Smooth Wallet - Personal finance that doesn't suck.(smoothwallet.com)
smoothwallet.com
Smooth Wallet - Personal finance that doesn't suck.
http://smoothwallet.com/
22 comments
I'm not asking anyone to sign up. I'm "letting them" get a notification email for when we launch / have updates.
I think this is a good time to compete in the finance market but don't forget your competing with a fairly entrenched opponent in Mint. I would try to focus on working in agreements/your own mobile app. Maybe take a look at Back to Black or Saver on iPhone to sync with entries from mobile phones.
If you have auto import from banks then you will need major differentiators from Mint which could be as simple as being able to easily search/manipulate transactions in a clean interface.
Without auto import from banks, you need a way to make entry effortless. I think the idea of entering transactions into a non-mobile facing app will fade. If people want to keep track of transactions manually themselves, they will enter them in a mobile app and then analyze them on their computers.
If you have auto import from banks then you will need major differentiators from Mint which could be as simple as being able to easily search/manipulate transactions in a clean interface.
Without auto import from banks, you need a way to make entry effortless. I think the idea of entering transactions into a non-mobile facing app will fade. If people want to keep track of transactions manually themselves, they will enter them in a mobile app and then analyze them on their computers.
Exactly my thinking. I've been doing manual-entry checking account ledgers for 10 years, and I've tried to love Mint several times. The manual entry gives me confidence that I know exactly where my money comes from / goes.
The phone part is really for checking your "safe to spend" balance on the fly. I really miss that with desktop-based programs.
The phone part is really for checking your "safe to spend" balance on the fly. I really miss that with desktop-based programs.
Another startup of mine - aiming to add yet another solution to the personal finance conundrum. Personally, I'm sick of iBank, Koku and Quicken getting it all wrong (for my preference, anyway).
So this is a web-based money management app similar to what Wesabe was doing a while back.
So this is a web-based money management app similar to what Wesabe was doing a while back.
More info: Quicken is slow, crashes. Koku is nice but no phone integration. iBank is a mess of features that totally broke with the latest version (I'm still on iBank 3).
Smooth is at-its-core a manual checking account manager. Yes, some people still actually prefer to manually add transactions, and I'm one of them.
Smooth is at-its-core a manual checking account manager. Yes, some people still actually prefer to manually add transactions, and I'm one of them.
Sounds cool ? I would have signed up for a trial or looked at it a little more if you didn't make it painfully obvious that after I take the time to set it up I'll be charged $5 per month in the future. FWIW I spent about 5 seconds on the website and then left.
Iterate!
Iterate!
I've paid hundreds of dollars for personal finance software that each turned out to be terrible (Quicken, iBank, Koku, in that order).
$5 per month is a reasonable price that will motivate me to continue making the product kick ass for those who value it as much as I.
If confidence & organization with your personal finance isn't worth $5, then I suggest you use your bank's built-in online system or Mint.
$5 per month is a reasonable price that will motivate me to continue making the product kick ass for those who value it as much as I.
If confidence & organization with your personal finance isn't worth $5, then I suggest you use your bank's built-in online system or Mint.
Just an observation, but the left and the right screen shots appear to show basically the same thing.
They do. Don't have anything else to show at this point :)
Gutsy. But you've already got a sign up page and a precise price tag on a product that only has one screen-shotable page so far?
Yes.
I like gutsy! Good luck. Maybe we can talk about an iOS app to go along with it.
Yes! That's definitely in the plans. Email me [email protected]
So, you submitted a site with 2 pictures and a notify me button? No text to tell us why you are better than Quicken? No "demo"? Add some more information please.
See comment above.
Personal finance that doesn't suck sure starts with a screenshot showing a $10.000 balance...
But that just as well implies that the guy who creates this app for his own use (according to other comments here) probably won't be able to help me get into shape, saving/planning wise..
But that just as well implies that the guy who creates this app for his own use (according to other comments here) probably won't be able to help me get into shape, saving/planning wise..
Those numbers are completely random.
I'm building the app for myself, the way I want a checking account app to actually work. iBank, Quicken, Koku are all missing something. I'm going to fix the problems that I perceive as roadblocks, and offer it to people who might also agree with me.
And the people who agree with me on those features probably have ideas for other good, interesting and innovative features in the personal finance world.
I'm building the app for myself, the way I want a checking account app to actually work. iBank, Quicken, Koku are all missing something. I'm going to fix the problems that I perceive as roadblocks, and offer it to people who might also agree with me.
And the people who agree with me on those features probably have ideas for other good, interesting and innovative features in the personal finance world.
How will this stack up to something like GnuCash?
GnuCash is downloadable software targeted towards tech-minded folks. Smooth is a web app + mobile interface aimed at a different audience. Similar functionality, though.
I like the name. I've tried Mint and find it lacking. It's automated but at the same time, it's not because i find myself having to fix account login issues from time to time. It's become so annoying that I don't check Mint often because it's so inconsistent. Plus the categorization just leaves a LOT to be desired.
A better interface would be one where I record the stuff I pay a fee monthly, such as web hosting, Github, online subscriptions, etc, and see at a glance all the monthly expenses I have, and the %. Sometimes I just wanna see how much I'm paying for that MailChimp subscription because i forgot, and Mint.com is too cumbersome for that.
A better interface would be one where I record the stuff I pay a fee monthly, such as web hosting, Github, online subscriptions, etc, and see at a glance all the monthly expenses I have, and the %. Sometimes I just wanna see how much I'm paying for that MailChimp subscription because i forgot, and Mint.com is too cumbersome for that.
Yes, exactly. iBank works ok for the account register, but there's absolutely no good way for me to see my "safe to spend" balance which should deduct those monthly bills / expenses. I've got it rigged up in iBank as future transactions, but that's far from ideal. That's when I decided to create something to suit me better.
I'm not going to sign up for a site just to see what it does. You really should show users more before forcing them to sign up. Some sites can get away with this, but a finance site cannot in my opinion.
Show me why it "doesn't suck" before you make me sign up and spend time getting it running. For all I know the site is awesome, but you haven't shown me and when it comes to my money I don't like having to discover the apps that I want to use to organize it. I want to know what it does before I start looking at it because for all I know it doesn't do something that absolutely need. Then you're wasting my time and that is money.
Sorry, more info on the front page like a tour is needed. Otherwise, you lost me as a potential customer.