Spreadsheet vs. finance app:
a fair comparison.

Spreadsheets are powerful. Finance apps are purpose-built. Here's an honest comparison for personal finance tracking.

Feature	Spreadsheet	FinTrack
Setup time	Hours (build from scratch or maintain template)	Minutes (structured from day one)
Monthly maintenance	Duplicate tabs, update formulas, reset structure	None — automatic monthly history
Recurring expense tracking	Manual re-entry every month	Set once, tracked automatically forever
Mobile experience	Painful — not built for small screens	Mobile-first — quick entry in 5 seconds
Financial forecasting	Manual formula — fragile, breaks easily	Automatic projected balance — always accurate
Safe to Spend	Not possible without complex formulas	Calculated automatically from recurring items
Bank connection required	No (but no sync either)	No — manual entry, fully private
Data portability	Native (it's a file)	CSV export on demand — same portability

When spreadsheets still work

You enjoy the setup process and maintenance

You have simple, irregular expenses

You want complete layout customization

You already have a working template you love

Your formulas break or your template feels fragile

You have recurring bills that need forecasting

Mobile tracking is frustrating or inconsistent

You want Safe to Spend without building formulas

You're spending more time maintaining than tracking

FinTrack keeps your existing manual discipline — it just removes the maintenance. Free to start. No bank connection required.