Is there a product that below Quicken Classic?

galahad
galahad Quicken Windows Other Member ✭✭
in Before you Buy

I have used Quicken Classic for the past 5 years to keep track of my auto loan and it is time to renew my subscription. The auto is paid off and I no longer need that feature. Is there a Quicken product below Classic which will fill my needs for simple income and budget managing? I was attempting to find out if Quicken Starter package.

Best Answers

  • Boatnmaniac
    Boatnmaniac Quicken Windows Subscription SuperUser ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited January 3 Answer ✓

    Quicken used to have a really nice matrix comparing the features of each of the Quicken products but that page no longer exists on their website.

    However you might find this archived webpage to be helpful. Note that Simplifi is now called Quicken Simplifi and those that used to be called Quicken are now called Quicken Classic. I did a quick review of it and it still seems to be pretty accurate.: https://web.archive.org/web/20221110145652/https%3A//www.quicken.com/product-selector.

    One other thing: Quicken Simplifi is a totally different web-only product. Quicken Classic data cannot be imported into Simplifi so if you decide to go with Simplifi it would be starting all over from scratch. But it has become a fairly popular product in that market niche.

    Does this answer your question?

    Quicken Classic Premier (US) Subscription: R65.29 on Windows 11 Home

  • Jon
    Jon Quicken Mac Subscription SuperUser, Mac Beta Beta
    Answer ✓

    No, Quicken Starter is not the same as Simplifi. Simplifi is web based, while Quicken Starter is Mac/PC based like the other versions of Quicken Classic. You can get the Starter subscription through this page:

    https://www.quicken.com/products/classic-starter/

  • TracyC
    TracyC Quicken Windows Subscription Member ✭✭
    Answer ✓

    As of 1/4 Best Buy still has Quicken Deluxe on sale for $41. Staples has it for order online-pickup in store for $45. Be sure you are buying an edition that is for renewal and not new subscribers (new subscriber edition has a black box on the front saying new subscribers)

Answers

  • Boatnmaniac
    Boatnmaniac Quicken Windows Subscription SuperUser ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited January 3 Answer ✓

    Quicken used to have a really nice matrix comparing the features of each of the Quicken products but that page no longer exists on their website.

    However you might find this archived webpage to be helpful. Note that Simplifi is now called Quicken Simplifi and those that used to be called Quicken are now called Quicken Classic. I did a quick review of it and it still seems to be pretty accurate.: https://web.archive.org/web/20221110145652/https%3A//www.quicken.com/product-selector.

    One other thing: Quicken Simplifi is a totally different web-only product. Quicken Classic data cannot be imported into Simplifi so if you decide to go with Simplifi it would be starting all over from scratch. But it has become a fairly popular product in that market niche.

    Does this answer your question?

    Quicken Classic Premier (US) Subscription: R65.29 on Windows 11 Home

  • galahad
    galahad Quicken Windows Other Member ✭✭

    Thank you for the factual answer - it appears that I will be staying with classic. Is Quicken Starter a real product? The same as Simplifi ?

  • Jon
    Jon Quicken Mac Subscription SuperUser, Mac Beta Beta
    Answer ✓

    No, Quicken Starter is not the same as Simplifi. Simplifi is web based, while Quicken Starter is Mac/PC based like the other versions of Quicken Classic. You can get the Starter subscription through this page:

    https://www.quicken.com/products/classic-starter/

  • Boatnmaniac
    Boatnmaniac Quicken Windows Subscription SuperUser ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited January 3

    Some additional clarifications…the current Quicken financial planning products are:

    1. Quicken Classic Starter
    2. Quicken Classic Deluxe
    3. Quicken Classic Premier
    4. Quicken Classic Business & Personal
    5. Quicken Simplifi

    #1-#5 are Quicken Classic which is a desktop/laptop-based platform. There is only one software for all of these editions. The subscription is what determines which edition will be turned on (i.e., which features are turned on). The application and financial data is saved on and run on the local computer drive.

    #6 is a web-base platform. It is separate from Quicken Classic and the 2 are not compatible with each other. The application is saved and run on a Quicken server that we access on a Quicken website and our financial data is then also saved on a Quicken server.

    Quicken Classic Premier (US) Subscription: R65.29 on Windows 11 Home

  • TracyC
    TracyC Quicken Windows Subscription Member ✭✭
    Answer ✓

    As of 1/4 Best Buy still has Quicken Deluxe on sale for $41. Staples has it for order online-pickup in store for $45. Be sure you are buying an edition that is for renewal and not new subscribers (new subscriber edition has a black box on the front saying new subscribers)

  • galahad
    galahad Quicken Windows Other Member ✭✭

    Thank you all for the information and assisting me in making the correct purchase. From what I am understanding is I can go from Classic to Starter without out losing any of my past transactions and data? And it still operates on my laptop? One last question " If I purchase Starter and it does no meet my needs can Quicken just "turn on" the Classic version features and just charge the addition up charge cost ?

  • jacobs
    jacobs Quicken Mac Subscription SuperUser, Mac Beta Beta

    Quicken Classic for Mac Starter does not include the 12-month budget functionality. It only gives you access to the simple one-month budget interface. In starter, if you click on the 12-month budget tab you are presented with this message:

    Screenshot 2026-01-04 at 12.07.49 PM.png

    So if budgeting is an important feature you want to continue to use, you will want to continue with Quicken Deluxe rather than Starter.

    When you downgrade subscription levels, no data is lost, but you lose access to certain features. If you subsequently upgrade back to Deluxe, whatever data you had in your file previously that you couldn't access is still there, unchanged.

    Quicken Mac Subscription • Quicken user since 1993
  • TracyC
    TracyC Quicken Windows Subscription Member ✭✭

    The current subscription price for Starter is 4.49/month which is $54/year, which is more than Deluxe is currently on sale (42$) if you buy it from a 3rd party retailer and enter the activation code in your program.

  • Boatnmaniac
    Boatnmaniac Quicken Windows Subscription SuperUser ✭✭✭✭✭
    https://community.quicken.com/discussion/comment/20530425#Comment_20530425

    I believe annual budgeting is not available in Quicken Classic for Windows Starter, as well. If annual budgeting is wanted/needed, then make sure to subscribe to Deluxe or higher.

    BTW, that Best Buy price for Deluxe at $41 (thank you @TracyC ) is really good and is less than what Quicken.com is charging for Starter. So for me, this would be no-brainer but it looks like one would need to go to a store to pick it up or have it shipped to you because it includes physical media. There would be no need to actually load the software into the computer…just enter the activation code at the appropriate time at Help > Manage Your Subscription > Enter Activation Code. But this special sale price ends in 12 hours so there is a need to act fast in order to get it.

    Quicken Classic Premier (US) Subscription: R65.29 on Windows 11 Home

  • Jim_Harman
    Jim_Harman Quicken Windows Subscription SuperUser ✭✭✭✭✭

    Also as far as I know Windows Starter does not include support for investing accounts or Tags.

    I think if you are downgrading and you have existing investing accounts, you can continue to use them, but you cannot create new ones.

    QWin Premier subscription
  • Jon
    Jon Quicken Mac Subscription SuperUser, Mac Beta Beta
    edited January 4

    I think if you are downgrading and you have existing investing accounts, you can continue to use them, but you cannot create new ones.

    In Quicken Mac, if you downgrade to Starter your investing accounts become frozen. You can view what's there but you can't add anything new. If you try to add a new investing account it tells you to upgrade to Deluxe, if you try to add new transactions to an investing account you just get an error message.

    Quicken Mac supports Tags at the Starter level.

  • TracyC
    TracyC Quicken Windows Subscription Member ✭✭

    @Boatnmaniac FYI, When I've ordered from Walmart or Newegg, there is no physical media shipped, just a code on an 'activation card" inside the software box.

  • Boatnmaniac
    Boatnmaniac Quicken Windows Subscription SuperUser ✭✭✭✭✭
    https://community.quicken.com/discussion/comment/20530465#Comment_20530465

    The same with me. But when I viewed the Best Buy listing it said it was for a "physical media package" so I assumed (wrongly?) it was for a CD. Someone else said the same thing happened a couple of years ago when they ordered from Staples and they got a physical CD package with the activation code inside the box.

    It actually no longer makes any sense for there to be CDs provided because most computers today do not have CD/DVD drives and the software can be freely downloaded from Quicken.com. So, all that's needed is the activation code. I like how NewEgg and Walmart have worked for me in the past with nothing shipped to me but with the activation code being emailed (within minutes of placing the order), instead.

    Quicken Classic Premier (US) Subscription: R65.29 on Windows 11 Home

  • galahad
    galahad Quicken Windows Other Member ✭✭

    Thank you everyone for your assistance.

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