Mac personal finance software, not cloud-based is indeed a necessity for every Mac user! If you are in for personal financial management on your Mac, check out this best mac personal finance software not cloud-based. Best Personal Finance Software for Mac Free
If you have a Mac computer, you already know that it is a great option for you to keep your finances under control. First and foremost, personal finance software on Mac-based computers allows you complete control of your financial information. Also, if you enjoy the ability to download apps from the Apple app store, using personal finance software on a Macintosh will ensure compatibility.
As the internet becomes more and more a core part of our lives, we find ourselves working with the web all day. This is great for some things, but it leaves us with far less time to focus on what is important to us. And given how much time we spend at the office, this means that our financial situation goes largely ignored – with potentially big consequences further down the road. The best personal finance software lets you manage and keep track of your finances quickly and easily, from receipts and payments to income and outgoings.
It simplifies the process of personal financial management by largely bypassing traditional receipts and spreadsheets. At the same time, the best personal finance software lets you collate your records, have them all in one place and backed up too, often using cloud storage for added flexibility.
Personal Finance Software
Personal Finance Software will let you set the goals for the future and provide an in-depth picture of your position. It offers a facility to monitor the bank accounts, credit cards, loans, and investment balances in one platform.
If we compare the online vs desktop personal finance software then the online tools provide more security, there will not be any software installation, and you will get automatic software updates.
Basic financial planning software simply provides an easy portal for managing your finances, but some of the more advanced packages can help with reducing debt, managing budgets, or even providing financial advice as an additional service.
We’ll therefore look at the best personal finance software out there and show you the standout features of each one, so that you can get a better idea of which would be best for you.
If you’re looking to keep your business books with a bit more detail, check out our guides to the best accounting software for small businesses and best tax software.
Here then are the best personal finance software platforms currently available and, underneath those, the best free personal finance software.
What to consider with the best personal finance software
If you’re in need of some organizational clout, especially if you’re running a small business, picking a personal finance software package can help a great deal. Depending on your needs you’ll find that the best personal finance packages allow you to keep on top of things like receipt logging and managing expenses, all from within one program.
The other bonus is that most of the personal finance software packages allow you to share your data with your preferred tax and accounting software. That means you’ll be much better placed when it comes to tax filing time. There are personal finance packages tailored to both online and offline needs, with many having apps that let you track spending day to day. Cloud-based personal finance packages let you keep all of your data in a safe place too, so all bases are covered.
Personal finance features to look for
Desktop or mobile?
Have a think about where and how you’ll use your personal finance package. Most of us tend to spend money on the go, so having a software package that allows you to log and track outgoings means a mobile and app-based solution makes a lot of sense. Most packages offer both desktop and mobile solutions however.
Reporting capability
While personal finance package are great at helping you manage money and track spending, they’re also vital for producing reports. This data can subsequently be used for tasks such as filing your taxes or for sharing with an accounts person who does the job for you.
Easy integration
You’ll want to check that any personal finance software you’re considering will ideally work in tandem with other packages. This is crucial when it comes to logging items like expenses. Check your package can be used to move figures from one place to another for much more efficient tax filing purposes.
Help and support
As is the case with any software package, it’s always good to check there will be help at hand should you need it. Some personal finance packages come with free support, while others have it as part of a paid-for plan. How much help you will need depends on your confidence with the software.
Quicken is one of three very well-known, widely used, and highly successful financial software programs developed by Intuit, Inc. (INTU). Intuit subsequently sold its personal financial management tool to private equity firm H.I.G. Capital in 2016.1
Quicken offers users services from basic checking and savings account management and budgeting, all the way to portfolio analysis and management features such as capital gains tracking. There are Windows-based versions of the program available as well as for Mac that’s compatible with Apple’s operating system.
Although manufactured for a number of global markets, Quicken remains focused largely on a North American customer base. While Quicken has dominated its niche market since its first release in 1983, there are a number of similar, alternative products available and which are increasingly challenging its dominance.
1. Mint.com
Intuit itself offers a simpler, more basic alternative to Quicken in Mint, which it acquired in 2009. Mint is cloud-based, rather than a standalone software program. It is a free service and only offers basic features such as creating and tracking budgets and financial goals and monitoring one’s credit score. Mint.com offers services similar to those contained in Quicken’s most basic starter version. Basically a budget planner and spending tracker, it does not offer significant investment management services. The program is criticized for account synchronization problems and for the fact it does not allow monthly bank reconciliation because it automatically assumes all downloaded data is correct.
The fact that Mint.com is a read-only service is both a plus and a minus for the program. A read-only service offers greater Internet security since even if someone were able to access a user’s information, all they could do is see the accounts and not able to take any actions (such as transferring money out). Of course, the con of being a read-only service also limits what the user can do and, therefore, the capabilities and functionality of the service.
Like virtually all similar personal financial management programs, Mint is accessible through almost any Internet-connected device, including personal computers, tablets, and smartphones.
2. Personal Capital
Personal Capital represents an attractive and less expensive alternative to Quicken for individuals who prefer a cloud-based program—and one that (unlike Mint) offers extensive investment management tools. In fact, as of July 2021, it had $20.3 billion in assets under management (AUM).
The basic Personal Capital financial services package, which includes account tracking, budgeting, bill paying, and other basic services, is free. However, Personal Capital makes its money primarily from individuals, with a minimum of $100,000 in assets, who choose to upgrade to the personal wealth management services the company offers. Fees begin at 0.89% for the first $1 million of assets managed and range down to 0.49% (for accounts over $10 million) per year. Personal Capital’s fees are significantly lower than average for full wealth management services.
With the paid wealth management service, clients are assigned a personal financial advisor and receive all the usual services a client expects from a wealth management company, including tax and estate planning, tax-loss harvesting, advice on insurance, educational funds for children, and any other necessary services to provide full financial management for clients.
But even the free personal finance services offered are extensive and competitive with what is offered by Quicken. Included are services such as budgeting, a retirement planner, a 401(k) fee analyzer, and an investment allocation target checker. The budgeting component includes a cash flow tool that allows individuals to input income and spending, and then receive weekly, monthly, or annual analyses of their projected cash flows.
The retirement planner can be used to map out a retirement plan, and then to monitor how closely the user is adhering to the plan. This feature allows users to set spending and savings goals, track income events, and project the future value of their investment portfolios.nIts asset allocation component determines a user’s risk tolerance profile and then makes appropriate investment allocation recommendations. The comprehensive features and the flexibility of input variables offered in this module compare favorably to any comparable service, free or paid.8
Personal Capital has received good reviews on a number of levels, one being that it offers better account synchronization than most programs of this type. It also receives high marks for customer service, a rare plus for a free financial services software program. Personal Capital offers much more in-depth investment analysis and planning than Quicken. It also offers enhanced security through its use of two-factor authentication.
Personal Capital services are accessible by computer, tablet, or cellphone.
3. Banktivity (iBank)
Debuting in 2004, iBank was designed by IGG Software specifically for Apple’s operating systems—at first, macOS (for desk- and laptops), and later iOS (for iPhones and iPads).9 IGG re-christened it Banktivity in 2016.
Aiming to serve as a personal or small business financial management program, Banktivity offers a myriad of financial services, including bank, credit card, loan, and investment account management. Features not included in Quicken but that come standard with Banktivity include multicurrency functionality and variable loan amortization. Its platform for reviewing all of an individual’s financial accounts can be found on one central dashboard: checking, savings, money market, equity and fixed-income investments, retirement accounts, loan accounts, and brokerage accounts.
With its continually updated charts, Banktivity stands out for the detailed income, expense, and investment performance analysis it offers, tracking buys and sells of stock shares, dividends, and stock options.
The program also allows for easy production and printing of custom financial reports, and it even allows a user to print new checks when needed. Compete Risk-Free with $100,000 in Virtual Cash Put your trading skills to the test with our FREE Stock Simulator. Compete with thousands of Investopedia traders and trade your way to the top! Submit trades in a virtual environment before you start risking your own money. Practice trading strategies so that when you’re ready to enter the real market, you’ve had the practice you need.
How Does The Personal Finance Software Work?
The online Personal Finance Software works by storing your financial data on their servers. This gives you an advantage over storing data on desktop computers as it can be easily hacked.
Some advanced online solutions provide the highest level of security. They encrypt your data and show it in a non-readable format. A good tool provides firewall protection for filtering the network traffic and preventing malicious attacks.
Conclusion
A study has shown that the average American spends seventy-five hours of their week working, sleeping and doing other productive things. A quarter of that time is spent looking for information or dealing with finances. That’s half a week! Personal finance software is often cloud based. This means they use their own servers to store your data. This means you are relying on them to ensure your data is safe. Yes, a company with 300+ employees would likely be safer than one hosted by me in my apartment. But the fact remains — if their servers are destroyed, your data could be lost forever.
Most people aren’t Mac users. Or they let someone else handle their finances. These are just a few common misconceptions with the Mac platform, but anyone can use a Mac. And don’t think you have to pay for a personal finance program. There is a fantastic free program that will take care of all your money needs.