Will there be a Quicken Home and Business for Mac in the future? (213 Legacy Votes +1 Merged Vote)

Unknown · January 2017

Using Quicken and H&B on Windows since 1997, but, I am converted to MAC since 2009.
I had to use Windows on top of VM (parallel) to use Quicken_H&B to get by.

How long will it take for Intuit to recognize more people are using MAC(macOS) and provide user with H&B MAC version? Shall I wait for it or find alternative ?

Unknown · January 2017

I'm having the same problem, although I've just started using Quicken. I really can't believe there is not a Mac version, feel like I'm in a time warp from the 1980-90's

jacobs · January 2017

To all those who are asking for a Mac version of Home & Business, understand that the absence of such a product does not mean the management of Quicken doesn't understand there are people who would like it. There has *never* been a Mac Home & Business version, although there are likely more home Mac users now than ever before. There are really two issues...

First, they haven't yet gotten the existing Quicken for Mac product to be on a par with the legacy Quicken 2007 for Mac or with Quicken for Windows. They started from scratch to build a new generation Quicken for Mac a few years ago, but the programming team is very small -- resulting in them making progress, but fairly slow progress. It will likely take another year or two just to get Quicken Mac to the level of Quicken Deluxe for Windows.

After that work is done, the next question is whether they devote resources -- programmers and time -- to building a Home & Business version for Mac. There's no doubt there's demand for such a product, but the question is whether there's *enough* demand to justify the thousands of hours it would take to create, test, bring to market and support. There are, at the time I'm writing this, 23 votes for this idea at the top of the page. Obviously, that's not a useful sample of people who would buy Quicken H&B for Mac; it just means that comments posted here don't give the management team any real help in deciding how large the market is for such a product. They do know how many people buy the Windows version of H&B, and they need to forecast how many Mac copies they could sell. The number has to be big enough to justify the development, maintenance and support costs.

In any case, I would not expect to see a Home & Business edition of Quicken for Mac anytime in the next year, and probably not for longer than that, even if they do decide to create one.

Unknown · January 2017

I've given up hope on the Home and Business version for Mac. If they wanted to do it, they would have already done it. As it stands now, people are still resorting to a virtual machine of sorts to run the windows version, equating to Quicken still seeing the revenues without the overhead of creating the Mac version. There are many, many people in the world with the skills and knowledge to create the Mac version of H & B. Thus, they could contract with them to do it. That's why I don't think it will ever happen. Meanwhile, I might have to resort to another solution - IF one ever comes along.

jacobs · January 2017

Lisa,

If you read my post above, you'll see why I don't think you're correct about Home & Business for Mac. You say "If they wanted to do it, they would have already done it" and "There are many, many people in the world with the skills and knowledge to create the Mac version of H & B." But I think you're focused on the wrong issue: it's not a matter of not being able to find programmers to do the work, it's the economics to fund the work.

Look, they've been working for the past 4+ years just to build a new generation of Quicken for Mac. If they had the resources (e.g. more revenue = more funds = more programmers), they would have been further along faster. I'm convinced that there's no lack of desire on the part of the Mac team at Quicken, it's that they don't sell enough to throw more people at it. Building from scratch all the features developed over the past 3 decades of Quicken Windows and Mac takes time, and if there was lots of money to throw at it, they could have rooms of programmers developing code much more quickly, or as you suggest, they could hire out contract programmers. But there clearly aren't enough people buying Quicken Mac for them to afford to do that. So they've got a small team of programmers working away, making steady progress to create a new Quicken for Mac that, update by update, increasingly fills the many needs of longtime users.

At the pace they've been on, factoring in that the president of the company has said they've been adding programmers, but also factoring in that they must devote a chunk of time this year to re-write lots of code because of Quicken's separation from Intuit (whose back-end servers still provide a lot of the downloading functionality), my guess is that it will take another year to two to do the development work required to check off many of the requested features longtime users are still waiting for.

Further up in this thread, the product manager of Quicken for Mac said that exactly: "We still have quite a bit of functionality to add to Quicken for Mac just to get it even close to Quicken Windows..." Then turning to the possibility of a Home & Business version for Mac, he added: "...so the reality is it may be some time before we get there, but [I] would love to find out how many people are interested in this." So he's clearly saying that they haven't ruled out creating a Home & Business version for Mac, but they're not yet far enough along in developing the core Quicken for Mac to consider it yet. So, again guessing, it might be another year or more until they even decide whether to devote the resources to building Home & Business for Mac, and if they decide to do it, maybe another year until they have a first version to sell. Bottom line: *if* they decide to do a Mac version of Home & Business, it will probably be at least 2 or 3 years, maybe more, until it's available.

daffo · January 2017

I have used Quicken for Mac since 1993. OF COURSE there should be a brilliant Mac version of Quicken Home & Business! (In my case, things are even more frustrating: Canadian versions of updated Intuit products for Mac—if they exist—do not appear on the Intuit Canada website.) Please bring all resources to bear for full-function Mac versions (U.S. & Canada) of QH&B. Thanks.

jacobs · January 2017

Daffo, if you didn't read all the way through this very long thread, you might want to read my post much further down; I addressed some of the issues involved with whether or when a Quicken Mac Home & Business version might see the light of day.

daffo · January 2017

Jacobs, I agree with you. My post is directly in response Quicken rep's question near the top, "Anyone else interested in this?"

Unknown · January 2017

Only been waiting 10 years for this... I installed parallels just for quicken H&B and wasted so much time/$ doing so.

Unknown · January 2017

I need an invoicing option. If Home and Business offers this then YES!!!!

Unknown · January 2017

I would love to see the Home & Business version for Mac. There are always people looking for financial software designed for Macs: and not having to run on top of Windows or virtual machines.

I for one am not interested in running Parallels, or the like!

Even better would be for making it available to Canadians.

Unknown · January 2017

Thans Lisa, EXCELLENT discussion of the business case for QM build-out. I'd like to add that it would be interesting to know how much pent up demand there is for Mac version, i.e. those H&B users who are still keeping a clunky old Windows machine around in anticipation of a more robust Quicken product...that was certainly true for me until early 2016 when I switched to Mac version.
Regards,
Dr. Terry Fotre
Woodside, CA

Unknown · January 2017

Tom, I'd love to figure some way to identify more folks like you and I who represent the "pent-up demand" in the market place. Only by driving the business case for Quicken would they be able to devote more resources to the project.
-Terry

Unknown · January 2017

I would love to see a Quicken for business for my Mac. Is there any way I can run the Windows version on my Mac?

louissteinhauer · January 2017

You can run Windows programs on a Mac by using something like Fusion or Parallels. You do have to buy/install Windows.
I have been running Quicken Windows Home and Business with Fusion for years but I am switching to Mac 2017. I'll make it work for me somehow. It may mean exporting to Excel.

smayer97 · January 2017

@Staci you can run Quicken for Windows in a virtual machine on your Mac. There are 5 popular products you can use: Parallels, VMWare Fusion, Oracle VirtualBox, Bootcamp or CrossOver. The first 4 require you to also buy a copy of Windows. The first 2 cost $50-80, the third and forth are free. CrossOver also costs about $50-$80 but does NOT require you to buy Windows.

If you plan to keep your PC & Mac, you could also run Quicken on the PC and use remote access (several free options, e.g. NoMachine and Teamviewer) to access Quicken from your Mac (or even a tablet or phone) (see this great article for complete review of many options (most are free): http://machow2.com/rdp-for-mac/ ). Though this article was written primarily with Macs in mind, there are many solutions offered that work for Windows too. The one trade-off is that the host computer cannot really be used for anything else while using Quicken with these remote solutions.

(If you find this reply helpful, please be sure to click "Like", so others will know, thanks.)

Unknown · January 2017

I would also love to have a H&B version for MAC,

Unknown · January 2017

Absolutely! This is the main reason I even still have a PC. H&B on Mac would be wonderful.

Unknown · February 2017

Yes, I have two business in the entertainment and nonprofit industries and many of us artists are on mac and really bummed that quicken home and business does not exist and done see an viable alternative options.

I can guarantee there is a HUGE desire and need for mac users. I'm actually really surprised it's 2017 and we don't have that option for Mac. Please, it doesn't make sense to have to get software to run windows on a mac. Please remedy this.

Unknown · February 2017

Definitely need H&B for MAC!

Unknown · February 2017

Also need Home & Business on Mac. Challenging to run Fusion and support Windows just for Quicken (only application on Windows we use now).

Unknown · February 2017

I add my voice to hoping for a Mac version of Quicken Home and Business. Thank you to Lisa for adding some depth of perspective. However, you say Intuit can't be certain of the demand. Seems to me there would be many ways of discerning the level of potential demand.

Suggestion: Make it a condition of sale for every Quicken program - and every update - (for direct sales and distributors) - that the buyer answer 2 questions:

1.) Are you intending to use this Quicken version for a Mac, through a virtual Windows
application?
2.) If it were available in a Mac version, for use without the need of virtual Windows: How likely
would you be to switch to the Mac version if the quality/functionality of the program were the
same?
Absolutely!____ Very Likely _____ Maybe Next Year _______ Not Sure ______
Probably Not ______ Definitely Not ________

Seems to me you'd get plenty of data - to take to your Directors - with that approach.

jacobs · February 2017

It's worth bearing in mind that users switching from Windows to Mac versions of Quicken do not increase the size of the user base; switchers don't generate more revenue for the company to fund development. That doesn't mean there's not demand, or that satisfying that demand isn't important -- it just doesn't identify an unserved market segment that could bring in new revenue to help pay for added developers.

Unknown · February 2017

Hit the nail on the head

smayer97 · February 2017

No but it does bring in justification to possibly shift development money from the Windows side to the Mac side, since the Windows version is a quite mature product, so is more in maintenance mode. This may slow down some development on the Windows side but enable growth on the Mac side. But it may show that the amount of resources being applied to the Windows version is disproportionate to the demand.

Also, that survey would miss identifying new H&B users on the Mac side...either new to Quicken or old Quicken for Mac users looking to upgrade. So that would need to be captured too as potential new revenue.

Unknown · February 2017

Running Quicken Business on a Mac is TERRIBLY SLOW and clumsy. The only reason I have Parallels is to run Quicken. PLEASE get a Quicken Business for Mac!

Unknown · February 2017

We are interested, and have been for a few years. Quickbooks is too big a leap.

Unknown · February 2017

Quicken Home and Business for Mac please. The sooner the better!

Unknown · February 2017

Yes, absolutely. Please please. When? When??

Unknown · February 2017

As with other replies, I need the H&B version, and this is the only reason I keep a Windows PC - I can do everything else I ever need on my Mac.

Will there be a Quicken Home and Business for Mac in the future? (213 Legacy Votes +1 Merged Vote)

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