The quick version
| Feature | Lemonbudget | Spreadsheet |
|---|---|---|
| Budget rollover | Automatic | Manual formulas |
| Recurring transactions | Auto-posted on schedule | Copy-paste each month |
| Mobile entry | 5-second quick add | Painful on phone |
| Couple/family sharing | Real-time, per-user access | Shared doc (no roles) |
| Multi-currency | Native, auto-conversion | Manual exchange rates |
| Reports & insights | Built-in dashboards | Build your own charts |
| Encryption | AES-256-GCM at rest | Provider-dependent |
| Price | Free for now | Free (Google Sheets) / Excel license |
| Flexibility | Structured categories | Unlimited customization |
| Data ownership | Export anytime (CSV) | Your file, your rules |
When to keep your spreadsheet
Spreadsheets win when you need total customization. If you've built a system that tracks things no budget app handles — business accounts, investment allocations, tax categories — and you genuinely enjoy maintaining it, a dedicated app might feel limiting.
And a spreadsheet you have already built is hard to argue with. If your sheet does what you need and you enjoy maintaining it, keeping it is the rational choice.
When to upgrade
1. You stopped budgeting because it's too much work
The most common reason people abandon budget spreadsheets is friction. Rolling over 20 categories manually, copy-pasting recurring transactions, trying to add a coffee purchase on your phone in a spreadsheet — it adds up. Lemonbudget automates the tedious parts so you can focus on the decisions.
2. You budget with a partner
Shared Google Sheets "works" for couples, but there are no user roles, no per-person views, and one wrong edit wipes a formula. Lemonbudget workspaces give each person their own access, combined views, and the safety of a structured app.
3. You need multi-currency
If you earn in CHF and spend in EUR, a spreadsheet means manual exchange rates and extra columns. Lemonbudget handles multi-currency natively with automatic conversion — no GOOGLEFINANCE formulas required.
4. You want mobile entry that doesn't hurt
Adding a transaction in Lemonbudget takes about five seconds. Adding one in a phone spreadsheet takes thirty — if you can find the right row.
Migrating from a spreadsheet
Export your spreadsheet as CSV, then import it into Lemonbudget. Your transaction history, categories, and accounts come with you. Rollover, receipt OCR and shared workspaces are all there from the start.
The bottom line
Spreadsheets are a great starting point. If yours is still working for you, keep it. But if the maintenance is what's stopping you from budgeting consistently, that's exactly what a dedicated app solves — and you can import your history so you don't start from zero.