydance offers a free trial that is fully functional but limited to entering up to 100 manually entered transactions.

Source
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