Mint QuickView for OS X goes from free to $4.99
In July I told you about Mint.com's first foray into desktop apps called Mint QuickView. The app piggybacked off the success of Mint's iOS apps and quickly became a great way for Mint users to access their accounts from their desktop. Mint QuickView 1.0 was a free download, as was the update to Mint QuickView 2.0 in August, which added additional features such as budgets, loans and Notification Center support in OS X Mountain Lion. However, Mint has just reached out to make me aware that, as of today, Mint QuickView will be US$4.99 in the Mac App Store.
Apparently until now, Mint QuickView was running as a test to see if the desktop app could be a success, a Mint representative told me. Intuit (parent company of Mint.com) has now decided that the app is worth developing on an ongoing basis and will charge for it. From the representative's statement:
"QuickView is here to stay (was running as a test) and will now cost $4.99 in the App Store. Those who have already downloaded the app won't be charged. The cost will go to support further development for this platform and beyond. Wanted to reach out to you proactively, as I'm sure the change won't go unnoticed, and transparency is a key tenet of Mint.com."
So there you have it folks. If you've already downloaded Mint QuickView you're safe. You own the app and will continue to receive free updates. There's no word on whether Mint will start charging for their iOS apps, but nothing I've heard makes me believe they have any plans to do so.
