Excel vs. Google Sheets

• Choose Google Sheets if you want it free, automatically saved, and available on any device you log into. Best for most people.
• Choose Excel if you already own it, prefer working offline, or like the extra polish and power of the desktop app.
• Both run our trackers perfectly. You won’t lose any features either way.

Google Sheets is free with any Google account, runs in your web browser, and saves every change automatically to the cloud. Open your tracker on your laptop at home, then check it on your phone at the store – it’s the same file, always up to date.

You need an internet connection for the smoothest experience, and if you have a very large, very complex workbook, it can feel slightly slower than the Excel desktop app. For personal finance trackers, neither of these will get in your way.

Excel is the long-standing standard for spreadsheets, and the desktop app is fast, works fully offline, and offers the most advanced features and formatting. If you already have a Microsoft 365 subscription or Excel installed, you may prefer its familiar feel.

The full desktop version isn’t free, and your file lives on your device unless you save it to OneDrive, so syncing across devices takes a little more setup than Google Sheets does automatically.

You’re not locked in. You can upload an Excel file into Google Sheets, or download a Google Sheet as an Excel file, whenever you want. Start with whichever fits your life today, and switch freely if that changes.

If you don’t already have a strong preference, start with Google Sheets. It’s free, it saves itself, and it follows you across every device – which removes the most common reasons people abandon a tracker. If you’re an Excel loyalist, you’ll feel right at home there too. Either way, the tool is ready the moment you open it.

Browse our trackers – every one works in both Excel and Google Sheets, set up and ready to use.