Feb 16, 2018 - For helping the business owners and personal finance management, there are many finance software is available for Mac. The budgeting apps. Moneydance is a powerful yet easy to use personal finance app for Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and iPad. With online banking, online. Moneydance handles multiple currencies and virtually any financial task with ease. Macworld review.
Credit: Xero After much research and analysis of accounting software, we recommend as the best accounting software for Mac in 2018. Best value Xero, which works on both PCs and Macs, is our best pick for Mac. It offers the best value for your money, is packed with features and is extremely easy to use. The problem with many Mac accounting applications is that the programs are basically stripped-down versions of their Windows counterparts. Xero, however, is cloud-based, bringing all the functionality of its accounting software to Mac users, without compromising features or ease of use. Its mobile app caters to Mac users, as it can be used on the iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch. This accounting software is well suited for most business types, including non-profits.
Xero starts at $9 per month. There are no contracts, and users can change or cancel their plans anytime. Unlike many accounting software programs that base pricing on the number of features included with each plan, all of Xero's subscription plans are full-featured. Additionally, its mid- and upper-tier plans include payroll, which is often an expensive add-on.
There are three available plans to choose from: Starter, Standard and Premium. Starter: The Starter plan costs $9 per month and is limited to five invoices, five bills and 20 transaction reconciliations. Standard: The Standard plan costs $30 per month, has unlimited invoices, bills and reconciliations, and comes with payroll features for up to five employees. Premium: The Premium plan costs $70 per month and includes payroll services for up to 10 employees.
If you have more than 10 employees, this plan can be adjusted to accommodate them. This plan also supports multiple currencies, which may be useful if you have an international clientele. All of Xero's plans support an unlimited number of users. This may save you money if you want to add several employees to the system since many accounting software applications limit this number, requiring you to choose a more expensive tier if you want to add more staff than what the less-expensive plans allow. There are no long-term contracts when you use Xero.
You can change your plan to a cheaper or more expensive option to fit your business's needs without incurring any extra costs. Being able to cancel your plan at any time without penalty means that you won't be locked in to a service for years, using software that doesn't meet your needs or that you don't like, unless you pay hefty early termination fees. There are no setup fees or hidden costs.
You won't run into any surprise charges while using this accounting software. Ease of use To find out if Xero is as easy as advertised, we tried the software ourselves by signing up for a business account.
Registration was a breeze, and we were able to start using Xero right away. The user interface is intuitive and gives you getting-started tasks that help you explore the software and use its core features. Plus, many pages have videos or guides that you can click on, if you want a tutorial on how to use that feature. The dashboard uses simple drop-down menu navigation, so it's easy to add data, connect accounts, create reports and find the tasks and information you're looking for. It displays key information, using at-a-glance widgets that show you snapshots of bank balances, invoices owed, total cash in and out, outstanding bills, tasks and more. One unique thing about Xero's dashboard is that these widgets are movable, so you can organize the display to your liking. You can also click on them to quickly navigate to certain parts of the software.
![Investment software for mac Investment software for mac](http://machow2.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/best-personal-finance-software-for-mac-ibank-1024x652.png)
To try Xero yourself, check out the company's free. It doesn't require a credit card, so you can try the software risk-free. Time-saving features When we asked small business owners what the 'perfect' accounting software should do, the resounding answer was that it should save you time. Xero meets this requirement by automating processes, making accounting tasks as easy as possible to accomplish. In addition to standard accounting capabilities, here are some of the time-saving features Xero offers: Invoicing. You can send electronic invoices, and your customers can pay them online. If your business provides customers with quotes or estimates, you can convert them to invoices with just a few clicks.
You can also schedule the system to automatically send recurring invoices and reminders so you don't spend time chasing payments. Bank reconciliations. When you connect your bank accounts to the system, Xero automatically imports bank and credit card transactions. The software's smart reconciliation tool matches transactions and learns how to predict matches as you use this feature. You can also set it up to reconcile transactions in bulk based on rules, eliminating the need to individually categorize transactions. The software includes inventory-management tools and can track items in real time, showing you how many items you have in stock when you're creating an estimate, quote or invoice.
It can also help you identify your best-selling and most profitable items. Integrations are available if you have advanced inventory management needs. Purchase orders. You can create and email purchase orders right from the software, and then copy the data to generate bills for payment or invoices for customers. Mobile access.
Using Xero's app, you can create and send invoices, add receipts and attach billable expenses to customer invoices or submit expense reports, reconcile transactions, access your dashboard and see a real-time view of your cash flow. Xero's app is available for iOS and Android.
Xero also has an app for your employees that they can use to submit time sheets, request time off and view paystubs. Customer service Xero offers free, 24/7 customer support by email or live chat.
Outbound phone support is available, if, for example, you have an issue that can't be resolved by chat or email. Its support teams are located around the world, so there's always someone available to help you, no matter what time zone you're in.
The company prides itself on providing prompt responses and wait times are minimal. We called the company as a small business looking for accounting software and asked a long list of questions about Xero's capabilities. The representative we spoke with was helpful and knowledgeable. He answered our questions in great detail and asked several questions about our business so he could help us choose the right subscription plan.
If you're more of the DIY type, Xero offers self-help options on its website, including a searchable database of step-by-step guides, a FAQs section, video tutorials, training opportunities and a community forum. For example, if you're a QuickBooks user looking to switch to Xero, you can watch a video course that walks you through the process, showing you how to import your QuickBooks data into Xero so you don't have to manually enter data and recreate customer accounts. Other benefits In addition to its timesaving features, Xero has an impressive selection of tools that help you manage your finances and run your business. Xero takes the headache out of financial reports with a comprehensive range of reporting options, including a general ledger, aged receivables and payables, profit and loss and a balance sheet. You can customize reports and the software includes budgeting tools. Expense claims. Xero helps you to quickly record, manage, claim and reimburse expenses.
It also allows you to add expenses to invoices and attach receipt images, making it easy to rebill customers. Bill payments. The system allows you to schedule payments or set up batch payments, helping you avoid past-due bills. Manage contacts. Xero's profiles show you contact details and an activity history.
For example, you can see a customer's sales history, with an overview of how much they've spent with you, if any invoices are open and their average remittance time. You can connect to Gmail to add email correspondence to the activity stream, and you can add contacts to groups, helping you create targeted email marketing campaigns. You can track hours, pay employees, approve leave requests and more with Xero's self-managed payroll services. Additional payroll features include automatic tax calculations, filings and payments.
This service is available in most states, and the company notes on its website that it plans to expand its services to additional states. Xero offers an extensive collection of third-party integrations, connecting to more than 600 applications for small businesses, such as payment processors and POS systems, time trackers, CRM software, inventory management programs, payroll and HR, ecommerce platforms and other tools.
It has an API so you can have custom integrations created if you work with a developer. Limitations As mentioned above, the Starter plan is very limited, so even very small businesses will likely need to subscribe to the Standard plan, even if they don't require payroll capabilities. If you want to customize the look of an invoice beyond adding your logo and changing the font, the process is more complex than other programs that give you a choice of premade templates. Another drawback to Xero is that not all accountants use it. However, this is only an issue if you hire an outside accounting firm, as you may find your choices are more limited. To alleviate this issue, Xero provides a who use its software on its website.
The company also offers resources to help accountants export Xero data into QuickBooks, which is helpful if your accountant prefers to use that program.
Ten years ago, there were no solid money apps out there. If you wanted to track your money, you didn't have many options. I got my start tracking our budget and net worth with a spreadsheet. I would learn about Intuit's software but it felt silly to pay for software to help me save money. It wasn't until later that other options, like Mint, started to appear. A great personal finance app can help you save more money and give you an instant snapshot of your financial situation in seconds. A lot of the problems we face when dealing with money have to do with decisions and information.
We need to make a decision but we don't have enough information! To get it, we have to log into a lot of accounts, track a lot of data, and then analyze it before we make a decision.
That's a tremendous amount of time that can be saved if you use a good personal finance app. Today, you have free personal finance apps that are better than what you had to pay for years ago. Personal Capital, SigFig, Mint, YNAB, Mvelopes, the list is long and distinguished. Money apps have taken over and we all can benefit. That's why earlier this year I polled the readers of Wallet Hacks for their “must-have, can't live without” money apps and here's what they said. Table of Contents.
Best Money Management App – A financial dashboard is a place where you can see everything involving your money in one place. Your assets, your liabilities, your net worth – all your financial accounts visible on one convenient page. This is important because when that information is easily accessible, it's easily remembered and understood. We use it to pull in all of our data, though we ignore the credit card debt piece because we pay off our bills every month in full. What's easier – logging into one account or logging into a dozen? When it comes to a financial dashboard, the clear leader is Personal Capital. It has a rich suite of tools built around investments, with a nod towards expense tracking similar to Mint, so you can get a sense of where everything is at a moment's notice.
If you're interested in a consultation with a financial advisor, they have that built in as well and it's something that helps them stand out from other similar services. It's how Personal Capital makes the money that supports the free tool. This app is for you if: You want an instant snapshot of your finances, from your investments to your budget, in one place. Personal Capital is free. Best Budgeting App – If you want to change your budget, You Need a Budget (YNAB) is one of the most powerful tools you can use because it does more than track your expenses – it actually helps you build and stick to a budget. One of the biggest challenges in money management is in near-term planning.
What are you going to do next week and next month? Retirement can be decades away but you are spending money today and tomorrow. By getting the next month right, you go a long way towards getting your money situation under control. YNAB has a four rule methodology that has worked well for its users. Give Every Dollar A Job. Embrace Your True Expenses.
Roll With The Punches. Age Your Money Another reason why YNAB is powerful has to do with its educational tools and community. You will not find this with financial tools like Mint. There are no Whiteboard Wednesdays to help you understand your money a little better. This is what separates them from the pack in many ways.
This app is for you if: You want to transform your budget and get your spending in line with your financial goals. YNAB costs $6.99 a month after a 34 day trial. It's this methodology around the tool that really makes it powerful.
Budgeting Runner Up – For tracking a budget, Mint is one of the most popular budgeting tools out there and we wanted to list them because they are free to use. If you don't have sizable investments, Mint is a very powerful tool that is better for budgeting but less effective for investments. Personally, I felt like Mint was fantastic up to a point. Once you focus more on investing than budgeting, Personal Capital has far more tools to help you succeed. This app is for you if: You want to know where your money is going each month without having to log into multiple accounts.
Mint is free. Best Support Tool – is a service that will connect with your bank and credits card to pull daily transaction data into a sheet on Google Docs. No other service out there offers this. You can choose to start from half a dozen templates or roll your own, but Tiller will update it automatically from 100,000+ financial institutions. NOTE: When we surveyed of our readers, the number one “app” was Microsoft Excel.
Far and away the most popular application for anything – budgeting, financial dashboarding, net worth, whatever category you picked – it was Microsoft Excel. If you see a list of “best apps” and it doesn't list a spreadsheet like Microsoft Excel at #1 — they didn't actually survey. They made it up. П™‚ That being said – Microsoft Excel is all about finding a template and customizing something that fits your exact needs.
![Mac Mac](/uploads/1/2/5/5/125513002/560901444.jpg)
It can be a lot of work but that hands-on interaction means you know the data is pristine. You can rely on tools like to pull the transaction data too so you get the automation (it works with Google Docs). I use Microsoft Excel to, with pulling the data. The apps on this list are pre-built, faster to get into, and free. If you're starting from scratch, these apps will get you there faster but will not fit you like a glove. Excel is like a custom tailored suit, these are off the rack.
Tiller automates your custom spreadsheet so it fits you perfectly. Don't change the way you do things to match a tool, plug in Tiller and bring your spreadsheet into the 21st century. Tiller is a monthly subscription but it won't inundate you with advertisements or pitch you on their financial planning services as an upsell. (to be fair, other companies need to do that because they are free – the bills have to be paid!) You get the customization of a financial spreadsheet but the automation piece so you don't need to login to all of your accounts and update everything manually.
Removing that hurdle makes money management that much easier. They offer a free 30-day trial. This app is for you if: You love spreadsheets or have one you've tailored but need a tool to help you pull the data for you.
Tiller costs $4.92 per month after a 30-day trial. Best Investing App – Robinhood is a stock brokerage that offers commission free trades through their app or web interface. They're like any other brokerage, they use Apex Clearing Corporation, are a member of FINRA, and have SIPC insurance for up to $500,000 like any other brokerage. There is no account minimum, no maintenance fee, and you can even trade crypto if you're so inclined. They make money by offering a Robinhood Gold subscription service that gets you margin and after-hours trading. If you want to trade stocks, I find it difficult to argue against a Robinhood and their free trades. For a limited time, you can get a.
Best Microsaving App – One of the newest innovations in personal finance apps is the idea of a microsavings app – where you can automatically save small amounts of money and have it invested in the market. The idea is that these apps will figure out how much they can transfer into an investment account without you, or your budget, realizing. It's less active than traditional saving but more effective if you're the type of person who doesn't actively manage your budget on a daily basis. One of the best in class is Acorns, which doesn't rely on a black box “guessing” how much to save. When you make a purchase, the amount is rounded up and transferred. This predictability is often seen as a better process than some other apps, which “guess.” Guessing can be a little scary.
They also have a “Found Money” feature with some partners where if you make a purchase with a merchant, they may contribute a small bit to your Acorns account. Best Personal Finance Assistant – If robots can help you invest, perhaps they can help you do some of the more mundane jobs you don't want to? That's the idea behind, and a whole host of similar apps. Trim is free to use and they can help you renegotiate your bills like with your cable provider, including Comcast, Time Warner, and Charter. They connect to your accounts, analyzes your recurring subscriptions, and identifies areas where you could be saving money. Cable is just the start, they will look at other subscriptions too including your car insurance.
The best part is that they handle the negotiations for you. No more calling Comcast and navigating the phone menu for ages – they do it for you.
If you want to cancel, they'll do that for you too. Summary There are a lot of apps, many of them free but some of them paid, that will help you save time, save money, and save gray hairs. Take advantage of them! Jim Wang is a thirty-something father of three who has been featured in the New York Times, Baltimore Sun, Entrepreneur, and Marketplace Money. Jim has a B.S. In Computer Science and Economics from Carnegie Mellon University, an M.S. In Information Technology - Software Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University, as well as a Masters in Business Administration from Johns Hopkins University.
One of his favorite tools is, which enables him to manage his finances in just 15-minutes each month. If you sign up and link up an investment account with $1,000+ within 40 days, you get a $20 Amazon gift card. They also offer financial planning, such as a Retirement Planning Tool that can tell you if you're on track to retire when you want. He is also diversifying his investment portfolio by adding a little bit of real estate. But not rental homes, because he doesn't want a second job, it's diversified small investments in a mix of properties through. Worth a look and he's already made investments that have performed according to plan. I completely forgot about them – I remember them as a place to transfer money/pay friends.
Now it appears they pivoted or something – because it’s now a pf app? I did some digging and it appears the founders joined Facebook back in the late 2000s, which is eons ago, but they’re still listed as part of the team on Buxfer. To be 100% honest, not knowing what’s what makes it hard to trust the service will be around.
At least with Quicken you know there’s someone behind it (same with Personal Capital, Mint, et al.). Uncertainty is not good. We have used Mvelopes for 12 years and it has changed our whole financial landscape. Here’s what I can’t find in any other financial software that Mvelopes has — the ability to set aside money into easy to see virtual envelopes, always showing in a column at the left with their $ balance, that you can move incoming transactions into, AND the cool thing it does with credit card transactions. I can create and edit envelopes (some of mine are: groceries, electric, fuel, cell phones, Geico, mortgage, home repairs, etc.).
You can use basic ones they provide or create own (and you can edit them). I can use the envelopes for regular bill-paying and to “save up” for something that’s only an occasional expense or that I want to purchase at some point (one could be created and labeled “TV” for instance and funded regularly, little by little, till I have enough set aside in that envelope to purchase). Mvelopes automatically downloads transactions from my various institutions (like most financial softwares do), including credit cards, and I can move those transactions into my envelopes. I can also set up various funding plans and name them–paycheck 1, paycheck 2 or whatever (basically it’s the budget plan for each paycheck).
With one “fund” I send the allotted $ amounts that paycheck represents into the various envelopes they go in, and the new balance for each envelope shows next to it. When a spending transaction comes in (from wherever–bank, credit card, I’ve set them all to download to Mvelopes), I move it to the envelope it goes in and it deducts it automatically from the balance in that envelope and shows the new envelope balance next to it. Another thing it does automatically in this process is with credit card transactions and this is awesome. When I move a credit card transaction to one of my envelopes, it reflects the new balance there as I said, but it also puts the corresponding $ into a separate envelope for paying the credit card.
This might sound confusing, but it’s really not–the software does it for you. It helps make it easy to pay credit cards in full every month, and to know what we’ve actually spent from credit card use and where we are financially and with credit card use at at any given time– credit card transactions aren’t out of sight/out of mind (that used to get us in trouble sometimes, before envelopes). The impact of credit card use is taken into account by the software.
I look around from time to time at other financial software because Mvelopes can get slow at times and have glitches. They always fix my glitches fast via an online chat, but I wonder from time to time if someone has done the same thing bigger and better somehow and I like to research things. But I can’t find ANY that do these two things, plus all of the ability to customize (when I want it). Both the automatic envelope system and the credit card thing have been way too VALUABLE to give up, and have made an unbelievable difference for us. Mvelopes has actually helped me live out my budget, NOT just to develop a budget and list what it is. We’ve gotten completely out of debt and always have a good handle on our finances (that wasn’t the case before Mvelopes). I know two others that use it, and it did the same thing for them.
I’m guessing that financial software reviewers don’t understand or “get” these two features of Mvelopes, or a whole lot more would be said about it. I’m willing to live with some slowness and glitches that at least have quick chat fixes in order to keep these features. Maybe other financial software is slow at times or glitches at times, and Mvelopes has too many cool features to give it up, until other programs catch up and get these features in an easy to see and easy to use way. Excel is great until you grow your business.
I was fine until I got my second rental apartment, then it become more complicated – copying formulas and structure between sheets inevitable brings pain and suffering and errors. I prefer specialized apps over Excel any day and it is fine to have specialized app for particular need. I use Landlordy app for tracking my rental income and expenses, Mile IQ for tracking my travel, HoursTracker for tracking my hours. All of them are in so many ways better than any spreadsheet can be thanks for integration with smartphone capabilities like camera, email/messages integration, auto-location tracking etc.