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FREE Microsoft Money Replacement – Mint.com

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Microsoft money replacement

Have you been using Microsoft Money, but are now looking for an replacement/alternative?

Join the club.

I searched for months to find financial tracking software that works for me and have used everything on this page at one time or another.

Mint.com a free replacement that works great

  • Mint.com is a FREE online alternative to Microsoft Money.  I have personally tested and used Mint.com and recommend it as the best free alternative.  Another free option would of course be to use a spreadsheet.

YNAB and other non-free alternatives

  • You Need A Budget (YNAB) – In my opinion, this is the best budgeting software on the market… and they offer a generous 60-day free trial.  Many PF Bloggers use YNAB to manage their finances.
  • Mvelopes – Applies financial software technology to the traditional envelope method of budgeting and is another popular choice among PF Bloggers.  They offer a 14-day free trial and their prices are as follows: Quarterly = $39.60 ($13.20/mth) – 1 Yr = $129.60 $10.80/mth) – 2 Yr = $189.60 ($7.90/mth)
  • Quicken – Touted as America’s #1 Personal Finance software, Quicken offers a variety of products ranging from $0 (online version) to $99 (business version).

Google personal finance templates

I am not opposed to paying for software, but I am also not afraid to examine free tools to see if they meet my needs.  There are a lot of useful templates Google Docs inventories, I tested many before deciding to create my own from a template.  I especially like the rating system, which allows me to see which templates have been more useful to more users without having to waste my time trying each one.

  • Manage Your Expenses – This section mostly gives you a choice between Family Budgets or Personal Budgets, but also has several spreadsheet templates for Wedding Budgets and even offers a Home Improvement Spreadsheet.
  • Pay Off Your Debt – This section is currently offering payment calculators.  Specifically there is a Credit Card Payoff Calculator, a Mortgage Payoff Calculator, and a Simple Loan Calculator.
  • Grow Your Savings – This section offers several tools to help you get you manage and grow your savings account including registers, ledgers, & calculators.

What do I use?

I am currently testing the trial of YNAB. I have also used Mint.com, which is free… but mostly I just use a simple budget spreadsheet I created and keep in Google Docs.

Comments

  1. ObliviousInvestor says

    Pretty neat idea, Matt.

    As an accountant by trade, I tend to find Google Spreadsheets to be decidedly inferior to Excel. That said, I bet you’re right that Google Docs should get the job done for simple budgeting purposes.

    And I’m sure you’re absolutely right about the fact that more templates will be created as time goes.

    • Matt Jabs says

      I’m sure Excel is more feature rich. I have limited exposure to Google docs, but have been using their spreadsheets to manage the PF Blogger Weight Loss challenge. I have found them quite sufficient for that task, they definitely do any calculations I would need.

      Are Excel spreadsheets what you use to calculate your budget?

  2. Melissa Bunton says

    Matt,

    I’m an Excel person because I love to have an app that allows me to play around with the numbers, but I was interested in whether or not you’d ever tried out Mint.com?

    I’ve heard a number of good things and think it might be worth your time to investigate . . . and it’s free!

    • Matt Jabs says

      I do have a Mint.com account, but I am a little weary of giving all my personal & banking info to a third party… otherwise I love what they have created there.

      Do you use a combination of Mint & Excel spreadsheets to calculate your budget?

  4. Affacturage says

    Mvelopes is a stronger budget manager than most other financial software titles, but it lacks all the features other financial software can offer. However, some other financial software is bloated with far more functionality than many find useful.

    • Matt Jabs says

      I believe a lot of people just want simplicity… especially now-a-days. That is why so many people enjoy a free, usable spreadsheet!

  5. Joe Morgan says

    I use Quicken… mostly because I’ve been using it for years, so I’ve got the history but also because the idea of putting my financial info out on the web still spooks me. Maybe it’s unfounded, but I work in the tech industry and see how many companies do not follow best practices with security and personal information…

    • Matt Jabs says

      Can’t argue with you there, but a lot of people are comfortable with it. I have used Mint.com quite extensively, but recently took down my profile because of what you mention… it’s a decision for each person to make on their own. I switched to YNAB a few weeks back and am pretty much convinced that I will be going with that from here forward. Bye spreadsheet, hello YNAB.

  6. CFCents says

    I started using Mint.com recently, so far so good. Having everything in one place is a nice feature.

    I also signed up adaptu.com and like you said the communities are still gaining momentum.