Skrooge: Minimalist Accounting
1. Setting up the initial bank accounts is very straightforward in Skrooge and takes only a few seconds to get up and running. Some might prefer KMyMoney's Setup Wizard however.
2. The Tracker functionality is particularly useful for sorting out expenditures. It can be used to track specific types of expenditures, for instance those spent on vacation or for someone else. It is a unique and invaluable feature to Skrooge.
3. The Categories are especially robust and a lot of work could be spent just deleting some of the items. Skrooge does not have the preset account types of KMyMoney but the comprehensive list takes care of almost everything out there.
4. Tracking expenditures is intuitive and easy. Budget and Payee screens are easy to read and configure. Dashboard aside, Skrooge's overall interface is simpler and easier to use.
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| The Operations page is where users add to the Ledger. |
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| KMyMoney and Skrooge have a similar interface when inputting an entry. |
5. Another extremely useful feature is the Split table in Operations. This excellent addition allows users to input one amount used for several purchases or expenditures.
6. The Report features of KMyMoney is much more powerful than Skrooge, but using the Reporting feature can be a lot of work. Skrooge's Report Page maintains the same interface as the other Pages. The minimalistic approach works for Skrooge proving that less is more.
Additional Comments
1. Users are greeted with a very cluttered Dashboard (made worst on a small netbook screen). There are several modules that can be added on the Dashboard such as Advice, Budget, 5 Most used categories, etc. I can definitely see using some of these "widgets" but I felt that it appeared a bit too busy for my taste. I disabled all of them to avoid any confusion on my first run. KMyMoney's Home Screen, in comparison, has a clean, customizable ledger view.
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| Dashboard on a new setup. |
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| Dashboard after initial setup. |
2. Skrooge imports KMyMoney files among other file types. However, the transition isn't consistent - mixed currency accounts for instance isn't followed very accurately and older .kmy files cannot be imported (my 2011 .kmy file imported successfully but an older 2010 file didn't).
3. Skrooge can be installed on Unity and Gnome, but there are interface issues working on a non-KDE environment. The Dashboard "widgets" are supposed to display Zoom and Move controls on hovering with the mouse, but they don't always appear on a Unity install. Icons on the Pages panel also didn't show up properly. KMyMoney didn't have the same interface problem on the same Ubuntu Unity machine.
KMyMoney, Gnucash, and Skrooge
Choosing between Skrooge and KMyMoney is a matter of taste more than anything else. Skrooge and KMyMoney are both excellent personal finance managers. For busy people, Skrooge is the better choice. Managing finances shouldn't take too much time and as good as KMyMoney is, it has its quirks when managing the ledger. KMyMoney, on the other hand, is best for large screens, non-KDE Linux distributions, and accounting for non-accountants. It walks the line between minimalistic Skrooge and professional-level Gnucash.
Skrooge is a brilliant KDE application and a competent finance manager for home users and definitely worth an install.
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