Dueling Fools
June 16, 1999

The War of 99:
Money v. Quicken

The Money Rebuttal
by Bill Barker ([email protected])

David opens with, "Quicken. It's what you don't know that counts." You know, I agree with that, but it sure isn't a reason to choose Quicken over Microsoft Money.

Let's face facts. These two programs are essentially equal at the moment as far as usability, ease of interface, reliability, and what have you. I can pick out reviews that support the argument that Money is superior (just go to Microsoft MoneyCentral Bank Online for a selection), but I know there are other reviews out there as well.

Let's also accept that those who are already using one program or the other are not very likely to switch on the basis of this little Duel. Once you've spent the time necessary to input all your data and become comfortable with the offerings of one of the software programs, you're not likely to go through all the effort to switch to the other. (Though Microsoft Money can convert data from Quicken, while Quicken cannot do likewise -- but I won't dwell on that.)

The true audience for this debate is really those who do not yet use either program and are trying to decide between them. In that case, well, the argument for Money becomes rather compelling, because, as David asserts, "It's what you don't know that counts." What I know about Microsoft as a company is that it's going to be around and flourishing for a good long while. It's going to be absolutely determined to put the best product on the market, and it's already demonstrated its ability to speedily catch up to Quicken. Microsoft has tens of billions of dollars lying around in cash at the moment, so it has the necessary funds to spend to make sure it continues to have the best product out there for decades to come.

Additionally, I know that for each of these programs, a great deal of their value is going to be in how well integrated they are with their companion Internet websites, how much those websites can expand, and the power of those websites to attract the best partners. At the moment, I would say that Microsoft MoneyCentral is already a more elegant and complete site than Quicken.com is. Does anyone out there think that Quicken is likely to reverse that?

I know Quicken is a good program. I know that it stands today as roughly the equal of Microsoft Money, and I'm not going to pretend to know which program is "better." I haven't spent nearly enough time seeking out the bugs of each program to really give you a fully informed opinion on why one is truly superior to the other if your specific interests are X as opposed to Y. Our Dueling Fools message board readers are, no doubt, the right people to ask about that.

But is Quicken going to continue to have the resources to compete successfully with Microsoft? Is Quicken going to be able to match Microsoft Money upgrade for upgrade? Does it make sense to make a long-term bet on that by buying Quicken today, spending the time and effort to learn it, and hoping that Quicken will still be competitive with Microsoft Money years from now?

That's what I don't know -- and, like David, I think that's what counts.

Next: The Quicken Rebuttal