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Flowtly vs spreadsheets
Most service firms start with spreadsheets for timesheets, rate cards and project budgets. Flowtly replaces the files with one shared record when the team outgrows them.
Last reviewed How we checked
The short answer
Keep spreadsheets if you are a handful of people, one person owns the numbers and billing is simple. Move to Flowtly when timesheets, approvals and invoices pass through several hands every month and nobody is sure which file is current.
Who spreadsheets suit
- Teams of a few people
- Firms where one person owns the numbers
- Simple billing on a few projects at a time
Who Flowtly is for
- Service firms of 5–50 people that bill for their team’s time
- Owners who want each project’s margin before month-end
- Teams that want projects, time, invoices and their people in one tool
Pros and cons
Each point names its source and the date we checked it.
| Product | Pro or con | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flowtly | Pro | Projects, time, invoices, budgets and team costs share one record, so each project’s margin is current. | Flowtly featureschecked 24 Oct 2026 |
| Flowtly | Pro | E-invoices through EU Peppol and Factur-X, and through KSeF for Polish entities. | Flowtly featureschecked 24 Oct 2026 |
| Flowtly | Con | No Gantt chart yet; it is on the public roadmap as planned. | Flowtly roadmapchecked 24 Oct 2026 |
| Flowtly | Con | A short list of native integrations (Google Calendar, Make, Polish banks) plus an open API, not a marketplace. | Flowtly integrationschecked 24 Oct 2026 |
| spreadsheets | Pro | Flexible: any layout, any formula, no set-up. | Google Sheets product pagechecked 24 Oct 2026 |
| spreadsheets | Pro | Often already paid for as part of an office suite. | Microsoft Excel product pagechecked 24 Oct 2026 |
| spreadsheets | Con | No approval step for timesheets; every check is by hand. | Google Sheets product pagechecked 24 Oct 2026 |
| spreadsheets | Con | Invoices, budgets and team costs sit in separate files that someone keeps in step by hand. | Google Sheets product pagechecked 24 Oct 2026 |
When spreadsheets are the better choice
- You are five people or fewer and one person owns billing.
- You bill a few fixed fees a month, not hours.
- You want to settle your process before you choose a tool.
Pricing model
How each product charges. We do not copy list prices here, because vendors change them: follow the link for today’s figures.
Flowtly
Per user, per month, on three plans, with annual billing cheaper than monthly. Free trial.
spreadsheets
Usually part of an office suite licence; the real cost is the time spent keeping the files right.
Moving from spreadsheets
Typical effort: two to four weeks for a team of 20, with both tools running side by side for one billing cycle
- 1
Export
Gather the current timesheet, rate card and client files.
- 2
Import and check
Bring clients, projects and rates into Flowtly; we help with the first import.
- 3
Run in parallel
Log and invoice one month in Flowtly while the files stay read-only, then retire them.
See Flowtly with your own projects
Bring a sample of your projects into the free trial. We help with the first import.
Other comparisons
- Flowtly vs ProductiveThe closest match to Flowtly; the difference is people records and European e-invoicing.
- Flowtly vs WorkflowMaxA strong quote-to-invoice job flow tied to Xero or QuickBooks; less for people and e-invoicing.
- Flowtly vs OdooThe broadest suite here; a service firm configures the apps it needs and leaves the rest.
- Flowtly vs AsanaExcellent for planning and tracking tasks; billing and margin live in other tools.
- Flowtly vs Bitrix24A wide collaboration and CRM workspace at a flat price; project finance is lighter.
- Flowtly vs SkelloMade for shift rotas and French labour rules; not for billing client projects.
Sources and review
Written by Flowtly’s team, who build one of the two options compared. Every point about spreadsheets is checked against the Excel and Google Sheets product pages on the date shown.
- Microsoft Excel product page, checked 24 Oct 2026
- Google Sheets product page, checked 24 Oct 2026