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Personal Finance · head to head

Moneydance vs Personal Capital

Moneydance logo

Moneydance

Personal Finance

Cross-platform personal finance management

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Personal Capital logo

Personal Capital

Personal Finance

Invest wisely, retire confidently

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Personal Capital has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Moneydance the free trial is limited to 100 manually entered transactions; Personal Capital wealth management requires a 100,000 USD minimum for Investment Services, 250,000 USD for Wealth Management and 1,000,000 USD for Private Client
  • They diverge on capability: Moneydance covers Bill tracking, Personal Capital covers Investment tracking.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Moneydance and Personal Capital actually diverge.

Attributes where Moneydance and Personal Capital differ
AttributeMoneydancePersonal Capital
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelone-timefreemium
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWindows, Mac, Linux, IOS, AndroidWeb, IOS, Android
Founded20012010

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 Moneydance

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

Only in Personal Capital

  • Investment tracking
  • Retirement calculator
  • Fee analyzer
  • Net worth tracking
  • Real estate
  • Web support

Both cover

  • Bank accounts
  • Investment accounts
  • IOS support
  • Android 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 Personal Capital
  • Importing and reconciling bank and credit card transactions locallynot Personal Capital
  • Tracking investments and budgets without a cloud-only servicenot Personal Capital

Personal Capital

  • Tracking net worth and investment accounts in one dashboardnot Moneydance
  • Managed portfolio construction with tax loss harvesting for high balance investorsnot Moneydance
  • Retirement planning projections across linked accountsnot 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

Personal Capital

  • Wealth management requires a 100,000 USD minimum for Investment Services, 250,000 USD for Wealth Management and 1,000,000 USD for Private Client
  • The annual advisory fee is charged as a percentage of assets under management on a tiered structure rather than a flat subscription
  • Assets are custodied at Pershing Advisor Solutions rather than by the provider itself

Pricing, plan by plan

Moneydance

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

Personal Capital

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Account tracking
    • Net worth monitoring
    • Investment analysis
  • Premium$undefined/month
    • Financial advisor access
    • Personalized advice

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 Personal Capital if

  • You need investment tracking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, IOS, Android.
  • You also want retirement calculator.
Personal Capital review

Questions people ask

Is Moneydance or Personal Capital better?
Neither clearly leads. Moneydance starts at On request and Personal Capital at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Moneydance or Personal Capital?
Personal Capital has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Moneydance and Free for Personal Capital.
Does Moneydance or Personal Capital run on more platforms?
Moneydance runs on Windows, Mac, Linux, IOS, Android. Personal Capital runs on Web, IOS, Android.
Can I use Personal Capital for free?
Yes. Personal Capital has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Moneydance starts at On request.
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 Personal Capital is typically brought in for.
What can Moneydance do that Personal Capital cannot?
Moneydance covers Bill tracking, Investment monitoring, Budget tracking, Financial forecasting. Personal Capital covers Investment tracking, Retirement calculator, Fee analyzer, Net worth tracking. Both handle Bank accounts, Investment accounts, IOS support, Android support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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
Personal Capital: How are advisory fees calculated at Personal Capital?

Advisory fees are calculated based on the amount of assets under management (AUM). Specific percentage rates are available in their Form ADV filing but not detailed on the homepage.

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
Personal Capital: Does Personal Capital charge account fees for its high-yield cash account?

The high-yield cash account has no account fees and no minimum balance requirement.

Source
Personal Capital: What is the difference between Personal Strategy and Private Client tiers?

Personal Strategy ($100k minimum) includes 1:1 advisor support and personalized planning. Private Client ($1M minimum) offers premium planning with access to private equity, tax optimization, and legacy planning services.

Source
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