Both Mint and Wesabe are free and combine the organized and detailed approach of Quicken, with the automation and accessibility of the web. Lastly, both are completely secure, providing bank level data security and identity protection. Each site does put in their own two cents, no pun intended, into how to best plan and organize your money.

Mint is billed as the “freshest, most intelligent way” for members to manage their money online. Completely comprehensive, it is utilized with ease, providing visual displays and categories for easy organization and cross-referencing. Another added benefit of Mint is that they go beyond accessibility and high visibility by providing money-saving suggestions. Mint offers up an average of $1,000.00 in savings opportunities during a new user first session.

Based purely on aesthetics and ease in navigating, Mint has Wesabe beat. Setting up my Mint account took under 10 minutes; my checking and savings account, along with one credit card, were completely synched and uploaded, even showing me every transaction over the last 98 days. The graphics are hip and youthful, the text is well-explained and the attitude is spirited. Mint seems to be the truly modern way of managing your money.

Setting up my Wesabe account took a little more time. Initially, I had to download my bank statements to their website, but it supports very little file types. Seeing as though most banks send their statements in PDF form and Wesabe doesn’t recognize PDF’s…it was a process. Once I logged on, setting everything up was just as easy as as it was over at Mint, albeit the website isn’t as pretty, but it still works.

The most unique feature of Wesabe is the member community aspect. Wesabe members post tips and techniques to help you to save and manage your money more effectively. For example, if Wesabe registers that you bought a latte, two pairs of shoes and a bottle of shampoo, then you will have “tips” on top of your transaction listing, like “Skipping Your Latte and Saving for a Vacation” or “How to Shop Less”, all written by fellow Wesabe members. Sound advice. Unfortunately, I’m not really interested in what Dan in Delaware has to say about my morning latte routine. If you are compelled listen to Dan, then this feature may give Wesabe an edge. Wesabe also categorizes transactions, much like Mint, but also provides detailed spending and earnings summaries, with graphs, which makes it easy to detail your spending habits.

One definitive edge of Wesabe over Mint is their goals section. This forum provides a space for you to detail your own financial goals, such as “I will not overdraft my bank account” or “I will not throw money away on useless purchases”. You can garner support for your goal through discussions with other members as well.