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Personal Finance · head to head

Money Manager vs Quicken

Money Manager logo

Money Manager

Personal Finance

Personal and household finance tracker

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Quicken logo

Quicken

Personal Finance

Take control of your finances

From
$3.99/month
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; Quicken quicken Simplifi (cloud version) costs $3.99 annually if billed yearly, but renews at full price $6.99/month unless cancelled before renewal
  • They diverge on capability: Money Manager covers Expense tracking, Quicken covers Budget creation.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Money Manager and Quicken differ
AttributeMoney ManagerQuicken
Starting priceFree$3.99/month
Pricing modelopen-sourcesubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWindows, Mac, Linux, IOS, AndroidWeb, iOS, Android, Windows, macOS
Founded20051983

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 Money Manager

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

Only in Quicken

  • Budget creation
  • Bill management
  • Investment tracking
  • Tax planning
  • Bank accounts
  • Investment accounts
  • Credit cards

Both cover

  • Windows support
  • Mac support
  • IOS 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 Quicken
  • Running a portable personal accounts file from removable media on Windowsnot Quicken
  • Categorising spending and reporting on personal accounts without a subscriptionnot Quicken

Quicken

  • Individuals managing personal finances via Quicken Simplifi cloud app for budgeting and savings trackingnot Money Manager
  • Freelancers and self-employed managing business and personal finances via Quicken Business & Personal plannot Money Manager
  • Users preferring local data storage via Classic desktop editionsnot 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

Quicken

  • Quicken Simplifi (cloud version) costs $3.99 annually if billed yearly, but renews at full price $6.99/month unless cancelled before renewal
  • Renewal pricing significantly higher than introductory rate; annual cost jumps from $47.88 (promotional) to $83.88 (regular renewal)

Pricing, plan by plan

Money Manager

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

Quicken

$3.99/month

No published plan breakdown. See the Quicken review.

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 budget tracking.
Money Manager review

Choose Quicken if

  • You need budget creation.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, Windows, macOS.
  • You also want bill management.
Quicken review

Questions people ask

Is Money Manager or Quicken better?
Neither clearly leads. Money Manager starts at Free and Quicken at $3.99/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Money Manager or Quicken?
Money Manager has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Money Manager and $3.99/month for Quicken.
Does Money Manager or Quicken run on more platforms?
Money Manager runs on Windows, Mac, Linux, IOS, Android. Quicken runs on Web, iOS, Android, Windows, macOS.
Can I use Money Manager for free?
Yes. Money Manager has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Quicken starts at $3.99/month.
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 Quicken is typically brought in for.
What can Money Manager do that Quicken cannot?
Money Manager covers Expense tracking, Budget tracking, Reporting, Multi-currency support. Quicken covers Budget creation, Bill management, Investment tracking, Tax planning. Both handle Windows support, Mac support, IOS support.
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