If you’ve recently made the switch to Mac, you might be disappointed to know that Microsoft Money is not available on macOS.
Microsoft Money used to be one of the most popular applications on the market to track investments.
Microsoft actually replaced Money in 2010 with a free version called Money Sunset Deluxe although there’s no Mac version of that either.
However, there are plenty of other options for Mac users to manage their finances, from free Cloud based apps to personal finance software designed specifically for Mac.
You May Also Like:
- Best Investment Trackers For Mac
- Best Personal Finance Software For Mac
- Best Stock Trading Software For Mac
- Best Invoicing Software For Mac
Here then is our list of the best Microsoft Money for Mac alternatives in order of ranking.
1. Empower (Free)
Empower is more than just a way to manage your money, it actually advises you on how to maximize your capital and investments.
Not only that but Empower is free to use unless you want a personal consultation about how to maximize your investments (which you don’t have to do).
It also connects to your bank, credit card, credit union and other financial institutions so that it can automatically download transactions.
Empower was previously known as Personal Capital which has long been the best personal finance app for Mac users but Empower acquired it in August 2020.
It wasn’t until February 2023 that Personal Capital was finally rebranded as Empower although nothing has changed in the product itself.
Empower is just as powerful as the original Personal Capital can also import Microsoft Money files from Windows if they’re in CSV format.
Empower is built around 3 simple pillars: Knowing Your Net Worth, Analyzing & Optimizing Investments and Planning For The Future.
This means it gives you a clear overview of your investments and makes recommendations about how you can optimize your finances.
The Investment Checkup Tool is one of the best things about Empower as it immediately identifies areas where you should diversify investments without increasing the risk.
Other useful features we really like about Empower include automatic bill reminders, stock value updates and 401K updates.
Although there’s no native Mac client, the web interface works extremely well and Empower looks like an application that’s built for macOS.
There is however an official Empower iOS app which looks great on both iPhone and iPads and gives you most of the same features as the desktop version.
If you’re looking for an alternative to MS Money on Mac that not only helps you manage finances but optimize them too, Empower is an excellent free replacement.
You can get started with Empower for free to see for yourself.
You can read our full review of Empower for a more in depth look.
Pricing: Free
2. Moneyspire
Moneyspire (formerly Fortera Fresh Finance) is an extremely well put together personal finance software that has a native Mac desktop client.
Moneyspire is focused more on managing your day-to-day finances in a straightforward no-nonsense way.
One of the big attractions of Moneyspire is that it doesn’t force you to store your financial data online or in the Cloud although you can if you want to enjoy syncing with iOS devices.
Unlike personal finance software such as Quicken for Mac, it also doesn’t tie you into any annual subscriptions to keep using it although again, you can choose that model if you want.
You can also import MS Money files in CSV format into Moneyspire very easily.
For a limited period too, Moneyspire 2023 is currently 25% off for $59.99 or $79.99 with invoicing included.
The interface of Moneyspire keeps things very simple by not overwhelming you with information – it’s basic but informative with all essential financial data at your fingertips.
Moneyspire can pay bills automatically with the Direct Connect service, generate reports, forecast balances and reconcile accounts.
What we like most about Moneyspire is that it feels like it puts the user first, giving you control over both the storage of your finances and the payment model you prefer. It also doesn’t complicate things unnecessarily with features you’ll probably never need.
Pricing: Starting from $59.99 (25% off)
You can check out our review of Moneyspire for more.
3. Banktivity
Banktivity (formerly iBank) is a popular personal finance application with a desktop app for macOS.
In fact Banktivity is designed exclusively for Apple devices and the only budgeting software for Mac which works across Mac, iPad, iPhone and even Apple Watch.
Banktivity can automatically download transactions from your Bank either via its own Direct Access service (although this costs extra) or by using Banktivity’s built-in browser.
Banktivity’s Direct Access service supports around 10,000 banks although the reliability of this service often depends on changes your bank makes to security regarding access by third-party apps and type of account.
401K accounts for example are known to be particularly fussy about connectivity with external apps.
Banktivity can track investments, credit cards, savings accounts, mortgages and pretty much most standard types of financial interest you have.
You can attach receipts to transactions, print checks and using the Direct Access service, pay bills automatically.
You can also generate some quite detailed reports based on your net worth to see exactly where your money is going.
There’s also an iOS app which allows you to track and manage your net worth on the move and syncs with Banktivity’s cloud sync server.
Banktivity costs $49.99 but bear in mind if a Direct Access subscription costs an extra $44.99 annually on top although there are also cheaper 90 day or 30 day subscriptions.
We recommend trying a 30 day subscription first to ensure that everything works smoothly with your bank.
You can try a free trial of Banktivity to see for yourself.
Pricing: Plans starting from $49.99/year
You can also check out our full review of Banktivity for a more in-depth look.
4. Quicken For Mac
For many years, Quicken for Mac had a rocky ride with Mac users when it was owned by Intuit but under new ownership, recent versions of Quicken on macOS have been considerable improvements.
Quicken is probably the most popular personal finance application out there for Windows users although the Mac version has always lagged behind.
Quicken 2018 finally made it comparable with the Windows version although there are various features it still lacks and it’s not exactly the same product.
One of the biggest recent improvements to Quicken For Mac has been the introduction of Bill Pay so that you can automatically manage and pay bills online.
Reporting has also been improved although it is still behind the Windows version of Quicken. The overall interface and speed has been improved to make it more similar to the Windows version too.
Most controversial of all however was the decision to make Quicken For Mac 2018 subscription only.
Quicken users on both Windows and Mac can no longer pay a onetime fee, you must pay an annual subscription to maintain online services such as Bill Pay.
If you don’t renew your subscription, you can still edit your accounts on your Mac desktop as long as you’re not using the Starter Edition in which case your accounts will be read-only.
Pricing: Plans starting from $2.99/month
If you’re interested in learning more, you should check out our review of Quicken for Mac.
5. M1 Finance
When it comes to intelligent investment tracking, M1 Finance is the most empowering app out there for growing your money fast.
Even better you can use M1 Finance for free to automatically invest your stocks and ETFs.
Some of the things that make M1 Finance the best alternative to Microsoft Money on a Mac are:
- No investment management fees, highly customizable portfolios and rock solid security
- It makes investing understandable for anyone and optimizes your investing for the long term so that you can retire earlier.
- M1 Finance spreads your portfolios into themed pies based around specific industries and works on the principle of fractional shares and intelligent automation to invest your funds.
- M1 is also unusual in that it allows you to borrow from a margin account based on your portfolio with some very attractive borrowing rates compared to major lenders. In fact you can borrow up to $10,000 from M1 with no extra paperwork or admin required based on your investment pies.
We also like the fact that you can setup direct deposits and even spend with an M1 debit card so you don’t have to transfer everything to your checking account if you don’t want to.
If you’ve been using Robinhood to manage your investments up until now, you’ll find M1 Finance a breath of fresh air with many former Robinhood users happy they switched.
These are the best equivalents to Microsoft Money on Mac we’ve found. If you have any questions, comments or experiences you want to share with any of the software featured here, let us know below.
One correction to Quicken is that though it is officially subscription based, it offers the ability to opt out of automatic renewal. The subscription is simply to enable online functionality, including downloading data into Quicken from most sources. This means that when the subscription expires, you can only use Quicken in manual mode. So it will work like the old stand-alone version of previous versions.
The only exception to this is the Starter edition, whereby your data will be rendered read-only when the subscription expires.
And note that in concept, Quicken has been ‘subscription’ based since 2015 for the Mac version (and at least since 2007 for the Windows version). The main difference is that now it is officially marketed as such with automatic renewal as the default and the period has been reduced from up to 3 1/2 yrs in older versions to 12 to 27 months, depending on where you purchase it.
Also, with the subscription-based model, Quicken has moved toward continual updates (approx every 1-2 months at the moment) versus the old once a year large upgrades.
Thanks for the clarifications on the technicalities of Quicken subscriptions – that point has now been revised.