Review: iBank 4 and CheckBook Pro compared
updated 02:00 am EDT, Wed August 31, 2011
Pluses and minuses for both
Financial programs are a deeply personal decision that can be greatly affected by a user's needs. Some people have trouble balancing a simple checkbook, while others manage complicated home-business finances or extensive portfolios. We look at two different levels of home-finance programs: the inexpensive and basic CheckBookPro, and the more full-featured Quicken substitute iBank 4. We look at each one and where the strengths and weakness of each lie and how they might work for users in other situations in our review.
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Aug 2011
Budgets in iBank4
I've been searching for financial software that meet my needs for some time and have yet to find one that satisfies them. For me budgeting is an important feature and iBank, like all other finance software I have trialed, misses the mark. I don't find the "envelope" method particularly appealing (and iBanks envelope icons are so rink-dink) and the standard budgeting does not allow budgeting by month, i.e., allow to enter different budget amounts for each category by month. This is not only the case with iBank but also with almost every other financial software package for the Mac. I find it hard to believe because many budget items vary by month, e.g., auto expenses, vacation, medical, etc.