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Comparison
Clarity vs Simplifi by Quicken
Simplifi is a clean, lower-cost budgeting product with decent traditional account coverage. Clarity earns the premium by extending that base into crypto, on-chain assets, AI categorization, and more complete portfolio reporting.
- Feature-by-feature
- Public-source notes
- Switch guidance
Best fit for Clarity
Full-stack tracking: banks, crypto, DeFi, and investments with AI
What this comparison focuses on
budgetersquicken-usersinvestment-trackersbudgeting
Format
Feature-by-feature
Evidence
Source-linked notes
Refresh
Reviewed quarterly
Quick take
TL;DR
At a glance
Clarity vs Simplifi by Quicken
Simplifi is a clean, lower-cost budgeting product with decent traditional account coverage. Clarity earns the premium by extending that base into crypto, on-chain assets, AI categorization, and more complete portfolio reporting.
budgetersquicken-usersinvestment-trackers
Clarity
Full-stack tracking: banks, crypto, DeFi, and investments with AI
Simplifi by Quicken
A simple spending plan with basic investment visibility
Feature comparison
Side-by-side facts on capabilities, pricing, and coverage — with sources.
| Feature | Clarity | Simplifi by Quicken |
|---|---|---|
| Account Coverage | Banks, brokerages, crypto exchanges, and on-chain wallets in one dashboard. | Simplifi connects banks, credit cards, and investment accounts. Crypto is limited to exchange-held balances with no DeFi or on-chain wallet support. |
| Sync Reliability | Automatic retry logic and connection health monitoring with proactive alerts. | Simplifi uses Quicken's mature connection infrastructure. Bank syncs are reliable and the error messaging is good. |
| Pricing Predictability | Simple flat-rate pricing with no usage-based fees. | Simplifi is $72/year with no tiers or feature gates. All features are included at a single price point, which is straightforward. |
| Data Freshness | Multiple automatic syncs per day with on-demand refresh. | Simplifi syncs bank data regularly but investment prices may lag behind real-time market data by several hours. |
| Historical Depth | Imports up to 24 months of transaction history from connected institutions. | Simplifi imports transaction history from connected institutions with similar depth to most Plaid-based apps. |
| Export & Reporting | CSV export, spending breakdowns, net worth charts, and portfolio performance views. | Simplifi offers spending reports and a 12-month cash flow projection but lacks CSV export and detailed portfolio performance reports. |
| Privacy & Security | Read-only connections, encryption at rest, no ad tech, and no data sales. BYOK AI keeps model traffic under user control, and closing an account triggers full data purge. | Quicken's ToS requires binding individual arbitration, limiting legal recourse if something goes wrong (quicken.com/terms-of-use). No public commitment to data deletion on account closure. No AI features, no BYOK option. |
Criterion-by-criterion notes
A closer look at each feature, with context for why it matters.
Deep dive
Account Coverage
Your net worth is only accurate if every account is included — banks, brokerages, crypto exchanges, and wallets.
Clarity
Clarity connects your checking account, 401(k), Coinbase portfolio, and Ethereum DeFi positions in a single net worth view. Simplifi stops at banks and brokerages — there is no crypto exchange syncing and no on-chain wallet support.
Simplifi by Quicken
Simplifi connects to banks, credit cards, loans, and investment accounts through Quicken's aggregation infrastructure. It shows investment balances and basic allocation but does not support crypto exchanges, on-chain wallets, or DeFi protocols.
Bottom line
Simplifi covers traditional finances well. Clarity adds the crypto and DeFi layer that Simplifi lacks entirely.
Deep dive
Pricing Predictability
Hidden fees, usage tiers, and surprise price hikes erode trust.
Clarity
Clarity is $99/year and includes banks, brokerages, crypto exchanges, on-chain wallets, AI categorization, and tax reports in one flat price. No tiers and no feature gates.
Simplifi by Quicken
Simplifi is $72/year with no tiers — a genuinely good deal for a budgeting app. It covers banks, credit cards, loans, and basic investment balances. The gap is crypto, DeFi, portfolio analytics, and AI-powered insights, none of which Simplifi offers at any price.
Bottom line
Simplifi costs $27/year less. That savings makes sense if you only need budgeting and basic investment balances. The extra $27 buys crypto tracking, on-chain wallets, AI categorization, cost-basis reports, and portfolio performance — features Simplifi does not have.
Deep dive
Sync Reliability
Unreliable syncs mean stale data and manual workarounds — defeating the purpose of automation.
Clarity
Clarity monitors connection health automatically and retries failed syncs with proactive alerts so you know before a connection goes stale.
Simplifi by Quicken
Simplifi inherits Quicken's mature aggregation infrastructure. Bank syncs are reliable, and the error messaging helps users troubleshoot connection issues quickly.
Bottom line
Both platforms handle reliability well. Clarity adds proactive health monitoring; Simplifi benefits from Quicken's long track record.
Deep dive
Data Freshness
Delayed data leads to budgeting mistakes and missed market movements.
Clarity
Clarity runs multiple automatic syncs per day and offers on-demand refresh for all account types, including crypto exchanges and on-chain wallets.
Simplifi by Quicken
Simplifi syncs bank data on a regular schedule, but investment prices can lag behind real-time market data by several hours. There is no crypto or on-chain data to refresh.
Bottom line
Clarity delivers fresher data across a wider range of asset types. Simplifi's bank data is timely, but investment and market data can lag.
Deep dive
Historical Depth
Shallow history limits tax reporting, trend analysis, and cost basis calculations.
Clarity
Clarity imports up to 24 months of transaction history from connected institutions, which covers most users' needs for trend analysis and spending review.
Simplifi by Quicken
Simplifi imports institution-provided history with similar depth to other Plaid-based apps. Once imported, data is retained within the app for ongoing analysis.
Bottom line
Both tools offer comparable historical depth. Neither stands out here — the difference is in what you can do with that history once it is imported.
Deep dive
Export & Reporting
Your data should be portable. Tax season, accountant handoffs, and audits require clean exports.
Clarity
Clarity provides CSV exports, spending breakdowns, net worth charts, and portfolio performance views that cover both traditional and crypto assets.
Simplifi by Quicken
Simplifi offers spending reports and a 12-month cash flow projection but lacks CSV export and detailed portfolio performance reports.
Bottom line
Clarity is the stronger choice for data portability and investment reporting. Simplifi's reports are adequate for budgeting but limited beyond that.
Deep dive
Privacy & Security
Financial data is among the most sensitive personal information — security failures are catastrophic.
Clarity
Clarity uses read-only connections, encrypts stored data, and does not cross-sell products. BYOK AI keeps model access under user control, and account closure triggers full deletion.
Simplifi by Quicken
Simplifi follows a standard consumer-software legal model in its terms and does not foreground the same data-control posture that Clarity does. There are no AI features and no BYOK option.
Bottom line
Clarity gives you more control: BYOK AI, full data deletion on account closure, and no binding arbitration clause. Simplifi is a reasonable budgeting product, but it does not match that level of data-ownership commitment.
Trust, legal, and source notes
These notes call out source-backed privacy, terms, and incident details that matter during evaluation.
View the full claim-by-claim citations page for the source set behind the live comparison copy.
Who should choose what
Clarity
When to choose Clarity
Full-stack tracking: banks, crypto, DeFi, and investments with AI
- Hybrid investors with both traditional and crypto assets
- Privacy-conscious users who want BYOK AI and full data deletion
- Users who need a single net worth view across all accounts
- Crypto holders who need cost basis tracking for taxes
Simplifi by Quicken
When to choose Simplifi by Quicken
A simple spending plan with basic investment visibility
- Users who want a spending plan that auto-adjusts daily
- Quicken loyalists who want a modern cloud version
- People who want basic investment tracking with budgeting
What users say
"Simplifi was great for budgeting, but once I added crypto and a brokerage account I needed everything in one place."
"The AI categorization alone saves me an hour a month compared to manually tagging transactions in Simplifi."
How to switch
easy10 minutes
- 1Create a Clarity account and connect your bank and investment accounts via Plaid
- 2Add crypto exchange and wallet connections if applicable
- 3Your transaction history and balances will sync automatically within minutes
- 4Optionally keep Simplifi running in parallel until you're comfortable with the switch
Frequently asked questions
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Sources are linked above, in each rubric row, and on the dedicated citations page.
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