Banktivity vs Monarch: Pricing, Mac App and Quicken Import

Banktivity is a native Mac, iPhone and iPad app that costs $6.99 to $10.99 a month billed annually ($83.88 to $131.88 a year), keeps your ledger on your own devices and imports QIF files from Quicken. Monarch Money is a web and mobile service at $99.99 a year for Core or $199.99 for Plus, stores everything on Monarch's servers and imports only CSV. Pick Banktivity if you are an Apple-only household that wants desktop software, deep investment records and local data. Pick Monarch if anyone uses Windows or Android, or you want a partner on the account at no extra cost.

Both are common landing spots for people leaving Quicken, and both are sold as the more serious option in their class. They get there in opposite ways. Banktivity is desktop software in the Quicken tradition, updated to version 10 with an Organizer for multiple ledgers, per-account portfolio views and Apple Shortcuts support. Monarch is a hosted service that grew fast after Mint shut down, built around a clean dashboard, shared household access and automatic syncing.

Prices below come from banktivity.com's plans page and monarch.com/pricing. One inconsistency to know about: Banktivity's own Monarch comparison page lists Banktivity "from $59.99" a year, while its plans page shows Bronze at $6.99 a month billed annually, which is $83.88. We use the plans page figures and suggest checking the checkout screen during the trial.

Is Banktivity better than Monarch?

Banktivity is better for an Apple-only user who wants desktop-grade software, offline access, investment detail and a ledger stored on their own Mac. Monarch is better for households on mixed devices, for couples who both want a login, and for anyone who wants a dashboard that works without setup. Neither wins outright; the platform question usually decides it in the first minute.

Ask one question before comparing features: does anyone who needs to see the budget use Windows or Android? If yes, Banktivity is out, because it has no Windows version and no web app. If everyone is on Apple devices, the choice becomes a real trade between Banktivity's depth and Monarch's convenience.

How much does Banktivity cost compared with Monarch?

Banktivity costs $83.88 to $131.88 a year depending on the plan, and Monarch costs $99.99 for Core or $199.99 for Plus. For most buyers the comparison is Banktivity Silver at $107.88 against Monarch Core at $99.99, about $8 a year apart. Banktivity Bronze is the cheapest option in this pairing at $83.88.

Match the tiers by what you actually need. Bronze covers bank connections, budgets and goals. Silver adds downloadable stock prices, real estate tracking and investment reports, which is roughly where Monarch Core already is. Gold adds foreign currency accounts, exchange rate downloads, crypto and check printing. On Monarch, Plus adds retirement forecasting, business income and expense tracking, profit and loss reports with tax-prep exports, and advanced investment analysis. Our Monarch Money cost breakdown goes through what Plus adds line by line.

The five-year column assumes both vendors keep today's prices and that Monarch's first-year code applies once. Banktivity prices are before tax, and both vendors have raised prices before.

Is Monarch Money available as a Mac app?

Not as a native desktop program. On a Mac, Monarch runs in the web browser, and it also has iPhone and iPad apps. Banktivity's comparison points out what that means in practice: no offline access, no native keyboard shortcuts and no menu bar integration. For people who used Quicken for Mac for years, that difference is felt every day.

The flip side is that a browser app runs anywhere. A Monarch household can check the budget from a work PC, a Chromebook or an Android phone. Our roundup of personal finance software for Mac puts Banktivity and Monarch next to Quicken, Moneydance and Moneyspire on native support and exports.

Can Banktivity import data from Monarch?

Not directly. Banktivity says it has no direct Monarch data import and that a CSV export from Monarch can be used instead. Export your transactions from Monarch to CSV, then import the file into Banktivity and map the columns. Going the other way, Monarch accepts CSV uploads on the web, and Banktivity exports CSV.

Can I import my Quicken data into Banktivity or Monarch?

Banktivity takes a Quicken QIF export directly, along with OFX, QFX and CSV, so a QIF file from Quicken for Windows comes across with dates, payees, amounts and categories. Monarch does not read QIF at all. It imports CSV only, from the web app, which means a Quicken history has to be converted before Monarch can use it.

That gap is where many Monarch switches stall, because Quicken for Windows writes history as QIF and Quicken for Mac does not export QIF at all. Our Quicken to Monarch Money guide walks through the full route. The short version: export QIF from Quicken, upload it to the converter at the top of this page, and download the rows as a CSV with Date, Description and Amount columns, which you then map in Monarch's CSV importer. CSV and Excel output are on paid plans; a free account lets you test three files of up to 100 transactions each.

Banktivity users hit a different limit. QIF cannot carry currency information, so Banktivity writes one QIF file per currency when you export accounts in several currencies. Plan for that if you move off Banktivity Gold later.

Which is better for investment tracking, Banktivity or Monarch?

Banktivity is better for investment records. From the Silver plan it downloads stock prices and produces customizable investment reports, and version 10 adds a per-account portfolio drilldown on Mac and iOS plus a security detail report on iPhone. Banktivity's comparison says Monarch keeps cost basis and IRR style return figures to its Plus tier.

Monarch Core still shows investment account balances in your net worth, which is enough for a household that wants net worth in one place. If you need lot-level cost basis for taxes, Banktivity also exports TXF files that tax software reads, and if you would rather hand the year's documents to an AI tax filing service that reads your 1099s, those exports are a tidy starting point.

What happens to your data if you stop paying?

Banktivity keeps your data on your devices, and its plans page says that whatever the state of your subscription, you will always be able to export your data. Monarch is a hosted service, so when the subscription ends you lose the app; export a CSV of your transactions first, because that file is the only copy you keep.

This is also the strongest argument for doing a full export on the first day with either product, not on the day you decide to leave. With Banktivity, a QIF export with a date range is a complete ledger you can take to another program. With Monarch, the CSV is your record.

Which should a small business owner or landlord pick?

Neither is bookkeeping software, and both work best for household money. Monarch Plus tracks business income and expenses and exports profit and loss reports for tax prep. Banktivity can run separate ledgers, and version 10 lets one Organizer hold independent user accounts, so a family ledger and a small business ledger stay apart.

If a bookkeeper or CPA works in QuickBooks, split the books instead. Keep personal money in Banktivity or Monarch and move the business accounts to QuickBooks. Banktivity's QIF export converts to a QBO Web Connect file that QuickBooks Online and Desktop import like a bank download; the steps are on our Banktivity to QuickBooks page. Banktivity also lets you attach files to transactions on the Mac, which covers a few receipts; for a shoebox of them, pulling receipt totals straight into a spreadsheet is faster than attaching them one by one.

Banktivity vs Monarch: the short verdict

Choose Banktivity if every device in the house is Apple, you care about offline access and local data, you track investments seriously, or you want to bring years of Quicken history in through a QIF import. Choose Monarch if you share finances with someone on Windows or Android, want a partner login at no extra charge, or simply want the budget to work without setting up a ledger. Try both inside the trials, and connect your actual banks on day one, because institution coverage is where either one can fail you.

If you are still comparing, our Banktivity review covers the full price history and exports, Banktivity vs Quicken covers the Quicken side, and Monarch vs Quicken does the same for Monarch. Spreadsheet budgeters should also look at Tiller pricing, and Moneyspire is compared in Moneyspire vs Banktivity.