Quicken

“Everything is well-organized

Pros

Everything feels well organized, with plenty of options, categories and charts that clearly show your budget, balances and other financial details. It is easy to find information due to the well structured interface.

Cons

The downside is the glitches. At times after an update, the system stops pulling data automatically and it can go unnoticed for a while. Bank and credit card updates may not come through for days, weeks or even months which means pending transactions get missed depending on when you catch it. When that happens, you end up having to enter everything manually.

“All my finances in one place

Pros

Being able to use Simplifi both on my phone and on the website has been a big plus. I also really appreciate that I can connect my bank accounts, credit cards and liability accounts so everything is pulled together automatically in one place for me.

Cons

My only real complaint is that accounts needing extra authentication or frequent password updates sometimes get disconnected from the app. It's not really the software's fault but it can still be a bit inconvenient.

“Interface feels logical

Pros

The interface felt very natural because it mirrors a checkbook register. The way transactions are categorized and the reporting tools are set up makes it simple to track down older expenses and wrap up IRS tax prep with just a click. I was especially happy when tags were introduced since they let me get very specific without having to create a bunch of extra subcategories. On top of that, when I had a highly technical question about a process, customer support got back to me quickly with a helpful answer.

Cons

I can understand why the company shifted to an annual subscription model and moved more toward an online platform. Even so, I felt more secure with the desktop-only version, where I could back up my data to external hard drives myself. That setup also seemed more cost-effective to me.