Cha-Ching: Money Management on Mac
I enjoyed using iBank for a long time, but a new application called Cha-Ching has popped up and really got my attention. It is pretty much the same thing as iBank although I haven’t seen a chart/graphing feature in Cha-Ching.
Even though there is no charts and graphs in Cha-Ching, I think I will actually start using it over iBank. It has much more of an Apple feel to it. The interface and flow seems to be something that is easier and clearer to understand then iBank. It’s ‘pretty’ application!
Unfortunately I don’t think I’ll be able to bring in my iBank data but I am not to worried about that, it does give you the option to import QIF files so Quicken users will find that useful. Cha-Ching has 4 types of accounts, Checking, Savings, Credit and Online. Nice and simple. You can also make budgets, folders and Smart Folders. The Smart Folders blends VERY nicely with their tagging feature. For example, if I wanted a folder with all transactions that had to do with ‘computers’, I could tag those transactions and then create a Smart Folder that included all transactions with the ‘computer(s)’ tag! It’s so easy!
You can also share over Bonjour. I find this feature to be nice because I can share my stuff with my girlfriend who happens to be a banker! She can check what I put in and make sure it’s right! You can share on a per folder basis too. You can password the shares too.
Currently Cha-Ching only allows you to backup your database to a .Mac account. That’s great for people who have an account but I don’t. Instead I created an Automator action that takes the database file (found in ~/Library/Application Support/Cha_Ching/) and uploads it to my own server. It uses Transmit to upload the file.
You can download a trial version of Cha-Ching. It let’s you do up-to 100 transactions and then you need to register your copy. It’s only $40 and I have a feeling that it’s going to be a well-spent $40. You can download a copy from: