Is a Quicken Subscription Worth It

A Quicken purchase used to last 3 years before you had to upgrade. Now, it's a yearly subscription. Find out if Quicken is still worth the annual fee.

Quicken is the grandfather of personal finance software.

It used to be the only way to easily track investments and account balances. But times have changed. Today, there are similar tools to track your investments and spending that are completely free.

Is a Quicken subscription still worth it? Here are 5 things you should know to see if it's right for you.

It's a Comprehensive Financial Tool

Quicken is one of the most comprehensive financial tools out there. Here are just some of its features:

• Budgeting
  
• Investment tracking
  
• Retirement planning
  
• Custom reports for spending, investments, and income
  
• Bill payment
  
• Business and property tools

Quicken might be overkill if you just need a tool to track your spending. There are cheaper personal finance software that only focus on budgeting. But if you want a program that does it all, Quicken is a great choice.

Need a Cheaper Alternative?

Empower offers completely free tools for retirement planning, investments, savings, and more.

Get Free Tools

You Can Choose From 4 Price Tiers

Quicken has 4 different products ranging from $41.88 to $119.88 per year.^[1] The more you spend, the more features you unlock.

Here's what you get with each tier, from cheapest to most expensive:

Starter
This is the most basic product. It's a budgeting tool that tracks all your spending and imports bank transactions.

Deluxe
This includes everything in Starter. It also lets you set savings goals, customize your budget, and create a debt reduction plan.

Premier
This includes everything in Deluxe. It's best for those looking for robust investment tools. It features market comparisons and investment evaluation. You also get access to online bill pay and priority customer support.

Home & Business
This includes everything in Premier, plus tools to manage your business transactions and rental properties. You can create invoices and track tax deductions while keeping your business and personal finances separate.

The Starter plan is probably the least worth it of the bunch. The product is pretty barebones, and there are other budgeting tools that do the same thing for less.

Premier and Home & Business cost more. But they're great for serious investors, business owners, and property managers. You won't find these advanced features with all financial software.

You Need a Desktop to Use It

Quicken offers a companion mobile app and web access. You can track spending, monitor investments, and update your accounts. But the features are limited compared to the full program on desktop.

This can be pretty limiting, especially if you're frequently on the go. If you need better mobile support, you might want to look elsewhere. Some competitors sync across all devices and give you complete access no matter which platform you're on.

Why Choose Empower over Quicken

See Comparison

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You Don't Have to Link Your Bank Account

Security is always a concern with financial apps. Quicken gives you the option to connect your bank account, but you don't have to. You can enter your transactions manually to avoid linking to your bank.

This isn't as tedious as it sounds. If you download your bank transactions as a CSV file, you can quickly upload it to Quicken.

Quicken also uses security measures like 256-bit encryption and firewalls to keep your data safe.

The Interface Can Feel Outdated

Quicken has been around for decades, and it shows. The user interface looks a bit old-fashioned and can lag at times. And with all the features packed into the program, it can be overwhelming to navigate at first.

These might feel like nitpicky details. But it's something to consider for software you'll be using pretty often.

Quicken still performs fine for the most part. Plus, in terms of sheer quantity of tools, Quicken can't be beat—even if it does feel a little outdated.

Bottom Line

Users have way more options now than they did when Quicken came out in the 80s. So is a Quicken subscription still worth it in 2022?

Quicken offers a lot of features that competitors don't, such as:

• Business and personal finance tools in one program
  
• Advanced investment, budgeting, and tax tools
  
• Sophisticated custom reports

Not everyone needs all these tools. Some people just want a simple way to track expenses or to view all accounts in one place. If that sounds like you, consider an alternative to Quicken. (Some of them are free!)

But if you're an investor or business owner who wants an extra-detailed picture of your finances, Quicken can be a great choice.

Remember, Quicken has a 30-day money-back guarantee. If you don't like it, you can get a refund and try out a different program. There are lots of other options to help you reach your financial goals.

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