CNET Editors' review
Buddi is a finance management program that's poised with potential. Open source and free, it offers a cross-platform, extensible experience wrapped up in a simple tabbed interface. As they say in the money biz, it looks great on paper.
The app can create new accounts from four credit types--cash, checking, investment, and savings--and five debit types--credit card, liability, line of credit, loan, and prepaid account. People can create their own account types, too, and take brief notes on an account. Strangely, the notes don't seem to surface anywhere. Under the My Budget tab, you can add transactions under different default categories such as Salary, Auto, and Misc. Expenses, or you can create your own. To enter a new transaction, double-click on the account or budget category under which it has occurred. From there, preexisting accounts and transaction titles have automatically been added to the drop-down menus to accelerate the new transaction creation process. Buddi generates reports and pie charts on command by income, average income, expenses, and net worth.
This is a good start in terms of features, but the execution leaves much room for improvement. There's no context menu support, no drag-and-drop support, and the forced need to jump between tabs to see how expenses and income relates to specific accounts feels antiquated compared to newer financial management programs and Web sites. While we appreciate that Buddi supports plug-ins, including ones that provide CSV and QIF import and export, there's no native account importation or synchronization. Buddi's interface doesn't facilitate an intuitive-enough work flow to cut down on the immense effort that the lack of syncing will mandate from users.
Publisher's Description
From Wyatt Olson:
Buddi is a personal finance and budgeting program, aimed at those who have little or no financial background. In making this software, I have attempted to make things as simple as possible, while still retaining enough functions to satisfy most home users. Buddi includes the ability to create a budget, record transactions, and view reports on how well you are keeping to your budget.
More Popular Personal Finance Software downloads
- Amortization Schedule for Excel
2,185 downloads
- Moffsoft FreeCalc
780 downloads
- Quicken Deluxe 2012
650 downloads
- AceMoney Lite
583 downloads
- Home Budget
494 downloads
-
All versions:
1.0 starsout of 2 votes
-
Current version:
0 stars Be the first to review this product -
My rating:
Write review
Results 1-2 of 2
-
"Don't bother download"
Version: Buddi 3.2.2.4
Pros
Please enter at least 10 chjaracters? What the...
Cons
Not worht a penny, maybe for free. User UNfriendly interface, opens up too many windows; silly structure, looks like old VisualBasic programs from the WIn95 days.
Summary
Don't bother
-
"It was not good for me."
Version: Buddi 2.9.23
Add Your Review
Submit your reply
E-mail this review
Report offensive content
See more CNET content tagged:
Previous Versions:
