*****Quicken 2015 for Mac imports from Quicken 2010 or more moderen, Quicken 2007 and Quicken Necessities for Mac. Machine Requirements. Extra Small Print. Writer: Intuit. Category: Mac Tool. Binding: Software Obtain. Language: English. With Quicken 2015, Intuit yet again disses Mac users Friday, August 22, 2014 3:01 pm 63 Comments “It is well known that the Mac version of Quicken has long trailed behind the Windows version.
As a longtime user of Quicken I was intrigued when the folks at Intuit's Quicken group called to pre-brief me on an new product announcement. I was hoping for a SaaS version of Quicken.
What I got was an improved version of. That's a small step in the right direction. Marcus Aiu, Senior Product Manager of Quicken, calls'an upgrade for Quicken Essentials users' that represents the next step in its goal to 'get the Mac product up to the point where can migrate Quicken Mac 2007 users over to a more modern platform.' That's music to my ears, as Quicken on the Mac has long been a poor cousin to its Windows counterpart - so much so that five years after moving to a Mac I still have a Windows laptop lying around for the sole purpose of running Quicken for Windows. Further reading: Quicken 2015 for Mac, $74.99 and available only via download until October, sports a new user interface that's similar to Mint, Intuit's free cloud-based financial management tool. For example, the new Quicken dashboard displays accounts on the left side of your screen and a report summary screen on the right. A few other changes of note include:.
A drop-down on transaction line that can be edited on the fly. The ability to track investments. A transactions and portfolio view similar to that of Mint. The ability to break out and print taxable transactions, such as capital gains, for the year.
Compatibility with the Quicken Companion Mobile App, including the ability to view charts and to use it to take a photo of a receipt and attach it to a Quicken transaction. So what does the Windows version have that Quicken 2015 for Mac doesn't?. The ability to see a calendar view of transactions and bills and your net worth over time. More sophisticated reporting capabilities. The ability to provide investment performance information and projections. Support for Quicken Bill Pay 'In six months we’ll have more capabilities,' Aiu promises. Like some other users I have a love-hate relationship with Quicken.
I have many different accounts, and something is always getting bolluxed up with the various downloads. I have one bank account where, if I don't turn off Quicken's renaming rules, it incorrectly relabels every transaction. I've been unable to resove this with Quicken or the bank and have given up. Another issue: Requests for responses to challenge questions commonly stall downloads. And more recently One Step Update stopped downloading transactions for five bank accounts associated with my primary financial institution. I've been manually downloading activity updates and importing them for months. Then, suddenly this month, it started working again.
I want all of these problems off of my plate. By moving to a SaaS version of Quicken, more of these back-end plumbing problems and glitches will become Quicken's problem. Instead of spending my time going back and forth between Quicken tech support and that of my financial institution I want you, Quicken, to talk to them directly and work things out. As the consumer I don't want to be in the middle anymore. And I'm not any more worried about the privacy of my data in a Quicken cloud than I am with online banking with Fidelity. Quicken is considered a financial institution, and as such is obligated to follow the same regulations as any bank. I've toyed with using Mint, but it's really a statement reporting and viewing tool.
You can't build custom reports to track, say, rental property income and expenses, and hammering in and reconciling future transactions to project where I'll be at the end of the month just doesn't work very well. But while I'm waiting for Quicken Cloud Edition I'm going to take hard look at Quicken 2015 for Mac. I may not be able to move to the cloud. But I may be able to retire that Windows laptop.
Last Updated: November 15, 2016 It’s taken 7 years but Intuit finally released a new so we took a look at the good and bad in our Quicken 2015 for Mac review. Note: On 18 Nov 2015, Quicken 2015 for Mac was replaced by Quicken 2016 so go. Firstly, note that there’s no free trial of Quicken 2015 for Mac but you can take advantage of Amazon’s money back guarantee who currently offer the. You can also purchase it for Secondly, there’s one major issue that you should be aware of before reading any further as it will be a deal breaker for many: Quicken for Mac 2015 still doesn’t support online bill payments. Online payments were bizarrely dropped from onwards and disappointingly, it hasn’t returned in the 2015 version (but has been reintroduced to ).
Even more bizarrely, you can get many of the features of Quicken 2015 for Mac plus online bill payments support for free in which is also made by the same developer Intuit product! For those that consider online bill payment essential, you’re better off reading our article on. Alternatively, you can try going back to which features Quicken Bill Pay but it doesn’t work with all banks and only supports up to OS X 10.7 Lion. If you can live without online bill payment though, read-on to get the full lowdown of the new Quicken for Mac. Quicken 2015 For Mac Review: The Good & Bad First the bad news.
For the past 7 years, many Mac Quicken users have had to resort to using a virtual machine on their Mac just so they can use the superior Windows version of Quicken 2007. The bad news is that yet again, Quicken 2015 still isn’t up to the standard of the Windows version.
For reasons known only to Intuit, many features and reports have been dropped from Quicken 2015 compared with the 2007 version. Most notably, the planning features such as the loan calculator, investment calculator, retirement planner and college planner have all gone. Other features such as comparison reports, budget summaries, tax scheduling (meaning you can’t file taxes with it, although you can export to ), tax summaries and of course, online bill payments are also missing. Even worse, don’t expect it to import large amounts of data from Quicken 2007 painlessly. In theory, Quicken 2015 for Mac can import from Quicken Essentials for Mac, Quicken 2007 for Mac and any version of Quicken 2010 for Windows or newer. However, our rather emotional experiences importing from Quicken 2007 left us exhausted and confused. If you’ve got years and years of accounts like most users that have been stuck with the 2007 edition, Quicken 2015 seemingly has a nervous breakdown if you come near it with your accounts.
For large files, importing is incredibly slow and triggers the dreaded spinning ball on your Mac before taking anything from half an hour to an hour to final import data. You must also be extremely careful when deciding whether to sync with online banking accounts during importing as you’ll invariably end up with duplicate entries which is a nightmare to manually correct yourself afterwards. Setting-up bank connections in general is very hit and miss in Quicken 2015 and even if you do manage to successfully import accounts from older versions of Quicken, you’ll have to re-setup all of your connections which is a bit of a pain (more on this below). And whatever you do, do not make the mistake of leaving Quicken 2007 open during the import – the import simply won’t work. Oh, and just for good measure attachments and budgets won’t import at all which is extremely annoying if you have lots of attached receipts and other documents in your historical accounts. But, deep breath, there is some good news. Intuit has finally recognized that Macs use a completely different operating system to PCs and given Quicken 2015 a much slicker OS X style interface.
In fact, it’s the first thing that strikes you when finally get past the rather annoying setup process which requires you to sign-up for an Intuit online account, even if you don’t want any of the services it offers. If you’ve only ever used Quicken 2007, then you’ll see the difference instantly although if you’ve used the much maligned the differences are more modest. Quicken for Mac 2015 is a definite improvement in terms of presentation and speed and for those that are still chugging along with the 2007 edition, it’s definitely worth the upgrade. From the overall interface to the way Quicken tracks investments and auto saves data to stop you accidentally losing data, Quicken 2015 definitely looks and works better than 2007. In particular, Quicken 2015 gives a much slicker overview of where your money is going with Cash & Credit, Investments and Loans, Reminders and Reports clearly organized. The Reports section is typically far behind the Windows version with a depressingly limited range of report customization options for those that like full control over how Quicken crunches your finances.
Entering transactions on the other hand is similar to Quicken 2007 but allows much greater detail in the amount of financial information you can enter and attach. However, the intelligent Smart Payees is yet another feature from Quicken 2007 that seems to have been dropped in Quicken 2015. This basically collated transactions from the same shop or business into one entry which you could then expand for more detail. Now, every single transaction you make with that business is treated at a separate entry which is messier to review and keep track of. Linking Quicken to your bank account has supposedly been made easier and in theory, Quicken 2015 is supported by several major institutions via Direct Access although many still don’t. Wells Fargo for example supports Quicken 2007 but it doesn’t support this latest version of Quicken. Intuit claim that Wells Fargo users can use their web service Quicken Connect instead but this also does not work.
Even on those that do, linking isn’t always as smooth and simple as it should be with connections sometimes timing out when trying to connect. The stress this can cause shouldn’t be estimated and the tearing their hair out over the way Quicken handles syncing with banking transactions. If you’re a Quicken Essentials user thinking you’ll wait until this is resolved before switching however, think again.
Intuit recently contacted Quicken Essentials users informing them that Quicken Essentials For Mac will stop supporting online banking and live support on 30 April 2015. At the time of writing, Intuit promise for all those that upgrade to Quicken 2015, they’ll get $10 off, automatic migration of Quicken data and access to the Quicken Mobile app. Accounts on the other hand are much easier to keep updated in real time though because Quicken 2015 has finally gone mobile with and Android apps that allow you to sync transactions and take photos of receipts (not exactly something new but a nice bonus anyway). The addition of mobile syncing is undoubtedly a huge improvement although for the security conscious, it’s worth noting that this does mean that your financial data is stored in Quicken’s cloud servers. The mobile apps are also very limited and feature hardly any of the functionality of the desktop app. Simple information such as investment, asset and loan accounts are all missing for example.
One of the most important improvements in Quicken 2015 however has been investment tracking. The new Quicken for Mac is constantly updated with the latest stock and share information so that the value of your portfolio is always up-to-date. This also makes tracking your tax liability easier as Quicken calculates the current rate of capital gains, unrealized gains etc. Tax information can also be exported to Intuit’s popular application for easier filing of tax returns (although due to fraud concerns). Again though, there are certain features missing from the investment tracker though such as Performance (IRR) reports and Allocation by Investment.
Although the lack of online bill payment is a huge oversight, Quicken 2015 for Mac does make managing bills easier. For instance, you can set reminders and alerts for bills and see whether your income and credits will stretch to cover them before you get caught short. Budgeting in general has also been significantly improved with a budget planner that works on your past spending habits to help you manage your money better. Although it’s still clear that Intuit still don’t put as much effort into the Mac version as the PC version, it does seem like its realizing the error of its ways. It finally seem ready to listen to Mac users with this long awaited update. Intuit is finally being transparent on what is and is not included in the Mac version and even more encouraging, is allowing users to So if enough users demand it, hopefully Quicken 2015 for Mac will eventually be updated to include all of the features that are in the Windows version.
In fact, since it was released in August 2014, there have already been several updates to Quicken 2015 for Mac adding new features and fixing bugs which is a step in the right direction. Although it’s certainly a bit late in the day to get all cozy with Mac users, the important thing is that Intuit finally seems willing to make amends and not bury its head in the sands for another 7 years. For users with high expectations that Quicken for Mac 2015 would finally equal the Windows version, it’s still a case of too little, too late.
At, although it’s cheaper than the Windows version, you can get many of the features of Quicken 2015 for Mac for free in and many will find it hard to justify upgrading considering all the limitations that still exist. You can purchase Quicken 2015 from or for Be aware too that Intuit customer support can be almost as frustrating as Quicken for Mac itself. The only available support is via “Live Chat” but the problem is you may find you have to wait a long time before any agents are available to help you with your problem. Quicken 2015 requires OS X 10.7 Lion or higher. If you make the jump, let us know your thoughts below.
If our review has left you despairing on Quicken products for Mac, check out our article on. Cheryl I am now very cautious in purchasing any Quicken product. I used to be a big fan of their Windows packages until they started updating and charging for the updates. All the time I had a version that was adequate for my needs and within a year or two, all support was phased out and it was useless to me. On line banking was no longer supported.
Faced with the choice to buy a new version and a need for a new computer, I opted for the new computer and bought a Mac. After researching what was available, I purchased IBank. I would love to go back to Quicken but won’t because of the company’s poor customer support and constant upgrade charges.
Stuart Bernstein I use Quicken Essentials and it’s really just fine for my needs, though the reporting features in Q 2007 were far better. My problem here is that there is no screen shot of an account register. These images were supplied by Intuit. Any user hearing that the register has been redesigned will want to know what it looks like. I asked one of the robots that passes for tech support at Intuit, but it was like talking to a wall. If you’ve tried this out, can you please post a screen shot of a blank account register? Dennis I am also a virtualized user of QW who wants to go Mac native.
It took me a while to convinced myself I could live with the QM design and limitations, but I did. I got al my data converted and thought I was up and running, entering transactions in both systems for a while to be sure it was going to work. When I finally set up on-line access for my Wells Fargo accounts, though, I hit the wall. Intuit claims it works with “Quicken Connect”, a web workaround, even though Wells Fargo does not support Direct Access for QM2015. (They do support it for QM2007 and for QW.) Okay, I was willing to live with even THAT limitation, but unfortunately Quicken Connect does not in fact work with Wells Fargo. It just times out trying to connect. Support is of course no help at all.
After many hours of work I sadly had to abandon QM2015. Intuit cheerfully refunded my money. Smayer97 Though there is some merit to your criticism, it is rather harsh. Though I agree there are some growing pains with Quicken 2015 for Mac, keep in mind that it is built on the Quicken Essentials code base so it is a straightforward move. Granted, there are a few connectivity problems with a few select banks, for which the banks are partially responsible for. Online access is a complex area that requires the involvement of the financial institutions (FIs). Given that there are literally thousands of FIs involved with Quicken, there are bound to be some hiccups.
Granted it can be frustrating if your FI is one that is presenting a problem but from what I am seeing on support forums, there are not that many. Quicken 2015 is the next iteration of the development of Quicken for Mac and overall is an improvement over Quicken Essentials, adding to it Mobile Syncing (in the US only) and Investment Tracking. Quicken for Mac has had the luxury of always having its expired download capabilities updated for free, unlike its Windows counterpart that ALWAYS expire 3 1/2 years from the date of the original release and require a paid upgrade. Since the introduction of Quicken Essentials, Intuit has brought over that paid release model to the Mac. But since no successor to Essentials was released until Aug 2014 (Essentials was first released in 2010), Intuit delayed the expiration. Now that Quicken 2015 has been out 6 months, Intuit is following through on the expiration model.
I’m not crazy about it, since I am used to the old model since 1992, but the reality is that Mac users have to get used to the fact that online access will NOW ALWAYS expire about 3 1/2 years after any new release. I agree that pricing leaves much to be desired but keep in mind that Intuit discount offers are expected to increase the closer we get to the expiration date. In fact, there have already been discount offers of $40 off the price. And if you miss the discount, you can still get the retail version for over $30 off through places like Amazon. And it appears that Intuit is finally solidly committing support of the Mac by putting together a responsive development team to push out ongoing updates to Quicken 2015 for free.
Mike Connell I’ve been using Quicken 2002 for windows, solely for investment tracking, for years and recently transferred all data to Quicken for Mac 2015 with no problems. All security price history was transferred, albeit only end of month data was retained for anything older than 1 year. Not all of the securities will register however, because neither Yahoo nor Google Finance recognize Warrants or Rights for Canadian securities, and prices need to be changed for currency conversion. Entering prices manually is very cumbersome compared with Quicken 2002 and daily gains or losses become inaccurate when manual entries are used. I just trialled See Finance and found all data and price history transferred and it has much more functionality. Much closer to the old Quicken versions.