CountAbout review

CountAbout is pretty simple and straightforward in its structure. It has a web-based design that offers a reasonably comprehensive suite of onscreen tools that cover most bases when it comes to managing your finances. It’s really as simple as that and could come in very useful during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

The extra bonus alongside the connected convenience is that it’s very affordable, and is therefore ideally suited to anyone who needs a helping hand with finance management, but needs to do it on a budget. 

There’s a free 15-day trial available on the CountAbout website too, which provides you with the opportunity to try the service before committing to it and without the need to pay any money. So far, so good. It's up against the likes of Mint, YNAB, Quicken, Moneydance and Pocketguard in the budgeting software stakes.

• Want to try CountAbout? Check out the website here

Pricing

Currently, CountAbout keeps things nice and simple when it comes to the pricing and availability of its services. There are, in essence, two options to choose from with a simple-but-effective Basic package that costs $9.99 annually. For that you get full access to most of the CountAbout features and functions, although more advanced elements are off limits. 

That means you can’t enjoy automatic downloading of bank, credit card and other transactions. There’s also a lot more manual input required. The good news though is that you can plump for a Premium edition instead, with a yearly cost of $39.99 and gain access to all of the extra options. For the money CountAbout therefore seems like pretty good value. 

Adding a little more functionality for $10 a year lets you gain the ability to attach images to transactions. Similarly, there’s an invoicing add-on aimed at small-businesses that lets you create, send and track them, all for $60 extra per annum.

Features

CountAbout is certainly a practical solution, not least of which because it lets you import data from Quicken or Mint. When you sign up you're encouraged to do that early on, and there are some decent instructions that walk you through the steps. 

You also get an easy access Account Maintenance approach, which during setup means you can select the option to have transactions automatically downloaded from the financial institutions you deal with. Once you’re into the main working area you’ll find that the interface is clean, fuss-free and easy to navigate. 

The interface is additionally impressive in that it can be customized to suit your individual needs. For example, any kind of additional category can be added into the left-screen menus, while others that you don't need can be removed. If you need it the ability to add in and manage invoices is also another boon, especially if you’re a small business owner.

Performance

There’s an app edition of CountaAbout for both iOS and Android and either of these are decent enough supplements to the online browser edition. They do, of course, provide you with a one-stop option that can bypass the desktop model altogether if you prefer to keep tabs on your budgeting on the go. 

We’re also encouraged about the way CountAbout has been designed and engineered, with a good level of encryption being built in to ensure that your financial data is as secure as can be. Indeed, CountAbout states that the only personal identifying information it collects from users is their email addresses, and these are not made available to anyone else either. 

The other big bonus here is that CountAbout can be used in tandem with something like Quicken, which means that you’ve got a powerful arsenal of financial management tools at your disposal. And, in the case of CountAbout, that’s for a relatively small outlay too.

Ease of use

You’ll find that CountAbout is really very simple to master, even if you’re something of a novice when it comes to online services. For budgeting and taking care of your finances, CountAbout takes it step-by-step with a very methodical page layout. 

The service features main tabs along the top of the interface, which take you into the core day-to-day management areas of your finances, such as Transactions, Budgets and Reports. You can customize the interface too, with a Widgets option that allows the creations of additional tools aimed at comparing the different aspects of your financial activity. 

We also rather like the Recurring tab, which lets you create and manage regular financial transactions, such as mortgage and rent payments. Meanwhile, the left-hand side of your screen contains other nuts and bolts options, such as an Accounts list, Categories and a Tag list too.

Support

Help is always at hand within the CountAbout interface. There’s a dedicated link to the Help area at the top of the page and this takes you to a comprehensive information area. 

Whilst it might look a bit spartan on first glance this assistance zone packs a decent punch once you get into its inner workings. If you’ve got a specific issue then it’s possible to open a ticket inside here, although you may find many queries and questions can be tackled by dipping into the Knowledge Base. 

We also found the Suggestions area quite a good idea as this lets you tell CountAbout of any issues you think could be tweaked or improved during your experience of the online service.

Final verdict

Overall we think CountAbout has a lot going for it, not least of which is that impressive price tag. Even if you splurge and go for the Premium edition it’s pretty cheap. Combine that with a very easy to master interface, lots of fun and funky options, such as the ability to add custom widgets for even more powerful money management, and you’ve got a winning combination. 

With a free 15-day trial at your disposal it’s really worth giving CountAbout a go and, with it’s minimalistic layout and help on hand when you need it, this budgeting service comes recommended. With a safe and secure design, plus the capacity for co-existing with something like Quicken you’ve got a beefy little option at your disposal if you need to get your budgeting in order fast.

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