EmailBest Reviewed
Personal Finance Sites
- Best online finance website Mint *Est. $0
- Ad-free financial management site Quicken Online *Est. $0
- Free online budget software Buxfer *Est. $0
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Best online finance website
- Creates spending reports and graphs
- Sends alerts via email, text
- iPhone app
- Automatically aggregates and updates account data
- Offers money-saving suggestions
- Must provide login information for all accounts
- Transactions cannot be added manually
- Ad-supported
Most expert reviews pick Mint as the best online finance software, noting its robust functionality. Mint can track almost any type of account and create detailed spending reports and investment analyses. As of early 2009, it connects to over 7,500 U.S. financial institutions. Mint's Ways to Save feature, which suggests to users lower-cost vendors for services they are already using, is praised by most experts and users, though some point out that since Mint has a financial relationship with the vendors it recommends, its suggestions may be biased. Those who do not want advertising may be happier with Quicken Online, according to experts.
We found recent, credible comparative reviews of Mint at CNNMoney.com, Slate.com and CNET. Forbes columnist Sramana Mitra's blog also has an excellent review comparing Mint with other online finance software, as does Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine. About.com and PCMag.com offer single-product reviews of Mint.
Our Sources
1. CNNMoney.com
This comparative review rates four free personal finance websites: Mint, Yodlee MoneyCenter, Quicken Online and Wesabe. Mint gets four out of four stars and is the top pick, with its "inviting layout" and ability to track and provide detailed analyses of investment accounts.
Review: All Your Money At a Glance, Joe Light, Dec. 2, 2008
2. Slate.com
Currey tried out various finance software websites, including Mint and Quicken Online, as well as the desktop financial software packages Money Plus and Quicken Deluxe 2009. He narrowed the field to five finalists, and in this review he evaluates each based on four criteria: security, ease of use, features and value. Mint earns 34 out of 40 points, with high scores for ease of use and value.
Review: Show Me My Money: What's the Best Software for Keeping Track of Your Purchases?, Mason Currey, Oct. 7, 2008
3. CNET
This review compares financial websites Buxfer, Geezeo, Mint, Quicken Online and Wesabe. Mint gets higher marks than Buxfer, Geezeo or Wesabe, but Reisinger says that it "doesn't provide the kind of depth that you would expect from a full-featured money management tool." Moreover, Reisinger says he wouldn't feel comfortable handing over the user IDs and passwords for his accounts to Mint, which he considers a small company.
Review: Manage Your Money Online with These Services, Don Reisinger, Jan. 22, 2009
Guest reviewers Charles Bush and Kathy Hwang review Mint along with other finance websites and rate the sites based on how well they perform in four areas: financial forecasting, education, support groups and whether they have a scorecard feature that lets users know if they are meeting financial goals. Mint wins high marks for its aesthetics and ease of use.
Review: Redesign That: Online Personal Finance, Part Two, Charles W. Bush and Kathy Hwang, Feb. 7, 2009
5. Kiplinger Personal FinanceDetails/Subscribe
This excellent comparative review provides detailed looks at free finance software websites Mint, Wesabe and Geezeo. Mint is the favorite of reviewer Stacy Rapacon, who likes this site's ability to track all your accounts, offer personalized savings tips and generate charts and graphs to give users a big-picture view of their financial situation.
Review: The Six Best Budgeting Sites, Stacy Rapacon, March 2009
6. About.com
Elmblad finds Mint's security measures sufficient to ensure that users need not worry about providing login information for their financial accounts. She likes the fact that Mint provides money-saving suggestions and does not see these as ads; the user has to click a link to see the offers. She points out that as of October 2008, Mint had over 500,000 users, and praises its reports and automatic alerts. (Note: ConsumerSearch is owned by About.com, but the two don't share an editorial affiliation.)
Review: Mint.com Free Personal Finance Software Review, Shelley Elmblad
Mint gets an updated review and is once again named a PCMag.com Editor's Choice in 2009. Reviewer Kathy Yakal uses superlatives to describe it, calling it "the best online personal-finance software out there," and saying that "Mint.com's interface is one of the best I've ever seen: clean, crisp, colorful, and so simply designed that you can't get lost." She also praises Mint for how easy it is to set up, for its Ways to Save feature and for its investment tracking capabilities.
Review: Review of Mint, Kathy Yakal, April 28, 2009
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