Thank goodness for Quicken!
937633
I am a small business owner and have been using Quick Books for about a year and a half.  I'm pretty intelligent, have worked extensively with a number of software programs, and have had accounting classes before, but I would say that one really needs to have a good grasp of accounting and general ledger entries to use this software effectively.  I finally decided I was in over my head and downloaded Quicken.  I read all of the reviews and was a little scared about what I was going to get, but have been pretty pleased so far.  It seems like those who wrote negative reviews were people who had had Quicken before and who migrated their data to a new version.  I was starting fresh so I didn't experience any of those problems.

I only gave this a 4 for three reasons.  One, I think the Customer Center in Quick Books is much better thought out that anything I've found in Quicken so far.  And, two, I used the set up "wizard" to download my banking transactions twice and got an error both times.  I would have returned the product right then and there, but saw there was a manual way to do the download and it has worked for me.  Last, there are some things I haven't been able to figure out yet which means there are some things that could have been designed easier.  All in all though, this is a nice, basic, easy accounting package.
3626124
I've been using Quicken on my PC for a few years now, and have come to rely on it for my personal finances.  I have often felt like it was over cluttered with options that I didn't know how to use.  I tried Mint.com for awhile to see if that would fit my needs a little better, and while I liked many things about it, it was frustrating that I couldn't really plan ahead.

Reading these reviews, I don't understand why everyone is so upset about the bill pay feature.  As far as I know, Quicken hasn't supported that in years, at least with the later versions.  So, I won't miss it.

So far, I really like Quicken for Mac.  My PC crashed, and I lost my latest quicken backup, so I'm starting pretty fresh.  I feel like it gives me everything I liked about Mint.com, plus everything I wanted.  I use it to track my accounts (checking, saving, loans, and credit cards  and it does the job well.
3075245
I was concerned after reading all of the negative reviews, which seem typical for Quicken upgrades, but I had been experiencing extreme downloading slowness, long start up and shut down, and a persistent internet explorer script error with my 2008 Deluxe version.  I've been using Quicken for more than a decade and have a total of 22 banking and investment accounts that I download daily. I'm very dependent on this program.  Some of the investment accounts date back more than six years.  I made the upgrade directly through intuit because of the chance they would send a $50 amazon certificate to the first 50 users to upgrade (won't know this for 4-6 weeks.)

RESULT:  This was the fastest,smoothest upgrade download from Quicken I've experienced.  It took minutes to download and the new interface came up immediately, all data intact.  When I did a one step update (holding my breath), the downloads took place much quicker than with my 2008 version. The only glitch was with a few downloaded transactions that were duplicates and wouldn't match up manually with already downloaded transactions.  Only time will tell if this is persistent issue or a one time issue on set up.  Also, start up and shut down now happen in  a few seconds--a big improvement over my older version where it took much longer and seems to have difficulty loading and displaying.  And happily. the annoying internet explorer script error dialog box is no longer around.  All in all, I'm a very happy long-time Quicken user and this upgrade looks like a winner.
1598291
I'm so happy I when from a pc to a mac I couldn't function with out quicken
I wish the CHECK BOOK ledger was wider
3164640
For many years I have used Quicken for check writing and not much else.  The last purchase was the 2010 program.  Some of the recent reviews of this program are dispiriting.  This may be because of the enormous allure of many of the bells and whistles, though why one would want to use the cloud rather than ones own flash drive escapes me, and similarly I don't want access to a bank account or cc accounts on an I Pad.  But for the basics, it's superb and sleeker than the older version.  I quickly downloaded the program, to my older Dell with Windows XP, after backing up my files.  It went through the usual updating gymnastics and quickly converting a very long data set going back into the early '90s.  No problems here and when I opened Quicken everything looked and acted the same except, again, the menu and appearance is a bit slicked.  In printing checks, the familiar sub menu now asks how many checks one is going to print, an oddity, since checks come in sheets of three and my laser printer, at least, won't accept a singleton, though two checks still attached always work.
So my purposes, I am very pleased.  Note, I have not tried some of the exotica and I can understand how reviewers with IT expertise may have different expectations and hence a different take, and my be right.  But for those who want to print checks, save the names of payees and run yearly reviews, the program works very well.  Also, I was able to download recent transactions from Bank America, something I do myself to forgo BAs interesting charges for a non-cost item.
2868396
I purchased Quicken to replace MS Money and haven't regretted it.  Their customer service was very helpful with the only problem I have encountered with this software.  Love the fact I can see everything on my PC, smart phone, laptop and iPad.
963024
I'd been a Quicken user before and switched to another brand, a much cheaper one that turned out to be unstable and high maintenance. Quicken is worth it for me. The download was quick and easy. Best of all, I'm downloading data from my bank so I don't have to enter transactions manually. The instructions were relatively straightforward. Downloading all my accounts was a little glitchy, less than smooth. I have yet to seek help. If that becomes a problem, I'll try to remember to update my review. As of this writing, I'm glad I bought it and I'm pleased with the price.
4578215
I am not the most organized person on the computer. Our financial advisor suggested Quicken would help with our budget now that we are retired. At first, I did everything the hard way - wrong. After meeting with our advisor, he made it all clear and I am on my way to financial organization.
Thanks Quicken. It is so easy to do when you don't complicate it.
609082
If you have simple financial accounting and record-keeping needs, Quicken Deluxe Old Version 2008 may be all you ever need , and the price is right!
I don't find the online updating very helpful because of the setup time, research, and effort required, but it's all there if you want to take the time...primarily  useful for backups and centralization of records...but  be willing to devote the time  necessary to make it really work for you....love those little cash register sounds--pretty cute!

The software itself is very intuitive and easy to use. One of the best features is the "create a category" buttons that allow you to customize ffinancial transactions according to your own situation.

I'm holding off a star because Intuit needs to find a way to streamline the online setup at financial institutions by simply riding along when you sign into the institution and then recording your information, after  you give Quicken permission to do so. perhaps newer versions now do this
4852485
I have been using Quicken for years.  It has always been reliable, and safe.  I like the added feature now where you can access your account via your mobile phone.  I could have used that previous years when my computer went down.  Quicken is just one of those programs I use daily to manage my finances.  I can't see how it can get any better!
3259066
Fantastic software.  After years of living in and out of credit I finally got the help I needed.  YNAB pro is fantastic.  I now know where every penny goes and feel totally in control of choosing what to spend my money on.
In the past I was surprised when a large bill came my way, as I had not found a way of anticipating such expenses.  Now my bank balance is always positive and large expenses planned for long in advance.
The money to buy this software is an investment to a peaceful financial future.
4506905
I upgraded once again. I have used Quicken since it came on the market. I wouldn't be without it. When tax time rolls around I just print out the information and everything I need is all right there. Helps me balance my accounts all year long.
3383787
I'm perfectly happy with Quicken 2011.  I don't like being forced to upgrade especially for mediocre features that I will never use.
3505022
I was happy to see Quicken 2015 for MAC.  It came at just the right time. I have been using iBank and it has just gone crazy and they are no help to you..
Quicken 2015 downloaded with a breeze and it found all of my accounts and put them up with no problem. It took a bit of time to get all the the proper categories put there and also had to play with a couple of things, but having used it for several weeks, I am very happy with it.

One problem is that I have it on both my desktop and laptop and what is entered on one does not automatically go on the other.  They say that is in the next upgrade.  I hope so...
3578420
Quicken is Quicken!  What can I say.  The program does a great job of what was needed for tracking, accounting, bank accounts, etc.
1890353
After all of the horror stories I have been dreading this conversion for a month.  But I had purchased a new laptop and needed to get off of my old one and this was the last outstanding item.  All things considered, it went flawlessly.  Here are some notes:

1. You must first install Quicken on a computer with Money 2007 or 2008 if you want to use the conversion tool.  I was able to convert 6 years worth of data in under a minute.
2. I was able to download Quicken files from my bank and import them.
3. On the downloaded file from my bank's website, I overlapped one day and it did create duplicates.  I simply voided the original transactions that were duplicated and it worked fine after that.
4. On the first credit card download using Quicken's automatic update, it created 8 duplicates out of 841 transactions.  Once again, I voided the original transactions, categorized the new ones, and had no more issues on future downloads.
5. I had to change my category structure and use the Quicken category groups to get my budget report to look the way I wanted it to.  It took a couple of hours of tweaking and comparing to my MS Money budget report but once I was done, I actually liked it better.
6. My original laptop was a 32bit Vista OS and my new one is a Windows 7 64 bit install.  I had no Quicken installation issues on either system.

Please note, I only use the transaction download and budgeting features but I use them avidly.  I send out updated Year to Date budget reports to my wife every week along with transaction details for the current month.  I am able to accomplish this as quickly if not quicker than I was able to in Money.  Maybe it was because my expectations were so low but I am completely satisfied with this product.
3786831
Since Quicken has left Mac user without any choice if you want to install Lion I went searching for a replacement software. Having used both Quicken for Windows and Mac I can say that I bank is much better than Quicken for Mac 2007 (forget essentials) and is closing in on the Quicken for Windows version. Import from Quicken 2007 was a snap. There where a few dup entries in one account, but within 10 minutes I had everything perfect. Certainly beat the import from Quicken windows to Quicken Mac. Their support desk has been very helpful and they have been responsive to suggestions. You can see that they only want to make this program better and better. It pretty much does everything that 2007 did and more. The interface is much better and is much faster. So far it has been a good choice. I would suggest you take advantage of their 30 day free trial as I did.