Best Of Money Management: ClearCheckbook

I'm a naturally forgetful person. I'm sure you can tell, I forgot to put up a post yesterday. So finding a good money management App for my wife and I was a challenge and necessity. I needed something easy, accessible everywhere, and something we both could use. I've tried them all, and at least in my case, simpler is better.

ClearCheckbook for iPhone, Android and Web is the least flashy of the finance management Apps we've used. The interface is extremely monochrome and straight-forward. But I don't really need flair, I need function. And as you can see, flair is nowhere to be found.

You'll need to create a log in, which is standard for management Apps.

See what I mean about the UI? If it was any less flashy, it would be a blank white screen.

Here is your account overview. Now, unlike services such as Mint, there's no need to trust your bank account info to some random developer. Instead, ClearCheckbook requires user input exclusively. This means, you need to stay on top of it by balancing against your bank account often (if not daily). This is great for me because it forces me to be aware of my expenses.

When you enter a transaction, which is thankfully idiot-proof, you have the option of entering a category. Categories will help you later when you want to view a collective graph of where your money is going. This is very useful for creating budgets and helping you realize how much money you spend eating out (spoiler: too much). The graphs are simple and easy to read, but limited if you're using the free version. 

One fantastic feature, and one of the main reasons I use this App, is the web client. I can get on my computer and view a much more detailed version of what I see on my phone. Having the single log in means my wife can download the app on her iPhone and everything is in sync. It would have been nice for them to include multiple log in support, but that's forgivable. However, I will say that sometimes I need to hit the sync button or I'll be looking at old information. Syncing can take anywhere from 5 seconds to a minute. Which is a little ridiculous considering its just syncing numbers, It's not like I'm uploading images or videos.

My wife, who has a great eye for design, dislikes the UI. And I don't disagree. It might behoove them to hire a designer to update the interface. It looks like an old version of Microsoft Excel or something. Simple is good, but this isn't simple, it's busy.

Another thing that took a little getting used to was "Jiving" my transactions. They could have used a better word. "Cleared" or some banking term we're familiar with would have been nice. But we're used to it now. It's just weird.

I love how easy it is to manage multiple accounts. You can transfer between them, add, edit, and delete transactions, and it's usable from any web browser. I've gotten in the habit of keeping all of my receipts to enter when I have a free second. Keeping track of our finances in such a universal way has saved us plenty of headache. If you're still using an old check register, you'll be right at home here.