The world is now advanced and so there is no need to strain with paperwork. Instead of buying a book to draw on, you can simply download a budget template for Mac where you find everything already done for you; all you need to do is fill in details. Download a budget tracker template for free today and enjoy time and cost flexibility.
CountAbout is a personal financial and budgeting software solution. It is notable as it can import data from Quicken, or Mint, and is one of the few solutions that can do this.
Budgeting is a discipline that’s not often met with excitement. Many assume that budgeting is something reserved for companies or, say, freelance workers. However, personal budget software is just as important as corporate one — it’s a fundamental understanding of where money is coming and going.
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You may consider it to be boring, tiring, time-consuming, or difficult, but managing your finances well can help you achieve goals and stave off the stress of a rainy day. Thankfully, there are tools and apps on Mac which can help you get on top of budgeting, no matter how experienced you are.
Why Should I Use Budget Tracking Software?
If you haven’t done a budget before, you should start now. You never know when you might need a particular sum of money to solve an issue, meet a goal, or take advantage of a sudden opportunity.
Budget programs help you reduce the stress and uncertainty that comes with not knowing where you stand financially. If you don’t have a home budget software, you might be tracking towards a situation where you run out of money, without even knowing it. If you do have a budget, then you’ll have a documented plan of action to improve your situation.
Importantly, you don’t need any qualifications to do a budget, nor do you need to be good with numbers. Take advantage of the best budget software for Mac to help you take control of your finances without the hassle. Budgeting tools come in many shapes and sizes, so selecting the right one for you depends on personal preference and previous experience with managing money.
Handy tips for budgeting tools
If you’re ready to start your budget, it’s best to consider a strategic approach to ensure maximum utility. Too often, budgets sit collecting dust after being created, and sometimes the act of creating a budget could feel like enough to satisfy financial concerns — it’s not. Here are some tips for making the most out of your budget.
First of all, definitely use an app to help you manage a budget. App developers invest a lot of time and money into figuring out how their software can make your life easier and better, so rather than trying to understand all the nuances for yourself, let a dedicated app do it for you. There’s even some free budget software around, so you have very few excuses not to try!
If you run a business (or freelance on a side), a little bit of work each week means end of year taxes are a breeze. It’s not about doing a marathon of work in a few days, but making a habit to consistently do a little bit here and there. Try aiming for 10 minutes every few days. The best tax preparation software will also have reminders and notifications to help you achieve this goal.
It might sound contradictory, but budgeting isn’t always about getting the numbers 100% accurate. When it comes to tax preparation software — sure. But budgeting is mostly about understanding where your money is being spent and then using that information to make more informed decisions going forward. Therefore, make sure you categorize your transactions so that it’s easier to spot those minutiae differences and trends. The best finance apps should do this for you automatically.
In summary, you want to ensure you take advantage of the online budgeting tools available to you, aim to update your records frequently, and focus on categorization over accuracy.
Features of good personal budget software
The best personal budget software for Mac is easier to pin down when you know exactly what you’re looking for. Not all apps are the same — they vary by function and pricing. Generally speaking, there are a few key features you want to see in your budget software for Mac:
It should be simple and easy to add new records or transactions
Importing bank and credit card statements should be possible
Automatically synchronizing statements will take the edge off your manual inputting
Useful dashboards or visuals will help you understand your situation at a glance
You should be able to categorize your transactions into groups
Out of those five key points, the ability to import is often the most essential. Importing saves you the hassle of adding each transaction into the money management software line-by-line, which adds up to a lot of time. It’s hard enough already to schedule frequent updates to your budget, so if you can remove the largest friction point of manual entry, then you’re in a good place.
The best budget software for Mac comparison
When it comes to programs to help budget money, there are countless options. It’s easy to get lost diving deep into each budget software review, but here are some of the best available, ranging from beautifully basic to powerfully advanced.
You’ve probably heard of Quicken, given that the name has been around since the early 80s. Even then, it was known as one of the best tax software companies around. That says something about the strong product, which carries all of the basic functions you’ll need to manage your budget well.
Best Budget Software For Mac 2014 Torrent
Right away though, you might notice that the interface has become somewhat dated in comparison to the newer contenders out there. But one of Quicken’s praised features is the ability to download bank statements and have the records automatically categorized, which can drastically reduce the time it takes to input your information, so you can spend more time making sense of it. Sadly, the Mac version is somewhat limited when it comes to advanced features, unless you splash out for the Home and Business edition.
MoneyDance is very similar to Quicken in terms of its basic features, including the ability to create a budget with notifications for bills and invoices. It also allows you to make your own charts and graphs to monitor spending habits over time, which can be seen on the homepage for a quick glance of your activity. Out-of-the-box integrations with online banking services also make it easy to send payments.
Unlike Quicken, Moneydance has some more advanced features including an investment monitor, which tracks your investments and their fluctuations — a useful addition, although best for the intermediate to advanced user. The app also has a developer API system in place to allow extended functions, mostly good for power users. Importantly, security is not an issue, as Moneydance utilizes end-to-end encryption for your data to give you that extra peace of mind.
You Need A Budget, also known as YNAB, is budget tracking software that runs on both Windows and Mac via web — saving automatically to the cloud, which is a bonus for multi-platform users. It also features native apps for iOS and Android, so you can literally tackle your budget from anywhere.
The app itself follows a simple design language, which is perfect for beginners, but if you find yourself needing help you can sign up for a personal instructor. YNAB doesn’t let you slack at all, and if you start to stray from your budget, the app will raise a red flag through it’s built-in Accountability Partner.
Although YNAB doesn’t support the ability to download and automatically categorize records from bank statements, it could be argued that entering them manually helps the user pay more attention to where their spending is going. Still, it’s a more time-consuming process that might be problematic for users processing hundreds or more records each month.
MoneyWiz stays true to its name — a comprehensive budget software and investment tracker that’s packed full with over 400 useful features. View your financial situation quickly by browsing accounts, groups, or searching for individual records. Speaking of records, you can enter them manually or have them automatically sync with leading banks, cryptocurrency exchanges, and financial services for an accurate real-time understanding of your accounts.
With all of this data in hand, MoneyWiz can prepare and export over 50 reports to help you gain deeper insights into your finances. Your data could be accessed from its cloud-based app or straight from the native software for Mac. All in all, MoneyWiz is extremely powerful: accessible for beginners and interesting for the most advanced users.
Receipts is yet another money management software for Mac, and is specifically well-known for its clever handling of invoicing. Using Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology, Receipts automatically reads and translates important information about your bills, such as amount, date, currency, and more (even if the text is in another language).
Besides, Receipts can issue payments for invoices directly using third-party providers, such as iFinance and BankX. The OCR technology alone makes it a strong contender against other more simple online budgeting tools. Not least, Mac users will be glad to see how this application was designed to look and feel like a macOS product. Using a familiar user interface could make life a little easier after all.
Between the five options above, you have a strong starting point for your budgeting tools depending on your experience. Remember that importing is one of the key features to look for in budget programs. Still, in order to find the best fit you might need to try a couple of different options.
Best Mac Software Free
Thankfully, both MoneyWiz and Receipts have a free 7-day trial that you can take advantage of by heading over to Setapp, an app subscription service for Mac that gives you access to over 150 macOS apps, including all the necessary budget tools. Getting MoneyWiz and Receipts at once? You won’t be disappointed.
Accounting is terribly important when it comes to your monthly budgets. Whether they are personal expenditures or business related, you have to keep track of all the money that you spend at all times. This is even more important to note when you have a Mac since you probably have enough money to store or invest since professionals tend to lean more towards these powerful devices. Probably the only problem that you may experience though is that sometimes you can’t find the right piece of software for your financial problem. There is no reason to fret though, as there is tons of budgeting software for Mac that you can use to help you out with your issues.
10. iCash SE
iCash SE is an app openly available for purchase by Mac users at the low price of $30. It features a couple of standard aspects in accounting, like simple budgets and tracking where your money is. However, it is also expansive enough for small businesses as it can also track payrolls and income streams. You can also set certain targets with the help of this program and will surely aid you in allocating all your funds.
9. Squirrel
If you’re not too keen on a program that can be used by small business because all you want is concise tracking of your personal finances, then Squirrel is the choice for you. It’s fairly straightforward in that it has budgeting tables but it also mixes it up by adding on a schedule for transactions that you need done in a short span of time. Couple that with progress reports to set your goals in saving, and you get a pretty powerful personal finance app.
8. CheckBook
This program has a very descriptive title as it tells you which part of your finances it covers really well. CheckBook concentrates solely on your spending from your debit card and how many deposits you may have made to the bank. It helps you ‘balance the checkbook’ as one would say, and it does so with enough features that you feel totally in control.
7. Simplibudget
The reason why Simplibudget doesn’t take a higher slot in this list is because of its purpose. The program is barebones simple, which is also why it deserves a look from you. You are allowed enough control so that you can make concise decisions about your spending without the hassle of controlling all of the parts of your portfolio.
6. iCompta
This program is well balanced, and that should speak volumes about it. Instead of concentrating on one aspect, it takes all of them and creates a reasonable program which is simple enough to use, but has enough depth to keep your finances, savings, and investments well in check. At the same time, it carries a decent price tag. Couple that with a free app on both the iPad and the iPhone, and you get a program that is very diverse and can jump over to your other devices easily.
5. Moneywhiz
Moneywhiz is the first on this list to feature a very in depth look at your finances. It reaches back through your financial history and records each part of it so that you have hindsight at what you did right, and what you did very wrong when dealing with your money. Boasting a full plethora of features, there is no doubt that this program is great. The only downfall is that it carries a pretty substantial price tag and is only located on the iPad and iPhone.
4. Cashculator
While cashculator is a fairly simple app, there is a reason why it is here on the upper half of the list. This program takes a different approach to your finances and doesn’t necessarily fall into the norms within this list. You see, the program only asks two things of you to work; your income and your expenses. This helps it calculate the best route you should take when spending money, and insists you make smarter decisions with your cash.
3. MoneyDance
This program is not for those with little experience in accounting. However, it is suitable for those who have a lot of money stored away in different locations. Boasting connections to hundreds of financial institutions, you can rest assured that if your money moves anywhere, you’ll be alerted by this app. At the same time, it also details a number of online services under monitoring and ensures that all your transactions are posted in your interactive progress reports. The heavy detail in this program is what makes it a top contender for your money, and it only falls slightly low because the program costs $50.
2. iBank
This program takes a top slot when it comes to personal finance tracking. What other programs on this list usually lack, this program makes up for and even excels at. It has detailed information on almost anything you’ve ever done with your money as it tracks your old finance reports, transactions, and the money you may have saved. It’s also got an extensive tracker for your money, covering both investments and savings and integrating them into one neat little package with a very intuitive User Interface that is guaranteed to keep you on track with all the money you may have spent.
1. Money
There are many reasons why Money takes the top slot as the best budgeting software for Mac software you can purchase for your personal finances. It could be that it tracks and actively updates your portfolio, or maybe it can keep tabs on almost all your accounts. Both are very valid reasons why you should buy and use this app immediately, however, the real reason is very evident. It is because the app itself manages to control all these modules with one very well unified User Interface and additionally, because it does so quickly and efficiently. It takes the top spot simply for being great at what all the programs on the list do.