CountAbout Review 2026: Budget-Friendly Alternative to Quicken and YNAB

Rating: 4.2/5 ⭐

If you're scrambling to find a replacement after Mint shut down, or you're tired of Quicken's price hikes and connection issues, CountAbout might be exactly what you need. This cloud-based budgeting tool has been quietly serving users since 2012, and it does something most competitors can't: import your complete financial history from Quicken or Mint without losing a single transaction.

At $9.99 per year for the basic plan (or $39.99 for premium features), CountAbout costs a fraction of what you'd pay for YNAB ($109/year) or Quicken. But low price doesn't always mean good value. After testing CountAbout extensively, here's what you actually get for your money—and who should consider making the switch.

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What Is CountAbout?

CountAbout is a web-based personal finance application that helps you track spending, manage budgets, and organize your financial life. Developed by Joseph Carpenter, a long-time Quicken user frustrated with the lack of mobile-friendly options, the software focuses on doing the basics really well rather than overwhelming you with features you'll never use.

The platform works across web browsers and has mobile apps for both iOS and Android. Everything syncs automatically, so whether you're reviewing transactions on your laptop or checking your budget on your phone, you're always looking at current data.

CountAbout offers two plans:

Standard Plan ($9.99/year): Manual transaction entry, QIF file imports from banks, customizable budgets and categories, comprehensive reporting, and mobile access.

Premium Plan ($39.99/year): Everything in Standard plus automatic transaction downloads from thousands of financial institutions, eliminating most manual data entry.

Both plans come with a 45-day free trial—substantially longer than the 7-14 day trials most competitors offer. This gives you enough time to import your data, connect your accounts, and actually use the software in real life before committing.

Key Features That Matter

Seamless Data Migration from Quicken and Mint

This is CountAbout's biggest differentiator. If you've been tracking finances in Quicken or Mint for years, you're not starting from scratch. CountAbout imports your complete transaction history, categories, and account information through a straightforward process.

For Quicken users, you export a QIF file from Quicken and upload it to CountAbout. The import preserves your categories, payees, and transaction details going back as far as your Quicken data extends. For Mint users, CountAbout sends you an email link that connects to Mint and exports your data directly.

Why this matters: Your financial history is valuable. It helps you spot spending patterns, prepare accurate tax reports, and understand how your finances have evolved over time. Most budgeting apps force you to start fresh, losing years of data in the process.

Automatic Bank Syncing (Premium Only)

Premium subscribers can connect to over 12,500 financial institutions for automatic transaction downloads. CountAbout uses Yodlee as their data aggregator—the same service used by many major financial apps.

Once connected, transactions typically appear within minutes of purchase. The software even shows pending transactions, which Quicken doesn't do. This real-time visibility helps you avoid overdrafts and stay aware of exactly where you stand financially.

The catch: Some users report occasional connection issues with certain banks, particularly credit unions. When this happens, CountAbout's support team is responsive, but you may need to manually refresh connections or temporarily enter transactions by hand.

Customizable Categories That Actually Work

Unlike rigid budgeting systems that force you into predetermined categories, CountAbout lets you create, rename, merge, or delete categories to match your actual life. Don't have pets? Delete the "Pet Care" category. Run a side business? Create custom categories for different revenue streams or business expenses.

You can also set up subcategories for granular tracking. For example, under "Transportation" you might have subcategories for gas, insurance, maintenance, and parking. This flexibility makes it easier to spot exactly where your money goes without drowning in unnecessary detail.

FIRE Widget for Financial Independence Tracking

CountAbout includes a specialized widget for people pursuing Financial Independence, Retire Early (FIRE). It tracks your monthly expenses against passive income sources and projects when your passive income will exceed your spending.

You can adjust retirement withdrawal rates (the classic 4% rule or your own percentage) and see how your investments stack up against your lifestyle costs. For anyone working toward financial independence, this visualization makes an abstract goal feel concrete and trackable.

Real talk: This feature won't replace dedicated FIRE calculators or investment planning tools, but it's useful for quick checks on whether you're on track.

Reporting and Visualization

CountAbout generates detailed reports on spending patterns, income trends, net worth, and category breakdowns. You can customize date ranges, filter by specific accounts or categories, and export reports for tax preparation.

The visual graphs and charts are clean and easy to interpret. Pie charts show spending distribution across categories, line graphs track trends over time, and bar charts compare actual spending against budgeted amounts. Nothing revolutionary here, but the reports are practical and genuinely useful.

Mobile Apps That Don't Frustrate You

The iOS and Android apps offer full functionality, not the watered-down versions some competitors provide. You can enter transactions, review budgets, check account balances, and run reports from your phone. The interface is straightforward and works reliably without constant crashes or sync errors.

Pricing: Is It Worth It?

Let's break down what you actually get for your money:

Standard Plan at $9.99/year gives you everything except automatic bank downloads. You'll manually enter transactions or download QIF files from your bank's website and import them. For people who check their finances weekly and don't mind spending 10-15 minutes updating transactions, this works fine. At less than a dollar per month, it's hard to beat for basic budgeting.

Premium Plan at $39.99/year adds automatic transaction syncing with your banks. This is where CountAbout becomes genuinely convenient. For most people, the $30 annual difference is worth it to avoid manual data entry and ensure your budget always reflects current information.

Compare this to alternatives:

• YNAB: $109/year (nearly 3x the cost of CountAbout Premium)
• Quicken Simplifi: $47.88/year (similar price but users report more connection issues)
• Mint: Free but shut down, and was ad-supported

The 45-day trial gives you Premium features to test the automatic downloads. If they work reliably with your specific banks, Premium is worth it. If you run into connection problems during the trial, you can downgrade to Standard without losing your imported data.

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Who Should Use CountAbout?

CountAbout is best for:

• Quicken or Mint refugees who want to preserve their financial history while escaping high costs or dead platforms
• Budget-conscious users who need solid budgeting tools without paying $100+ per year
• People with straightforward finances who want to track spending, manage budgets, and generate reports without unnecessary complexity
• FIRE enthusiasts who appreciate having dedicated tracking for financial independence goals

CountAbout probably isn't for you if:

• You need sophisticated investment tracking, portfolio analysis, or stock transaction imports
• Your finances require advanced planning tools like debt payoff calculators or multi-year financial projections
• You prefer zero-based budgeting methodology (YNAB does this better)
• You absolutely need guaranteed, perfect bank connections with zero maintenance (no app can promise this, but some are more reliable than others)

Final Verdict

What CountAbout does well:

• Genuinely affordable pricing that doesn't feel like a bait-and-switch
• Actually imports your Quicken/Mint data completely, preserving years of history
• Clean, functional interface that doesn't try to do too much
• Responsive customer support (users consistently report quick, helpful responses)
• No advertisements cluttering your financial dashboard

Where it falls short:

• Bank connection reliability varies—some institutions work flawlessly, others require occasional troubleshooting
• Limited investment tracking compared to Quicken's investment features
• Smaller user community means fewer third-party resources, tutorials, or integrations

Bottom line: CountAbout succeeds by focusing on core budgeting without the bloat. It's not trying to be your comprehensive financial planning suite, your investment portfolio manager, or your loan calculator. It tracks your spending, helps you budget, and generates useful reports—all for a price that won't wreck your budget.

If you're looking for straightforward budget tracking and you don't want to pay YNAB prices or deal with Quicken's complexity, CountAbout is worth testing. The 45-day trial is long enough to properly evaluate whether it works with your banks and fits your workflow. For many users switching from Quicken or searching for a Mint replacement, it's exactly the practical, affordable solution they need.

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