Best Reviewed
Accounting Software
- Best personal accounting software Quicken Deluxe 2010 *Est. $40
- Alternative personal accounting software Moneydance 2010 *Est. $40
- Budgeting and debt-management software You Need A Budget 3 *Est. $60
- Free personal accounting software GnuCash *Est. $0
Get info about new reports and updates
- Free phone and chat support
- Desktop alerts and overviews
- Bill reminder
- No Mac version
- Complaints of bugs
- Displays ads within the software
- Downloads transactions only for two years
February 2009. Most reviews say Money 2008 (now called Money Plus) falls just short of Quicken -- but not by a landslide. Money Plus provides free phone support plus the nifty Insight tool for viewing alerts and snapshots of your finances on your desktop. You can also link transactions to images of receipts and checks stored elsewhere on your computer. However, reviews say most users won't find the upgrade from Money 2007 worthwhile. One drawback to Money Plus is its heavy dependence on the Internet for accessing help files, for example. You can download transactions from financial institutions online -- but not from PayPal or the iPhone -- and after two years, this and other online features stop working until you upgrade to a new version. If you're shopping for personal accounting software for the first time, reviews recommend Quicken 2009 Deluxe (*est. $50) instead.
A detailed review at About.com provides feature-by-feature comparisons of Money Plus and Quicken 2009. A roundup at Slate compares Quicken 2009, Money Plus and a couple of financial accounting websites. And more than 70 owners rate Money Plus Deluxe at Amazon.com. The single-product review of Money Plus at About.com is useful in considering upgrading from an earlier version. We found other professional reviews at CNet.com and PC World magazine.
Our Sources
1. About.com
This head-to-head comparison of Quicken 2009 and Money Plus includes a detailed breakdown of features that's very helpful. Overall, Quicken comes out ahead. (Note: ConsumerSearch is owned by About.com, but the two don't share an editorial affiliation.)
Review: Quicken vs. Microsoft Money, Shelley Elmblad
2. CNET
CNet.com reviews the Plus Premium version of Microsoft Money Plus, but it assigns all the versions the same rating of 6.7 on a 10-point scale -- lower than the "very good" rating for Quicken. Wenzel concludes that Money 2008 provides excellent reports and has some nice features, but that some aspects are awkward and ad-ridden.
Review: Microsoft Money Plus Deluxe 2008, Elsa Wenzel, Nov. 19, 2007
3. Slate.com
Currey gives Money Plus Deluxe a total score of 23 out of 40, while Quicken Deluxe 2009 gets a 22. Currey says he found Money Plus Deluxe easier to set up and use than Quicken Deluxe. He gives Quicken a higher score for security, however, because Money Plus requires the use of a Windows Live ID to access the service. Because this login is used for a variety of Microsoft-run services, it may be more vulnerable.
Review: Show Me My Money: What's the Best Software for Keeping Track of Your Personal Finances?, Mason Currey, Oct. 7, 2008
This review compares the small-business versions of Money Plus and Quicken 2008, but many of the comments can also apply to other versions. As the article title states, Quicken comes out ahead.
Review: First Look: Business Tools Help Quicken Edge Out Money Plus, Yardena Arar, Sept. 21, 2007
5. Amazon.com
More than 70 owners review Money Plus Deluxe here, giving it a rather dismal average rating of only 2.5 on a five-point scale. Many owners complain about bugs, having to view ads and the software's sluggishness; others don't like having to upgrade every two years or lose online support. Many do like the software itself, however.
Review: Money Plus Deluxe, Contributors to Amazon.com
6. About.com
This detailed single-product review compares several versions of Money Plus 2008, with plenty of attention to the investment features. The review is especially useful if you're not sure which version to choose for an upgrade. (Note: ConsumerSearch is owned by About.com, but the two don't share an editorial affiliation.)
Review: Microsoft Money Plus Review, Shelley Elmblad
7. Money.com
This review tests only the 2007 versions of Quicken and Money and focuses on basic accounting rather than tracking investments. Although both Quicken and Money are good products, reviewer Futrelle points out that both are "so big that they can run slowly and be difficult to navigate."
Review: The Best Personal-Finance Software, David Futrelle, Aug. 30, 2007
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