VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ A CURATED DIRECTORY OF FINANCIAL TOOLS ★

PRICE: 5 CENTS

Friday, December 12, 2025

Tool Comparison

MSN Money vs Quicken (Simplifi & Classic) comparison

Compare pricing, supported platforms, categories, and standout capabilities to decide which tool fits your workflow.

Quick takeaways

MSN Money adds Calendar, Scores, ETF Overview, Fund Performance, and Retirement Calculator coverage that Quicken (Simplifi & Classic) skips.

Quicken (Simplifi & Classic) includes Portfolio, Tax Lots / Lot Optimization, Capital Gains Estimator, Downloadable Tax Reports, Alerts, and Broker Connectors categories that MSN Money omits.

MSN Money has a free tier, while Quicken (Simplifi & Classic) requires a paid plan.

In depth comparison

MSN Money

msn.com

Hands-on review

Free, ad-supported financial news and market data portal from Microsoft. Watchlists sync across web and mobile when logged into a Microsoft account. Quotes are delayed on most exchanges (10–20 minutes or end-of-day), with Nasdaq last-sale data in real time. Earnings calendar data is powered by Zacks, while fundamentals and charts come from Refinitiv.

Platforms

WebMobileDesktop

Pricing

Free

Quick highlights

Free finance news aggregation from thousands of publishers in an ad-supported environment.
Customizable watchlists for stocks, ETFs, and mutual funds; desktop supports multiple lists, while mobile apps manage a single main list.
Quote latency varies by venue: Nasdaq last-sale and Dow Jones indices are real time, while many global exchanges update with 10–20 minute or end-of-day delays.
Fundamentals, charts, and fund data provided by Refinitiv; OTC coverage from OTC Markets; stock “Grades” powered by S&P Global Market Intelligence.
Earnings calendar and estimates sourced from Zacks Investment Research.

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Quicken (Simplifi & Classic)

quicken.com

Consumer-focused personal finance suite with strong investment tracking, tax planning, and retirement tools. Quicken Simplifi (web/mobile) offers an aggregated investments dashboard with IRR/TWR, real-time prices, and a holdings-based news feed, while Quicken Classic (desktop) adds Portfolio Analyzer, Portfolio X-Ray, Capital Gains Estimator, and deeper tax/retirement planning. Quicken is an account aggregation, tracking, and planning tool — not a trading platform — and is designed for use in the U.S. & Canada only. Many advanced investing and tax capabilities (Portfolio Analyzer, Capital Gains Estimator, built-in Schedules A/B/D, some business schedules) are available only in Classic Premier or Classic Business & Personal tiers, primarily on Windows.

Platforms

DesktopWebMobile

Pricing

Subscription

Quick highlights

Aggregates virtually all major investment account types (401(k), IRAs, brokerage, 403(b), other retirement accounts, and taxable brokerage) from 14,000+ financial institutions into a single portfolio view showing holdings, balances, performance, and retirement savings across all accounts (Simplifi & Classic).
Simplifi investments dashboard calculates both Time-Weighted Return (TWR) and Internal Rate of Return (IRR) across accounts, updates values with real-time market prices, and provides a curated news feed based on your specific holdings.
Classic portfolio tools (Portfolio view, Investing tab, and Investing portfolio tab on Mac) show market value over time, standard performance views (value, performance, realized gains), and allow grouping by account type, security, or asset class, including “as of” snapshots.
Portfolio Analyzer in Classic creates a comprehensive report with average annual return, asset allocation snapshot, standard-deviation-based risk profile, largest holdings and accounts, and a “Tax implications” section summarizing realized gains and holding periods.
Portfolio X-Ray in Classic analyzes mutual funds, ETFs, and other equity funds to “look through” underlying holdings and reveal true exposure to individual equities, improving diversification insight.

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Where they differ

MSN Money

Distinct strengths include:

Calendar Scores ETF Overview Fund Performance Retirement Calculator

Free finance news aggregation from thousands of publishers in an ad-supported environment.
Customizable watchlists for stocks, ETFs, and mutual funds; desktop supports multiple lists, while mobile apps manage a single main list.
Quote latency varies by venue: Nasdaq last-sale and Dow Jones indices are real time, while many global exchanges update with 10–20 minute or end-of-day delays.
Fundamentals, charts, and fund data provided by Refinitiv; OTC coverage from OTC Markets; stock “Grades” powered by S&P Global Market Intelligence.

Quicken (Simplifi & Classic)

Distinct strengths include:

Portfolio Tax Lots / Lot Optimization Capital Gains Estimator Downloadable Tax Reports Alerts Broker Connectors

Aggregates virtually all major investment account types (401(k), IRAs, brokerage, 403(b), other retirement accounts, and taxable brokerage) from 14,000+ financial institutions into a single portfolio view showing holdings, balances, performance, and retirement savings across all accounts (Simplifi & Classic).
Simplifi investments dashboard calculates both Time-Weighted Return (TWR) and Internal Rate of Return (IRR) across accounts, updates values with real-time market prices, and provides a curated news feed based on your specific holdings.
Classic portfolio tools (Portfolio view, Investing tab, and Investing portfolio tab on Mac) show market value over time, standard performance views (value, performance, realized gains), and allow grouping by account type, security, or asset class, including “as of” snapshots.
Portfolio Analyzer in Classic creates a comprehensive report with average annual return, asset allocation snapshot, standard-deviation-based risk profile, largest holdings and accounts, and a “Tax implications” section summarizing realized gains and holding periods.

Feature-by-feature breakdown

Attribute	MSN Money	Quicken (Simplifi & Classic)
Categories Which research workflows each platform targets	Shared: News, Watchlist, Financials Unique: Calendar, Scores, ETF Overview, Fund Performance, Retirement Calculator	Shared: News, Watchlist, Financials Unique: Portfolio, Tax Lots / Lot Optimization, Capital Gains Estimator, Downloadable Tax Reports, Alerts, Broker Connectors
Asset types Supported asset classes and universes	Stocks, ETFs, Mutual Funds, Commodities, Currencies	Stocks, ETFs, Mutual Funds, Bonds, Cryptos, Funds
Experience levels Who each product is built for	Beginner, Intermediate	Beginner, Intermediate
Platforms Where you can access the product	Web, Mobile, Desktop	Desktop, Web, Mobile
Pricing High-level pricing models	Free	Subscription
Key features Core capabilities called out by each vendor	Unique Free finance news aggregation from thousands of publishers in an ad-supported environment. Customizable watchlists for stocks, ETFs, and mutual funds; desktop supports multiple lists, while mobile apps manage a single main list. Quote latency varies by venue: Nasdaq last-sale and Dow Jones indices are real time, while many global exchanges update with 10–20 minute or end-of-day delays. Fundamentals, charts, and fund data provided by Refinitiv; OTC coverage from OTC Markets; stock “Grades” powered by S&P Global Market Intelligence. Earnings calendar and estimates sourced from Zacks Investment Research. Mobile apps extend functionality: Android offers calculators for mortgages, currency conversion, tips, and retirement planning, while iOS supports stock tracking and watchlists.	Unique Aggregates virtually all major investment account types (401(k), IRAs, brokerage, 403(b), other retirement accounts, and taxable brokerage) from 14,000+ financial institutions into a single portfolio view showing holdings, balances, performance, and retirement savings across all accounts (Simplifi & Classic). Simplifi investments dashboard calculates both Time-Weighted Return (TWR) and Internal Rate of Return (IRR) across accounts, updates values with real-time market prices, and provides a curated news feed based on your specific holdings. Classic portfolio tools (Portfolio view, Investing tab, and Investing portfolio tab on Mac) show market value over time, standard performance views (value, performance, realized gains), and allow grouping by account type, security, or asset class, including “as of” snapshots. Portfolio Analyzer in Classic creates a comprehensive report with average annual return, asset allocation snapshot, standard-deviation-based risk profile, largest holdings and accounts, and a “Tax implications” section summarizing realized gains and holding periods. Portfolio X-Ray in Classic analyzes mutual funds, ETFs, and other equity funds to “look through” underlying holdings and reveal true exposure to individual equities, improving diversification insight. Capital Gains Estimator (Classic investing tiers) lets you model potential sales before you trade by proposing lots to sell, estimating proceeds, and showing projected capital gains using your tax bracket settings and Term (short/long) breakdown; it integrates with the Tax Planner for more accurate projections.
Tested Verified by hands-on testing inside Find My Moat	Yes	Not yet
Editor pick Featured inside curated shortlists	Standard listing	Standard listing

Frequently Asked Questions

Which workflows do MSN Money and Quicken (Simplifi & Classic) both support?

Both platforms cover News, Watchlist, and Financials workflows, so you can research those use cases in either tool before digging into the feature differences below.

Which tool offers a free plan?

MSN Money offers a free entry point, while Quicken (Simplifi & Classic) requires a paid subscription. Review the pricing table to see how the paid tiers compare.

How can you access MSN Money and Quicken (Simplifi & Classic)?

Both MSN Money and Quicken (Simplifi & Classic) support web and mobile access, making it easy to keep tabs on research away from the desk.

What unique strengths set the two platforms apart?

MSN Money differentiates itself with Free finance news aggregation from thousands of publishers in an ad-supported environment., Customizable watchlists for stocks, ETFs, and mutual funds; desktop supports multiple lists, while mobile apps manage a single main list., and Quote latency varies by venue: Nasdaq last-sale and Dow Jones indices are real time, while many global exchanges update with 10–20 minute or end-of-day delays., whereas Quicken (Simplifi & Classic) stands out for Aggregates virtually all major investment account types (401(k), IRAs, brokerage, 403(b), other retirement accounts, and taxable brokerage) from 14,000+ financial institutions into a single portfolio view showing holdings, balances, performance, and retirement savings across all accounts (Simplifi & Classic)., Simplifi investments dashboard calculates both Time-Weighted Return (TWR) and Internal Rate of Return (IRR) across accounts, updates values with real-time market prices, and provides a curated news feed based on your specific holdings., and Classic portfolio tools (Portfolio view, Investing tab, and Investing portfolio tab on Mac) show market value over time, standard performance views (value, performance, realized gains), and allow grouping by account type, security, or asset class, including “as of” snapshots..

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