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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Ad-free financial management site
- Automatically aggregates and updates data
- Lets users add transactions manually
- Sends alerts via email, text; mobile access
- Must submit login info for accounts
- Does not suggest ways to lower spending
- For investment accounts shows only account balances
- Connects to fewer financial institutions than some
Since Quicken Online eliminated a $3 monthly fee in October 2008, many reviewers see little difference between it and Mint, although more still pick Mint as their first choice. Reviewers and users that prefer Quicken Online to Mint like that it does not use a third-party vendor (Mint uses Yodlee) to transmit account information from user accounts to its website. Quicken Online also allows users to enter and categorize transactions manually, even from a mobile device. The company has strong customer support and a forecasting feature that many reviewers praise. Those who want to track and analyze investment accounts and receive suggestions on how to spend less may prefer Mint. Quicken Online is free of ads.
We found credible comparative reviews of Quicken Online at CNET, Slate.com and CNNMoney.com. Forbes columnist Sramana Mitra's blog also has an excellent review comparing Quicken Online with other online finance software, and a review in PC World magazine analyzes and compares Mint, Quicken Online and Finicity/Mvelopes. PCMag.com has a single-product review of Quicken Online.
Our Sources
1. CNET
This is the best review we found: it evaluates and compares financial management sites Buxfer, Geezeo, Mint, Quicken Online and Wesabe. Quicken Online is "the most capable finance tracking software I used," according to Reisinger. Quicken Online's main strength is its ability to forecast spending based on information in the user's account, according to this review.
Review: Manage Your Money Online with These Services, Don Reisinger, Jan. 22, 2009
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 narrows the field to five finalists, and in this review he evaluates each based on four criteria: security, ease of use, features and value. Mint and Quicken Online get the highest scores among the five finalists. Moreover, Currey says that he would have given Quicken Online an even higher score if it were free (which it now is), since "in every other respect, this was my favorite by a wide margin."
Review: Show Me My Money: What's the Best Software for Keeping Track of Your Personal Finances?, Mason Currey, Oct. 7, 2008
3. CNNMoney.com
This comparative review rates four free personal finance websites: Mint, Yodlee MoneyCenter, Quicken Online and Wesabe. Mint earns four out of four stars and is the top pick. Quicken Online gets three stars, and is singled out for its strong customer support, but the reviewer points out that it provides only rudimentary investment account tracking, and no analysis of investment accounts.
Review: All Your Money At a Glance, Joe Light, Dec. 2, 2008
Consultants Charles Bush and Kathy Hwang review Quicken Online along with other finance websites and rate the sites based on how well they perform in four areas: forecasting, education, support groups and progress tracking. They praise Quicken Online for its ability to forecast the user's financial situation in coming months, based on past income and spending trends.
Review: Redesign That: Online Personal Finance, Part Three, Charles W. Bush and Kathy Hwang, Feb. 7, 2009
This useful review analyzes and compares Mint, Quicken Online and Finicity/Mvelopes. Based on her evaluation of each, Arar awards Mint a score of 87 out of 100, Quicken Online an 85 and Finicity/Mvelopes an 84 -- all in the Very Good category. Arar notes that Quicken Online, unlike Mint, allows users to enter transactions manually.
Review: Online Finance Services Show Where Your Money Goes, Yardena Arar, Jan. 28, 2008
6. About.com
About.com's guide to financial software Shelley Elmblad describes Quicken Online's features and how to set up your accounts on the website. She concludes that Quicken Online "is a free, secure, low cost money management solution with a feature set that is just right for the younger target market Quicken Online aims to serve." (Note: ConsumerSearch is owned by About.com, but the two do not share an editorial affiliation.)
Review: What You Can Do with Quicken Online, Shelley Elmblad, Undated
This review of Quicken Online gives it 3.5 out of five stars. Reviewer Kathy Yakal concludes that "Quicken Online, though good, hasn't advanced to the degree that Mint.com and Yodlee (MoneyCenter) have." She notes that Quicken Online, though it "shares Mint.com's attractiveness and ease of use," can't track investments as thoroughly as Mint does, and can't track vehicles and other assets that Mint and Yodlee MoneyCenter track. It also lacks the ability to suggest ways the user can spend less. Finally, "Its interface is far superior to Yodlee (MoneyCenter)'s, but it can't compete in terms of comprehensiveness."
Review: Review of Quicken Online, Kathy Yakal, April 3, 2009
Personal Finance Sites Runners Up:
4 picks by top review sites.
3 picks including: About.com, The Wall Street Journal…
2 picks by top review sites.