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Moneydance vs Banktivity

Moneydance logo

Moneydance

Software

Cross-platform personal finance management

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Banktivity logo

Banktivity

Software

Personal finance for Mac and iOS

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Moneydance the free trial is limited to 100 manually entered transactions; Banktivity runs on macOS, iPhone and iPad only, with no Windows, Android or web version
  • They diverge on capability: Moneydance covers Bill tracking, Banktivity covers Account tracking.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Moneydance and Banktivity actually diverge.

Attributes where Moneydance and Banktivity differ
AttributeMoneydanceBanktivity
Pricing modelone-timesubscription
PlatformsWindows, Mac, Linux, IOS, AndroidMac, IOS
Founded20012007

Identical on both: starting price (On request), free tier (No), 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 Moneydance

  • Bill tracking
  • Investment monitoring
  • Budget tracking
  • Financial forecasting
  • OFX import
  • Windows support
  • Linux support
  • Android support

Only in Banktivity

  • Account tracking
  • Bill management
  • Investment tracking
  • Budget forecasting

Both cover

  • Bank accounts
  • Investment accounts
  • Mac support
  • IOS support

What people use each for

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

Moneydance

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

Banktivity

  • Personal budgeting and money management on a Macnot Moneydance
  • Investment and net worth trackingnot Moneydance
  • Retirement planning projectionsnot Moneydance
  • Connecting to over 14,000 financial institutionsnot Moneydance

Where each one falls short

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

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

Banktivity

  • Runs on macOS, iPhone and iPad only, with no Windows, Android or web version
  • Pricing is not shown on the product page and sits behind a separate plans page

Pricing, plan by plan

Moneydance

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

Banktivity

On request
  • Monthly$4.99/month
    • Full feature access
    • Cloud sync
  • Annual$39.99/month
    • All monthly features
    • Discounted rate

Which should you pick?

Choose Moneydance if

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

Choose Banktivity if

  • You need account tracking.
  • You work on Mac, IOS.
  • You also want bill management.
Banktivity review

Questions people ask

Is Moneydance or Banktivity better?
Neither clearly leads. Moneydance starts at On request and Banktivity at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Moneydance or Banktivity?
Moneydance starts at On request and Banktivity at On request.
Does Moneydance or Banktivity run on more platforms?
Moneydance runs on Windows, Mac, Linux, IOS, Android. Banktivity runs on Mac, IOS.
What is Moneydance best used for?
Moneydance is most often used for desktop personal finance management on macos, windows and linux, importing and reconciling bank and credit card transactions locally, tracking investments and budgets without a cloud-only service. Of those, desktop personal finance management on macos, windows and linux and importing and reconciling bank and credit card transactions locally are not what Banktivity is typically brought in for.
What can Moneydance do that Banktivity cannot?
Moneydance covers Bill tracking, Investment monitoring, Budget tracking, Financial forecasting. Banktivity covers Account tracking, Bill management, Investment tracking, Budget forecasting. Both handle Bank accounts, Investment accounts, Mac support, IOS support.
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