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Personal Finance · head to head

Money Manager vs Robinhood

Money Manager logo

Money Manager

Personal Finance

Personal and household finance tracker

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Robinhood logo

Robinhood

Personal Finance

Investing for everyone

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • 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; Robinhood robinhood Gold costs 5 USD a month after a 30 day free trial
  • They diverge on capability: Money Manager covers Expense tracking, Robinhood covers Commission-free trading.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Money Manager and Robinhood differ
AttributeMoney ManagerRobinhood
Pricing modelopen-sourcefreemium
PlatformsWindows, Mac, Linux, IOS, AndroidWeb, IOS, Android
Founded20052013

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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
  • Windows support
  • Mac support

Only in Robinhood

  • Commission-free trading
  • Options trading
  • Crypto trading
  • Fractional shares
  • Bank accounts
  • Crypto wallets
  • Web support

Both cover

  • 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 Robinhood
  • Running a portable personal accounts file from removable media on Windowsnot Robinhood
  • Categorising spending and reporting on personal accounts without a subscriptionnot Robinhood

Robinhood

  • Commission free trading of US stocks and ETFs from a phonenot Money Manager
  • Options and futures trading for retail investorsnot Money Manager
  • Holding an IRA with a contribution matchnot 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

Robinhood

  • Robinhood Gold costs 5 USD a month after a 30 day free trial
  • The 3.35 percent APY on brokerage cash is available only to Gold subscribers
  • The 3 percent IRA contribution match requires keeping the Gold subscription for one year and leaving the assets in the IRA for five years, and is capped at 225 USD against 2026 contribution maximums
  • Reduced contract fees of 0.50 USD per futures contract and 0.35 USD per index option apply only to Gold subscribers
  • Management fees are waived only above 100K USD in expert managed portfolios

Pricing, plan by plan

Money Manager

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

Robinhood

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Commission-free trading
    • Real-time data
    • Mobile app
  • Gold$4.99/month
    • All Free features
    • Extended hours trading
    • Premium research

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 Robinhood if

  • You need commission-free trading.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, IOS, Android.
  • You also want options trading.
Robinhood review

Questions people ask

Is Money Manager or Robinhood better?
Neither clearly leads. Money Manager starts at Free and Robinhood at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Money Manager or Robinhood?
Money Manager starts at Free and Robinhood at Free.
Does Money Manager or Robinhood run on more platforms?
Money Manager runs on Windows, Mac, Linux, IOS, Android. Robinhood runs on Web, IOS, Android.
Can I use Money Manager for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
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 Robinhood is typically brought in for.
What can Money Manager do that Robinhood cannot?
Money Manager covers Expense tracking, Budget tracking, Reporting, Multi-currency support. Robinhood covers Commission-free trading, Options trading, Crypto trading, Fractional shares. 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.

Source
Robinhood: What is the minimum amount needed to open a Robinhood account?

You can get started with as little as $1.

Source
Robinhood: What does Robinhood Gold cost and what does it include?

Robinhood Gold is $5 per month and includes zero management fees on portfolios exceeding $100,000 through Robinhood Strategies.

Source
Robinhood: Are there trading commissions on Robinhood?

Robinhood offers 24/5 commission-free stock and ETF trading. Other fees may apply to your brokerage account as detailed in the RHF Fee Schedule.

Source
Robinhood: What cash back rate does Robinhood's credit card offer?

The Robinhood Agentic Credit Card offers 3% cash back on purchases.

Source
Robinhood: How much FDIC insurance coverage do Robinhood Cash Card accounts have?

Cash Card accounts are covered up to $250,000 through FDIC insurance via Sutton Bank.

Source
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