Quicken vs Actual Budget

Quicken9.3Visit Actual Budget7.7Visit

Higher score Quicken #1 in Personal Finance Software 9.3/10 Paid ✓ 4 of 4 features Visit Quicken

vs

Actual Budget #16 in Personal Finance Software 7.7/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 4 of 4 features Visit Actual Budget

• Quicken fits best

  Mature all-around personal finance management

• Actual Budget fits best

  Free, private, customizable budgeting

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Side by side

Feature	Quicken 9.3/10 Visit ↗	Actual Budget 7.7/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.3	7.7
Ranking	#1 in Personal Finance Software	#16 in Personal Finance Software
Best for	Mature all-around personal finance management	Free, private, customizable budgeting
Pricing model	Paid	Free
Starting price	$6.99/mo	Free
Free plan	—	✓ (best)
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud, Desktop, Mobile	Cloud, Desktop, Self-hosted
Platforms	Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android	Web, Windows, macOS, Linux
Integrations	2 integrations	5 integrations
Features Quicken 4/4 · Actual Budget 4/4
Budgeting tools	✓	✓
Bill tracking	✓	✓
Net-worth tracking	✓	✓
Report export	✓	✓
Specs
Account sync	Both	Both
Mobile apps	Both	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Covers budgets, bills, net worth, investments, and tax reports Supports web, Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android access Offers automatic account updates plus manual entry and QFX import	Free MIT-licensed software with envelope-style budgeting Local-first storage with optional synchronization and encryption Supports broad file imports, reports, exports, and an API
Cons	No free plan is available Features and availability vary by product and platform Designed for use in the U.S. and Canada	Official mobile applications are deprecated Bank synchronization must be triggered manually Multi-device synchronization requires an Actual server
Our verdict	Quicken is personal finance software for individuals, couples, households, freelancers, and small-business owners. It brings together category-based budgets, spending categorization, connected-account updates, bill reminders, investment… Read the review →	Actual Budget is a free, open-source personal finance application for individuals who want envelope-style budgeting with control over how their data is stored. It supports account management, transaction categorization and imports,… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Quicken — where it wins

  • Covers budgets, bills, net worth, investments, and tax reports
  • Supports web, Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android access
  • Offers automatic account updates plus manual entry and QFX import

  Where it doesn't

  • No free plan is available
  • Features and availability vary by product and platform
  • Designed for use in the U.S. and Canada

• Actual Budget — where it wins

  • Free MIT-licensed software with envelope-style budgeting
  • Local-first storage with optional synchronization and encryption
  • Supports broad file imports, reports, exports, and an API

  Where it doesn't

  • Official mobile applications are deprecated
  • Bank synchronization must be triggered manually
  • Multi-device synchronization requires an Actual server

• Quicken9.3/10 · Paid

  A mature all-around finance suite with broad tracking, reporting, and account-update tools.

  Visit QuickenFull verdict →
• Actual Budget7.7/10 · Free plan

  Free, open-source budgeting with local storage, imports, reports, and optional self-hosting.

  Visit Actual BudgetFull verdict →