Quicken Deluxe

• Quicken Deluxe is the most basic of all the Quicken products, and the least expensive. Deluxe 2007 and 2010 allow users to display all their financial data, including bank accounts, investments and lines of credit, in one place; all editions of Deluxe also separate financial transactions into categories based on money going in or out. In addition to helping organize financial transactions, investments and savings, it also has a section for setting goals. Compared to the 2007 edition, Deluxe 2010 has a more simplified installation wizard, which transfers your previous financial data automatically. Additionally, 2010 categorizes purchases, classifying a purchase made at a BP station as gasoline and a purchase made at Walmart as merchandise. The 2007 edition is supported only for Windows 2000 and XP operating systems, while the 2010 edition works with XP, Vista and Windows 7.
  
  

Quicken Premier

• Just as with Quicken Deluxe, Quicken Premier -- the next tier up in this financial software line -- is supported for Windows 2000 and XP in its 2007 edition and XP, Vista and 7 in its 2010 edition. Premier, unlike Deluxe, offers increased features including tax preparation tools; however, it is still designed for individuals, not businesses. The 2010 edition of Premier offers automatic categorization of purchases and a sleeker design compared to the 2007 edition.
  
  

Quicken Home & Business

• The next tier up from Quicken Premier is Quicken Home & Business. This is the first product in the Quicken line that is designed for individual and commercial users. It includes all the tools and features available in Quicken Deluxe and Premier, but also allows users to track income, set income goals, create invoices and identify tax-deductible business expenses. Home & Business -- both the 2007 and 2010 versions -- are designed for home-based businesses, not large corporations with extended payroll or complicated tax situations. Key differences between the two editions include a simplified, sleeker design, automatic category assignment for purchases -- both for the home and for the business -- as well as support for Windows Vista and 7 in addition to XP.
  
  

Quicken Rental Property Manager

• New to the Quicken line of products is its Rental Property Manager software. This product was not available in 2007; its first product year was 2009. The 2010 version includes all the bells and whistles of Deluxe, Premier and Home & Business, plus tools to help navigate the real estate market. Rental Property Manager lets users track expenses and income based on individual properties, identifies tax breaks and tracks payments from renters. This is the most expensive of the Quicken financial software line.
  
  

Quicken Basic

• Quicken Basic was offered in the Quicken line of products in 2007, but by 2010 had been eliminated. Basic allowed users to track their expenses and income using simple spreadsheets; it also gave users the ability to set up budget goals. These features largely overlapped with Quicken Deluxe, and were offered by free competitors such as Mint.com, leading to Quicken to stop its manufacture.
  
  

Quicken Mac 2007 vs. Essentials for Mac 2010

• Although the name changed, Quicken's software for Mac users remained largely the same between 2007 and 2010. The 2007 version of the product was called Quicken Mac, while the 2010 version is called Essentials for Mac. Unlike the Quicken products geared toward Windows users, Mac 2007 and Essentials for Mac 2010 follow the design sensibilities of an Apple, allowing users to click and drag columns and sections into a layout that works for them. Similar to Deluxe in terms of tools and features, the 2010 version offers automatic category assignment while the 2007 edition does not. Another key difference is the streamlined downloading process, which eliminates a repetitive step in the process of downloading transaction information.