Just moved from Mint. Here is my advice: work on the UI
I needed a replacement for Mint. I was unsure between Simplifi and Monarch Money. I chose Simplifi merely because it is by Quicken, which has been around for a long time. I just finished adding all my accounts to Simplifi. So far, so good. Quicken Simplifi seems to be better than Mint at connecting with financial institutions and tracking investments. But it lags terribly behind Mint and Monarch on one key aspect: the interface.
In a financial tracking app, the interface is not an accessory, it is an essential part of the functionality. If you are trying to track your finances, you don't want the friction of having to read a poorly formatted column of numbers like the Simplicity online interface. Please get inspired or just outright copy the formatting in Mint or Monarch. The current interface is amateurish. Users do not get attached to software, they get attached to the interface.
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The Quicken Simplifi interface pretty much looks like a copy from the Quicken desktop Web and App interface added features -
it's just "Quicken" - in all places -
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@ZezeC, thanks for the feedback!
If you'd like to provide more specific examples as to what you don't like about Quicken Simplifi's UI, or what you'd like to see changed/enhanced, we can do our best to find existing topics for you. More details will also allow this feedback to be more meaningful. 🙂
-Coach Natalie
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Sorry, I gotta disagree. Personally, I love the layout and UI of Simplifi. It’s certainly not amateurish or ugly. Granted, there are things I’d love to change functionally, features that I wish it had, and the occasional frustrating bug, but what software doesn’t have these - honestly. Having 7-ish years experience with Quicken Desktop, Quicken Simplifi looks nothing like a copy of the original whose app was functionally unusable when I finally gave up and made the switch in 2021. I think it’s pretty clear that Quicken (the company) has taken a new approach to personal finances with Simplifi vs. the original Quicken Desktop. Sure, they have the word Quicken in them, but that’s where the similarities end.
In 2021, I personally tried around 12 other personal finance apps/softwares so I got a decent feel for the competitors out there. While I don’t have a ton of life experience with Mint, I did have two failed attempts to use it - both of which ended in frustration due specifically to the UI and adds. No experience with Monarc Money so I can’t speak to that.
In summary, good/bad UI is very subjective.
Chris
Spreadsheet user since forever.
Quicken Desktop user since 2014.
Quicken Simplifi user since 2021.2 -
kinda looks the same - in a lot of places….. same "look and feel" - which is which ?
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@ps56k ,
Has the performance of the Quicken Desktop app improved since 2020? In the Intuit-days, it would take 1-2 minutes just to attach a receipt to a transaction. I see what you’re saying about them looking the same on these screens - on some level, a registers a register. However, the underlying approach - where it truly matters - is completely different. I truly believe Simplifi is trying to create a simpler approach to personal finances.
Chris
Spreadsheet user since forever.
Quicken Desktop user since 2014.
Quicken Simplifi user since 2021.0 -
The font a little larger wouldn't be a bad thing.
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As a former long time Mint user and as someone who has extensively evaluated Simplifi and Monarch I prefer Simplifi's UI over Monarch. I still prefer Mint a little, but I may be biased after years of use.
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This is a general response to the comments above. Interface design is a subtle thing. It is not a matter of "looking different" or prettier but how the information is organized and displayed by the proper use of type, color, graphic elements, etc, to make it easier to read at a glance. I cannot put screen captures here without disclosing personal information, but it is sufficient to take a look at Mint's overview panel versus the dashboard in Simpliciti.
Mint makes efficient use of type, lines, and colors to make the information easy to read. You just look at it and you find what you are looking for. In contrast, Simpliciti's dashboard, especially the left side panel, is a jumble of numbers. There is little differentiation between the headings and the body type, insufficient space for the lines, the type is too large which forces it to break at inconvenient places, etc. It looks like the mobile app was designed first and then adapted to the desktop. That rarely works.2 -
The accounts information on the right side of the dashboard and transactions tab is busy and difficult to decipher. Almost useless. At least you can hide it. It is funny to me that the account groupings are alphabetized - Cash & Checking, Credit, then Savings. Put Cash, Checking, and Savings above and Credit below (like Mint!)
PS There really isn't anything about Mint's display implementation that deserves high praise as far as I'm concerned. I use these products in spite of their design flaws. Used them until now at no cost with Yodlee then Mint. With Simplifi, I'll be paying for it. If simple fixes aren't implemented (like date range filtering) it won't be worth the money.
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"The accounts information on the right side of the dashboard and transactions tab " Oops. Left side…
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We encourage any users who are transitioning from Mint and have feedback to share, to do so here:
Thanks!
-Coach Natalie
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