If Simplifi’s renewal may jump to $77.88/year while some new users may still see $47.88/year, the price gap alone may be enough to look elsewhere. But the better pick may depend less on price and more on what you want the app to do every week: budget better, track net worth, or watch investments more closely.
Here’s the short version:
- Mezzi may fit people who care most about investment and tax visibility
- Monarch Money may fit households that want budgeting and investing in one place
- Empower may fit people who want a free dashboard for net worth and portfolios
- Copilot Money may fit Apple users who want clean spending tracking
- YNAB may fit people who want strict, hands-on zero-based budgeting
I’d narrow the choice with four simple filters:
- Linked accounts: Does it connect to your bank, cards, loans, and brokerage accounts?
- Budgeting style: Do you want active budgeting or just spending summaries?
- Investment view: Do you want balances only, or holdings, allocation, and tax-related detail too?
- Annual cost: Does the price still make sense after the switch work?
A few price points stand out:
- Simplifi renewal may be $77.88/year
- Monarch may cost $99.99/year
- Copilot may cost about $95/year
- YNAB may cost $109/year
- Mezzi may start at $299/year
- Empower’s dashboard may be free
Quicken Simplifi Alternatives: Side-by-Side Comparison 2024
Quicken Simplifi vs Monarch: I Tested Both For 2.5 Years! (Results!)
Quick Comparison
| App | Linked account coverage | Budgeting approach | Investment tracking | Annual cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mezzi | Major U.S. banks, brokerages, credit unions, retirement accounts | Light budgeting | Deep portfolio and tax-aware visibility | $299+ |
| Monarch Money | Banks, cards, loans, brokerages | Flexible budgeting with shared household tools | Solid portfolio view | $99.99 |
| Empower | Banks, cards, loans, 401(k)s, IRAs, brokerages | Basic spending tools | Strong free portfolio dashboard | $0 |
| Copilot Money | U.S. accounts, Apple Card, Venmo, some crypto | Spending-focused with rollover budgets | Basic portfolio visibility | $95 |
| YNAB | Best for bank and card imports; lighter for investments | Zero-based, hands-on budgeting | Limited for investing | $109 |
So if I were leaving Simplifi, I’d frame it this way: YNAB and Monarch may be the better picks for budgeting, Empower may be the low-cost dashboard pick, Copilot may suit Apple-first users, and Mezzi may fit investment-heavy households. The rest of the article breaks down those tradeoffs without repeating Simplifi’s feature list.
1. Mezzi
If you're leaving Simplifi because you want deeper investment oversight, Mezzi may be the closest match. It's built more for investors who want tax-aware portfolio insight than for people looking for a budgeting replacement. Mezzi connects to major U.S. banks, brokerages, credit unions, and retirement accounts through read-only connections via Plaid and Finicity. You link the accounts you already have, so assets stay where they are.
Account Aggregation
Mezzi supports checking, savings, credit cards, loans, and investment accounts across major U.S. institutions. Some smaller regional credit unions may still need a manual import, but most large accounts may be connected directly.
Budgeting
Budgeting isn't Mezzi's strong suit. It's generally a better fit for investment insight than for hands-on budgeting.
Investment and Tax Visibility
This is where Mezzi stands out. Its X-Ray tool flags overlap across ETFs, mutual funds, and individual positions. That may be useful if you hold similar investments in more than one account and don't realize it.
On the tax side, Mezzi identifies tax-loss harvesting candidates, flags wash sale risk across multiple accounts, and suggests asset placement across Roth, traditional, and taxable accounts. It does not trade or move money.
Pricing and Migration
Mezzi's listed annual plans are $299 for Core, $499 for Plus, and $1,499 for White Glove. Core includes 24/7 AI chat, X-Ray analysis, tax optimization guidance, and returns analysis across connected accounts.
Switching is mostly a matter of linking your current accounts, since Mezzi is designed to work without account transfers. If your main goal may be spending control instead, the next option may be a better fit.
2. Monarch Money
If you want a full budgeting upgrade without giving up investment visibility, Monarch may be the closest all-in-one move. If budgeting matters as much as investing, Monarch may be the more balanced choice for some people.
### Account Aggregation and Alternatives
Monarch connects to U.S. banks, credit cards, loans, and brokerage accounts. It uses a subscription-only model with no ads or data sales.
Budgeting
Monarch's budgeting tools are the main draw. It supports customizable categories, rollover budgeting, shared household budgets, and cash-flow tracking. That setup also keeps spending and portfolio data in one dashboard, which may make day-to-day money tracking feel less scattered.
Investment and Tax Visibility
Monarch shows holdings and account performance across connected investment accounts.
Pricing and Migration
Monarch is priced at $99.99/year. For users who want a broader money view, Monarch may keep the transition from Simplifi relatively simple.
3. Empower
Empower puts portfolio tracking first and budgeting second. So it may be a cleaner fit for readers who mainly want free account aggregation and a clear view of investments, rather than deeper budgeting tools.
Account Aggregation
Empower links banks, credit cards, loans, 401(k)s, IRAs, and taxable brokerage accounts in one dashboard.
Budgeting
Budgeting is basic, but it may cover the basics for some people. Empower gives you a monthly spending target and a month-to-date spending widget. Transactions are auto-categorized into groups like Food and Entertainment, and you may relabel or split them when needed.
That said, it lacks zero-based budgeting, envelope systems, advanced debt payoff tools, and detailed bill scheduling. If you’re used to Simplifi, Empower may feel lighter and less hands-on.
Investment and Tax Visibility
This is where Empower may stand out. Once your accounts are linked, it shows asset allocation, flags high-fee funds, and runs Monte Carlo-style retirement projections.
It may also separate tax-advantaged accounts like 401(k)s and IRAs from taxable brokerage accounts. That may make it easier to spot where tax-inefficient holdings sit. Roth conversion modeling and tax-loss harvesting are part of its paid wealth management offering.
Pricing and Migration
The Personal Dashboard is free for U.S. consumers. If you want Empower to manage investments, paid wealth management starts at about 0.89% AUM with a $100,000 minimum.
Moving over usually means relinking accounts and rebuilding budgets. Simplifi’s rules, category history, and multi-year budget data do not transfer. Empower’s net-worth and investment views populate automatically once accounts sync, so the main setup work may be on the budgeting side. For readers who mostly want to keep an eye on investments, that may make the switch feel simpler.
4. Copilot Money
Copilot Money may fit iPhone, iPad, and Mac users who want a polished spending app. There’s no Android app, and it only supports U.S.-based financial accounts. For former Simplifi users, the main question may be pretty simple: do you care more about cleaner spending tools, stronger investment tracking, or some mix of both?
Account Aggregation
Copilot connects to U.S. banks, credit cards, loans, brokerages, Apple Card, Venmo, and some crypto accounts through Plaid and other aggregators.
If the account coverage works for you, budgeting style may end up being the main difference-maker.
Budgeting
Copilot uses AI categorization that may improve as you correct transactions. It also supports rollover budgets for uneven expenses, so unspent money carries forward instead of resetting each month. Compared with some other apps, Copilot may be lighter on forecasting, but it appears more focused on spending, subscriptions, and recurring bills.
For investors, Copilot’s main use may be visibility rather than tax strategy.
Investment and Tax Visibility
Copilot shows balances, performance, and asset allocation across investment accounts. Where supported, it also shows cost basis and unrealized gains, but it does not model taxes or recommend tax-loss harvesting. Its tax use may be fairly limited: custom spending categories like Charitable, Medical, or Home Office may make tax prep easier, but it is not a tax-planning engine.
Pricing and Migration
Copilot costs $13/month or $95/year, and it typically includes a 30-day free trial. Migration may feel more like a fresh start than a smooth transfer. Copilot usually imports only a few months of history, so you may need to reconnect accounts and rebuild categories.
5. YNAB
If Simplifi felt too passive, YNAB goes the other way. It leans into active budgeting. The system uses zero-based budgeting, which means every dollar gets a job before you spend it. That may make it a better fit for people who want close control over spending, not a broad money dashboard.
Account Aggregation
YNAB supports linked checking, savings, and credit card accounts for transaction imports. For investment, retirement, and HSA/401(k) accounts, it may work better as a tracking tool than as a full-feed aggregator.
Budgeting
YNAB’s zero-based approach asks for more hands-on work than Simplifi’s cash-flow setup. You plan categories, set targets, and reconcile on a regular basis. For people dealing with overspending or uneven cash flow, that structure may feel useful. The tradeoff is more manual work than Simplifi.
It tends to work best when you check in daily or weekly. That’s the core tradeoff: more manual control, with the goal of tighter spending discipline. That difference carries into the recap below.
Investment and Tax Visibility
You may track balance changes across investment accounts, but YNAB does not show holdings, performance, or tax-aware portfolio views. Tracking accounts also do not flow into spending or income reports. If investment visibility was part of how you used Simplifi, YNAB may not replace that part of the experience.
Pricing and Migration
YNAB costs $14.99/month or $109/year when billed annually. There’s no free tier. Migration works more like a reset than a transfer. YNAB recommends starting from today, using past spending only to set targets, and rebuilding the budget by hand. So, some setup time may be part of the switch, rather than a one-click move.
For Simplifi switchers, the main question may be whether that reset feels worth it for the added budget discipline.
Pros and Cons
If Simplifi’s higher renewal price made you look around, this table may give you the fastest way to narrow the field. After the deeper breakdowns above, this recap shows which app may fit each use case best.
| Product | Best For | Pros | Cons | Not Ideal If |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mezzi | Investment-heavy users who want fiduciary guidance without a 1% AUM fee | Fiduciary guidance, tax-aware portfolio insight, and overlap detection. No account transfers required. | Starts at $299/year; not built for day-to-day budgeting | You mainly want to track day-to-day spending or build a cash-flow budget |
| Monarch Money | Users who want budgeting and investing in one app | Flexible budgeting plus investment tracking in one dashboard | Less specialized for portfolio analysis | You want tax-aware portfolio guidance or fiduciary-level advice |
| Empower | Users who want a broad financial dashboard | Free account and investment dashboard | Weak budgeting tools | You want a budgeting-first replacement |
| Copilot Money | Apple users who want a polished spending app | Clean spending tracking | Limited portfolio and tax visibility | You need deeper portfolio or tax visibility |
| YNAB | Users who want a hands-on budgeting system | Strong budgeting framework | Not built for investment tracking | You want portfolio visibility |
A simple way to read the table: start with your main goal. If you care most about spending control, one set of apps may make more sense. If you want all-in-one tracking, the list shifts. And if portfolio oversight sits at the top, that may point you in a different direction.
Price still matters, but it may only make sense once the fit question feels settled. Mezzi Core starts at $299/year, with pricing centered on advice and tax-aware portfolio analysis.
Conclusion
After Simplifi's price hike, the best replacement may depend on whether you care more about budgeting, investing, or a mix of both. The choice may come back to the same four filters used above: aggregation, budgeting, investment tracking, and migration effort.
For zero-based budgeting, YNAB may offer the most hands-on structure. If you want budgeting and investing in one place, the next two options may lean more toward convenience than strict control. Monarch Money at $99.99/year may be the best all-in-one pick for households that want budgeting and investment tracking together. Empower may be the simplest free option if you want a net worth and investment dashboard without deep budgeting tools. Copilot Money may fit Apple users who want a clean interface, automated categorization, and solid spending plus portfolio tracking at about $95/year.
If investing matters more than budgeting, one option may stand apart. If your portfolio has grown to the point where tax-aware portfolio guidance, overlap detection, and fiduciary-level visibility matter more than monthly budgeting, Mezzi is built for that. It is designed to help you see the full picture across accounts and surface tax optimization opportunities without transferring your assets.
The tradeoff across these tools is pretty simple: the deeper the budgeting, the lighter the investment analysis may be. YNAB sits on the budget-first end. Empower and Mezzi lean more toward investing and portfolio visibility. Monarch and Copilot sit in the middle, each with a different set of strengths.
Choose the app that matches the main job you want it to do: spending control, portfolio visibility, or both.
FAQs
How hard is it to switch from Simplifi?
Switching to Mezzi may be pretty straightforward. With secure, read-only connections through Plaid and Finicity, you usually may not need to manually move complex historical data.
Just create an account, link your financial institutions, and Mezzi may automatically consolidate and analyze your portfolio. If an account may not sync automatically, Mezzi also supports CSV imports from over 50 brokers.
Which app is best for investing, not budgeting?
For investors who may care more about portfolio management than budgeting, Mezzi may be a strong choice. It’s built for self-directed investors and offers AI-driven insights, tax-loss harvesting, cross-account wash-sale monitoring, and portfolio X-Ray analysis.
Instead of centering on budgeting, Mezzi is designed to turn your financial data into investment decisions you may act on without requiring you to move assets or pay advisory fees based on assets under management.
Will I lose my past budget history?
Usually, yes - if you close an account on a platform like Empower, you may lose access to the historical data stored there.
If you want to keep your records, it may make sense to export your financial data before closing the account. That may include transaction history and account summaries.
Disclosures:
- This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice or a recommendation to buy or sell any security.
- Past performance is not indicative of future results. No guarantee of future performance or outcomes is implied.
- Savings and performance examples are hypothetical and for illustrative purposes only. Actual results will vary based on individual circumstances, portfolio composition, market conditions, and fees.
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