By Molly McLaughlin on April 6, 2010 in
Personal finance sites offer easy online and mobile access to your financial accounts (no download required), and in most cases their services are free. These websites offer similar features to the desktop-based products covered in our accounting software report, such as account aggregation, spending reports and budget creation. Our top picks this year are Mint.com, Buxfer.com and Wesabe.com, all of which offer free memberships and robust features. Our freshly-updated report on personal finance websites covers all you need to know about these products, as well as associated security concerns.
Mint.com continues to get better
You've probably heard of Mint.com, the online money management site that was acquired by Intuit (maker of Quicken) in 2009. Before the acquisition, Mint was well-liked by reviewers and had more subscribers than the competing Quicken Online. Intuit is in the process of phasing out Quicken Online, and moving its members over to Mint. At the same time, Mint will get new features, such as the ability to manually add transactions, something users have clamored for. As a bonus, Mint also boasts a great iPhone app.
Tracking group expenses? Try Buxfer.com
Like Mint, Buxfer.com can automatically aggregate accounts, or you can choose to upload data manually, which means you don't have to provide Buxfer with the login information for your financial accounts. What sets Buxfer apart is that you can track group expenses, great for roommates or travel partners. Buxfer creates IOUs, and group members can pay one another from the Buxfer website using Amazon Payments.
Social networking, online finance meet with Wesabe.com
Wesabe.com harnesses the power of community to help you stick to a budget and save money. Unlike Mint and Buxfer, Wesabe doesn't automatically categorize transactions; it lets users assign tags that function as categories -- they're used to budget and track expenditures. User tags generate money-saving tips from others in the social network. You can also provide your own tips to other users, and join groups of people with similar goals who support one another.
See our updated report on personal finance sites for more information on Mint, Buxfer, Wesabe and other services.