Thoughts on Buxfer?

September 4, 2019 7:23 AM

The money app Buxfer looks like exactly what I want in a budgeting software. But for some reason, I can't really find a ton of people using it, though it seems to have some clear advantages over Mint and YNAB (which I just couldn't get a grip on.) Am I missing something? Thanks!
posted by heavenknows to Work & Money (3 answers total)

Why people aren't using it: because there are a ton of options, and it does seem like there's much buzz about it. Especially with aggregators like Yodlee and Plaid, it's easy (ish) to create a budgeting app that does the basics. It's much harder to create one that does something different and new -- the devil's in the details! Part of what it means is that people have very individual needs and mental models around how money works, and also that the barrier to entry just isn't all that high.

Out of curiosity: what are you trying to do that Mint and YNAB don't do, and that Buxfer does? What's working for you?

I don't see any immediate red flags, although having been around since 2013 and not having a comparatively big active user base, it's hard to know whether it's actively being improved upon.
posted by chesty_a_arthur at 8:24 AM on September 4, 2019

The mobile app is a disaster, that's why. If you are a desktop user, that's a non-issue and all is well.
posted by DarlingBri at 8:48 AM on September 4, 2019

Ridiculously, there are five different pricing tiers. The top-shelf version costs 43% more than YNAB, and it doesn't look like the extra money buys much.

I've used YNAB since it was purchased software. I wasn't happy with the price increase when they went to the subscription model, so I looked around. I played with Buxfer a bit and got the impression that it's not shaped by a cohesive philosophy; the developers seem to just be throwing features at the wall and seeing what sticks.
posted by jon1270 at 4:31 PM on September 4, 2019