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Personal Finance · head to head

PocketGuard vs Quicken

PocketGuard logo

PocketGuard

Personal Finance

In Your Pocket personal finance

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 PocketGuard has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: PocketGuard every budgeting feature requires a paid subscription, with only a 7 day trial rather than a free 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
  • They diverge on capability: PocketGuard covers Real-time spending alerts, Quicken covers Budget creation.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which PocketGuard and Quicken actually diverge.

Attributes where PocketGuard and Quicken differ
AttributePocketGuardQuicken
Starting priceFree$3.99/month
Pricing modelfreemiumsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, IOS, AndroidWeb, iOS, Android, Windows, macOS
Founded20121983

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 PocketGuard

  • Real-time spending alerts
  • Budget tracking
  • Goal setting
  • Spending insights
  • Web support
  • Android support

Only in Quicken

  • Budget creation
  • Bill management
  • Investment tracking
  • Tax planning
  • Investment accounts
  • Windows support
  • Mac support

Both cover

  • Bank accounts
  • Credit cards
  • IOS support

What people use each for

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

PocketGuard

  • Tracking spending and bills against a personal budgetnot Quicken
  • Finding and cancelling recurring subscriptionsnot Quicken

Quicken

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

Where each one falls short

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

PocketGuard

  • Every budgeting feature requires a paid subscription, with only a 7 day trial rather than a free tier
  • Paying monthly is $12.99 against an effective $6.25 on the annual plan, so the flexible option costs roughly double
  • The lifetime option is not offered to everyone and is described as available only inside the app

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

PocketGuard

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Expense tracking
    • Budget creation
  • Premium$9.99/month
    • Advanced insights
    • Goal tracking
    • Bill negotiation

Quicken

$3.99/month

No published plan breakdown. See the Quicken review.

Which should you pick?

Choose PocketGuard if

  • You need real-time spending alerts.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, IOS, Android.
  • You also want budget tracking.
PocketGuard 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 PocketGuard or Quicken better?
Neither clearly leads. PocketGuard 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, PocketGuard or Quicken?
PocketGuard has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for PocketGuard and $3.99/month for Quicken.
Does PocketGuard or Quicken run on more platforms?
PocketGuard runs on Web, IOS, Android. Quicken runs on Web, iOS, Android, Windows, macOS.
Can I use PocketGuard for free?
Yes. PocketGuard has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Quicken starts at $3.99/month.
What is PocketGuard best used for?
PocketGuard is most often used for tracking spending and bills against a personal budget, finding and cancelling recurring subscriptions. Of those, tracking spending and bills against a personal budget and finding and cancelling recurring subscriptions are not what Quicken is typically brought in for.
What can PocketGuard do that Quicken cannot?
PocketGuard covers Real-time spending alerts, Budget tracking, Goal setting, Spending insights. Quicken covers Budget creation, Bill management, Investment tracking, Tax planning. Both handle Bank accounts, Credit cards, IOS support.
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