MiniCFO.io vs a spreadsheet

Sign up for MiniCFO.io

Plenty of mobile service businesses track money in a spreadsheet, in Excel or Google Sheets, and some do it well for years. Here's an honest look at where a spreadsheet wins, where it starts to hurt, and where MiniCFO.io fits.

Where a spreadsheet wins

• Cost. Google says anyone with a Google Account can create in Sheets, and Microsoft offers Excel for the web at no cost with a Microsoft account (files are saved in OneDrive). MiniCFO.io is $10 for the first month, then $35/month, no contracts.
• Total control. Your columns, your categories, your layout. Nothing is decided for you.
• No new tool to learn. If you already know your way around a sheet, there's nothing to set up.
• Easy to share. Most bookkeepers and tax pros can open a spreadsheet.
• It's allowed. The IRS says you may choose any recordkeeping system suited to your business that clearly shows your income and expenses.

If your sheet is up to date, your totals are right, and you know roughly what to set aside, you may not need anything else.

Where a spreadsheet starts to hurt

• Everything is typed by hand, usually at night or at month end, from memory and a pile of receipts.
• No receipt scanning. The IRS says to keep supporting documents like receipts, so they end up in a shoebox or a photo roll, separate from the sheet.
• No look ahead. A forecast means building one yourself and keeping it updated.
• Formula mistakes are quiet. A range that misses new rows or a pasted-over formula can throw off a total, and nothing tells you.
• Questions take work. To answer "What did I spend on supplies last month?" you filter, sort, and add it up yourself. Google says some AI features in Sheets are only available on Google Workspace plans, so it depends on your plan.
• Taxes and miles are up to you. You build the set-aside math and look up the mileage rate yourself.

Where MiniCFO.io fits

MiniCFO.io is still a place you log money yourself. It doesn't connect to your bank. It just makes logging shorter and does the math for you.

• Log from your phone between jobs, with quick-add templates for repeat work and Log again for repeat customers.
• Receipt scanning: the AI pulls out the merchant and amount, and you check them before you log.
• A 6-month cash flow projection from your own numbers, plus a weekly summary.
• Plain-English questions about your own numbers (AI Insights).
• A tax set-aside estimate card with the next quarterly due date. It's an estimate, not tax advice.
• A mileage log that applies the IRS standard mileage rate for each trip's date (72.5¢/mile for trips from Jan 1 to Jun 30, 2026 and 76¢/mile from Jul 1, 2026). Trips are saved on this device.

Already have a spreadsheet?

You don't have to start over. MiniCFO.io's import takes an Excel or CSV file (.xlsx, .xls, or .csv, up to 10 MB) and shows a preview before anything is added. You can also export your transactions to CSV any time and open them in Excel or Google Sheets. It works side by side with QuickBooks through file import and export, too.

Side by side

Spreadsheet details come from Google's and Microsoft's own pages as of Oct 28, 2026 on their site; check their site for current pricing. MiniCFO.io's tax and mileage figures are estimates, not tax advice.

Sources (checked Oct 28, 2026)

• Google Sheets FAQ: "Anyone with a Google Account can create in Sheets"
• Microsoft: Excel for the web
• IRS: What kind of records should I keep

Which one should you pick?

Stay with a spreadsheet if it's working: you keep it current, your totals are right, and you don't mind building your own tax and forecast math. Pick MiniCFO.io if the sheet keeps falling behind, receipts pile up, or you want to ask "Can I afford this?" and get an answer from your own numbers. You can also keep the spreadsheet for your own reports and use MiniCFO.io day to day.

Sign up for MiniCFO.io It's $10 for the first month, then $35/month, no contracts.

Microsoft and Excel are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. Google and Google Sheets are trademarks of Google LLC. Product names are trademarks of their respective owners. MiniCFO.io is not affiliated with or endorsed by any company named on this page.