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Living close to the edge.

(Credit: Intuit)

Intuit has just released a handy, free iPhone app to accompany its free online financial service, Quicken Online.

Unlike the software version of Quicken, a feature-laden financial management app, Quicken Online and its Quicken Online Mobile companion app (get it here–iTunes store link) are really only designed to help you get a view into your cash flow. The main screen of Quicken Online Mobile shows you how much cash you have access to before your next payday, and it shows how you’re doing against any monthly budget numbers you have set up.

You can also add new cash transactions from the app; credit card transactions get picked up automatically when the service connects to your financial institutions for updates.

Glitzy features include a cash position graph that shows up when you rotate the phone to the landscape orientation, and a location-aware ATM finder.

One big advantage of Quicken Online Mobile over competitor Mint (mobile app review) is that Quicken lets you set up a PIN password screen in front of the app, if you wish; Mint relies on you setting up a password on the iPhone itself, which would be fine–unless you like to run your iPhone without a password. (Mint does let you disable access to your iPhone app via your account page on the Mint Web site, though.)

This is a good app for keeping tabs on your cash. So’s Mint, security issue aside. If you use either Quicken Online or Mint on the Web and have an iPhone, do be sure to check out their mobile apps.

Rotate your iPhone for a different view of your account.

(Credit: Intuit)

Quicken Online gets iPhone companion app

Intuit has finally dropped the subscription fee on Quicken Online, its Web-based financial software that competes with Mint, Geezeo, Buxfer, and Wesabe. The company is still selling, as completely separate products, software versions of Quicken.

When I last covered Quicken Online in December 2007, my biggest complaint was its price. In a market with free (and very good) competitors, there was just no reason to pay for Quicken Online. So this is a smart move on Intuit’s part. Intuit Online is a solid service, but the online competitors keep getting better, too. It’s unclear to me that Intuit’s history will translate into market share in this competitive market.

Intuit is also still preparing to release its iPhone app that accesses Quicken Online data, as I wrote in December. No word on when that ships.

High customer support costs and an angry customer base (check out the user review scores for Quicken and Money) make standalone financial apps like Quicken and Microsoft Money questionable product lines for their makers, and when the online services take hold I will expect their demise. Devoted Quicken users like me, though, will need more capabilities (like bill paying and support for complex investment transactions) before we can make the transition, and the public at large has yet to be convinced that these online financial data storehouses can be trusted.

There’s more online financial news coming tomorrow morning from the Finovate conference.

See the original post:
Quicken Online now free

Intuit has finally dropped the subscription fee on Quicken Online, its Web-based financial software that competes with Mint, Geezeo, Buxfer, and Wesabe. The company is still selling, as completely separate products, software versions of Quicken.

When I last covered Quicken Online in December 2007, my biggest complaint was its price. In a market with free (and very good) competitors, there was just no reason to pay for Quicken Online. This is a smart move on Intuit’s part. But while Intuit Online is a solid service, the online competitors keep getting better, too. It’s unclear to me that Intuit’s history will translate into market share in this competitive market.

Intuit is also still preparing to release its iPhone app that accesses Quicken Online data, as I wrote in December. No word on when that ships.

High customer support costs and an angry customer base (check out the user review scores for Quicken and Money) make standalone financial apps like Quicken and Microsoft Money questionable product lines for their makers, and when the online services take hold I will expect their demise. Devoted Quicken users like me, though, will need more capabilities (like bill paying and support for complex investment transactions) before we can make the transition, and the public at large has yet to be convinced that these online financial data storehouses can be trusted.

A quick snapshot of your cashflow (2007 version of Quicken Online)

(Credit: Intuit)

See also: Quicken Beam: Your finances made cute.

There’s more online financial news coming tomorrow morning from the Finovate conference. Check back here.

See the original post here:
Quicken Online is finally free