The sorry state of Quicken For Mac

Posted:
in Mac Software edited January 2014
I am curious to know how many people using Quicken 2003 For Mac OS X are satisfied with it. I was a Quicken 99 user on Windows. Since I switched to Mac however, I have exploring using Quicken 2003 instead but it seems so incredibly lacking compared to Quicken For Windows, I am kinda put off by the prospect.

Quicken 2003 for Mac seems like an afterthought in so many aspects:

- window management is left completely up to the user and is an utter disaster. Here is one situation where the one-window paradigm is a true blessing. Quicken for Windows always shows a single window but lets you very easily switch between its different components through custom tabs. Also because Quicken for Mac uses standard windows, you constantly have to resize them to stay organized, and if you close them.. well though luck, you lose your resizing.

- UI: Quicken for Windows has a very nice task-oriented usage paradigm, a la Windows XP. In the case of a personal finance software package, it is exactly what I need. I have simple questions and I just want answers to them. I don't want to have to hunt things down through a multitude of buttons and dialogs, like I have to do in Quicken for Mac.

- summary pages: Quicken for Windows has very nice overview pages which are available by default, with just the right information. One for Banking, one for Planning, and one overall Home Page. It lets me stay on top of my finances. Quicken for Mac OTOH provides only the much weaker, much less integrated - and lonely - Quicken Insights page.

- help: can Mac Help be any more terrible? I sincerely hope Apple completely overhauls the help system of Mac OS X damn soon because it's the WORST PIECE OF CRAP I'VE EVER SEEN!!! Ah... feeling better now.



So in conclusion I am considering just going back to Quicken for Windows. I would like to go out and buy the latest version of Quicken for Mac OS X. Unfortunately its sorry state makes me consider buying Quicken 2003 for Windows instead, since I still have my PC for things like this which I can't do (or do well) on the Mac. I wish I could move full time to Mac OS X though... Intuit, did you hear that?

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 10
    telomartelomar Posts: 1,804member
    Write to the developers. Maybe they'll listen or maybe they won't. I would leave the part about having a PC still out though.
  • Reply 2 of 10
    cygsidcygsid Posts: 210member
    For those people who agree with my assessment, are there any good alternatives for Mac OS X in the field of personal finance? How do Mac users manage their money? Does everybody just put up with Quicken's shortcomings because of lack of competition (no MS Money alas)?
  • Reply 3 of 10
    nevynnevyn Posts: 360member
    I use MYOB AccountEdge. It is $250, but has all the features a small business + family finances might want. There's a cheaper version, I'm not sure of that one's features.
  • Reply 4 of 10
    cygsidcygsid Posts: 210member
    no Quicken user out there wants to chime in?

    Or is the topic just so supremely boring?
  • Reply 5 of 10
    i use quicken everyday (or at least most days)...but i just use it to keep my checking account, so i don't ask much of it...seems fine to me, but once again, i don't ask it to do anything other than keep my checking account accurately (which it does nicely...have never been off yet...wheeeeee) and once in a while i will do a loan projection or something to play around and see if i should refinance the house or get a new car or buy a new iMac.....seems like a simple and easy program to me.....g
  • Reply 6 of 10
    baumanbauman Posts: 1,248member
    I use quicken, but not even close to 5% of what that program could do. I just use it to keep track of my bank accounts, and as long as I don't play with any of the other sections, I'm fine with the UI, although it is slightly cumbersome.



    It does what I need, and was free with my iMac. What else could I ask for?



    Matt
  • Reply 7 of 10
    I think Quicken is bootylicious. And AAMOF, I am thankful that Quicken continues to develop on the Mac.



    Plus Quicken syncs with my bank. (sweet)
  • Reply 8 of 10
    I switched to Macs in November, however I still have Mircsoft Money on my windows pc and cannot find anything on the mac that I like. Personaly I think quicken on the mac sucks. I am starting to think that I should just start my own program to handle my money. Anybody know of a program out there that works like MS Money.
  • Reply 9 of 10
    I have been using Quicken on the Mac for almost eight years years now. I keep all of my finances in Quicken, including multiple banks accounts, investment accounts, and credit cards.



    Is it perfect, no. But it serves my needs very well indeed. I have not used any Windows financial programs, but after reading your post, I have to say that the problem might be that you are simply working a certain way. As far as the workflow goes, I don't want things to be like XP. I also have no problem, creating the reports you mention.



    There are certainly some advantages to being in the windows world, many investment firms do not support Quicken for Mac, although some do. These issues do not seem to me to be bugs, but rather preferences. Give it some time, you might get used to it.
  • Reply 10 of 10
    airslufairsluf Posts: 1,861member
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