Carew vs spreadsheets

The short answer

Keep using spreadsheets for analysis, one-off models and processes that change every week. Nothing beats them for working something out quickly.

Move to a system when the same workbook is rebuilt every month, several people edit it, data is pasted in from other tools, or a broken formula would cost money.

Side by side

Area	Carew	Spreadsheets
Cost	One fixed price for the build	Included in the Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace licences you already pay for
Building it	Weeks, with a written plan and one fixed price first	Days or weeks of a skilled person's time for a workbook the business can rely on
Keeping it working	Changes made and tested by the people who built it	Depends on whoever built it. Errors are hard to trace, and fixes are rarely tested
Repeated work	Done by the software each time	Copied, pasted and re-keyed each time
Several people at once	Each person sees and edits what their role allows	Shared files, conflicting copies or one owner who does everything
Errors	Calculations and rules fixed in code and tested	A broken formula or overwritten cell can go unnoticed
History	Every change logged with who made it and when	Version history for the file
Data from other tools	Imported from Xero, Shopify and others, or from their exports	Exports pasted in by hand
Flexibility	Changes are made by a developer	Anyone can change anything

Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets both offer version history and add-ons that close some of these gaps.

When spreadsheets are the better choice

For analysis, one-off models and work that changes shape every week, a spreadsheet is the right tool. It costs nothing extra and the person using it can change it as they go.

When Carew is the better choice

A workbook the business depends on is software in all but name, built by whoever had the skills and maintained by whoever is left. One person understands the formulas, every month starts with an export and a paste, problems are hard to trace and nobody can be sure the numbers are right.

West Country Renovations built each monthly valuation in its own workbook, and the process took three to six weeks. The system that replaced it sends valuations within five working days of month end.

Questions