Software Comparisons

Excel (spreadsheets) vs Planyard

This page compares Excel-based spreadsheets with Planyard so UK & Irish construction teams can choose the right fit. We look at scope, risks, user experience, rollout time, UK workflows (valuations, retentions, CIS), reporting, and pricing clarity.

Context: Many QS/commercial teams start in Excel for CVRs, forecasting and valuations. As projects scale, spreadsheets create version-control issues, manual double entry and audit gaps. Planyard replaces those spreadsheets with one live system next to your ledger.

On this page

  • What each approach covers and where it stops
  • Reviews and quotes from UK users
  • Side-by-side summary
  • Detailed feature comparison (valuations, retentions, CVR, variations, POs, CIS)
  • Spreadsheet risks & how to mitigate them
  • Implementation timelines and pricing transparency
  • Who should choose what
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What they do (scope at a glance)

  • Excel spreadsheets — Flexible files for budgets, CVR, valuations and trackers. No built-in approvals, audit trail, or accounting sync. Accuracy and control depend on manual processes.
  • Planyard — Commercial control next to your ledger: budgets vs actuals, real-time CVR & forecasting, POs/commitments, subcontractor & client valuations/certificates, retention schedules, variations/change control, approvals & audit trail, with clean sync to Xero, QuickBooks Online and Sage Accounting.

Reviews & quotes at a glance

Public ratings from Capterra UK (Planyard) and customer quotes (Excel has no construction product listing).

Programme/Approach Rating Summary
Planyard 4.6 / 5.0 ✔ Frequently praised for ease of use, live CVR/forecasting and clean sync with Xero/Sage/QuickBooks. Users highlight moving off error-prone spreadsheets.
Excel spreadsheets n/a ✖ Flexible but manual. Common pain points: version control, formula errors, double entry into accounting, no audit trail.

Selected user remarks: “Planyard is basically a live CVR and saves time by making Excel unnecessary.” · “Takes away the headaches from manual data entry and keeping spreadsheets up to date.” (Capterra UK / Planyard case studies)

Quick summary

Here is the short version to help you decide quickly.

  • Planyard. All-in-one commercial control next to your ledger. Handles budgets, CVR/forecasting, POs, subcontractor/client valuations, retentions and variations with approvals and audit. Transparent per-user pricing and a free trial.
  • Excel spreadsheets. Good for getting started or one-off models. Requires strict discipline to avoid version drift and errors. No built-in workflows or accounting sync, so teams often duplicate effort and rely on email for approvals.

Side-by-side comparison

Aspect Planyard Excel spreadsheets
Time to implement ✔ Days to pilot a live job ✔ Zero software rollout—files exist already
Scope ✔ Budgets, CVR, forecasting, POs, valuations/certificates, retentions, variations ✖ Depends on manual templates; no integrated approvals/audit
User experience ✔ QS/commercial/PM/finance use one source of truth ✖ Multiple files and tabs; risk of conflicting versions
Reporting ✔ Real-time CVR, profit & cash forecasting in app ✖ Static reports; updating relies on copy/paste and formulas
Accounting fit ✔ Syncs approved costs to Xero, QBO, Sage Accounting ✖ Manual rekeying into accounting; high risk of mismatch
Controls & audit ✔ Built-in approvals and full audit trail ✖ No native approvals; change history hard to manage
Error risk ✔ Guardrails and validation reduce mistakes ✖ Formula/link errors common; hidden mistakes propagate
Best for Firms replacing spreadsheets with full commercial control Very small teams and ad hoc analysis where risk is low

Spreadsheet risks (what users tell us)

  • Version control. “We had three ‘final’ CVRs on the same job.”
  • Formula mistakes. “A single broken link pushed the wrong margin to the board pack.”
  • Double entry. “Data went into sheets and then again into Xero.”
  • No audit trail. “Hard to see who changed what and when.”
  • Slow reporting. “End-of-month meant nights fixing lookups and macros.”

Planyard user quotes (Capterra UK/case studies): “Live CVR without rebuilding spreadsheets.” · “I literally saved several days per month using Planyard.” · “Integrates with Xero and avoids entry in two places.”

Planyard and Excel features side-by-side

Feature Planyard Excel spreadsheets
Budgets vs actuals (live) ✔ Live view of spend, commitments and EAC ✖ Manual updates; risk of stale numbers
CVR and forecasting ✔ Real-time CVR & cash forecasting in app ✖ Possible with templates; fragile and time-consuming
Commitments & purchase orders ✔ Raise/approve POs & subcontracts; sync only approved costs ✖ Tracked in separate tabs/files; no enforced approvals
Subcontractor valuations ✔ Collect & approve valuations; budget updates on approval ✖ Usually emailed spreadsheets/PDFs; manual reconciliation
Client valuations/certificates ✔ Generate valuations & certificates; forecast stays in sync ✖ Manual forms; easy to lose alignment with the budget
Retentions tracking & release ✔ Retention schedules across contracts with reminders ✖ Often separate trackers; missed releases common
Variations / change control ✔ Log & approve client/subcontract variations with impact on forecast ✖ Tracked in lists; budget/forecast rarely updates automatically
CIS (UK) ✔ CIS handled with your accounting system; auditable exports ✖ Manual tagging and external calculation; high error risk
Approvals and audit trail ✔ User-level approvals & logs across budgets, POs, valuations and invoices ✖ Email-based sign-offs; limited change history
Integrations & API ✔ Xero, QBO, Sage Accounting; API ✖ None natively; relies on CSVs/macros
Multi-company / multi-currency ✔ Supported ✖ Possible but brittle; errors multiply across files

Note: Excel can model almost anything but relies on people and process. Planyard bakes workflows and controls into one system so errors and rework reduce dramatically.

Features in detail

See how they handle forecasting, valuations, retentions, POs and CIS.

Screenshot of Planyard’s project overview displaying financial data, including project names, budgets, income, costs, and profitability forecasts.

Forecasting and CVR

Planyard updates CVR and cash forecasts automatically as orders, invoices and variations are approved—no spreadsheet rebuilds. “Live CVR without rebuilding spreadsheets.”

Excel can model CVR but relies on manual links and formulas, which often break and drift from the truth, especially across multiple files.

Commitments and purchase orders

Planyard lets QS/PMs raise and approve POs and subcontracts in the app; only approved costs sync to Xero, QBO or Sage Accounting so the GL stays clean. “Avoids entry in two places.”

Excel tracks POs in lists with no native approvals or audit trail; reconciling to accounting is manual and error-prone.

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Screenshot showing Planyard’s user-friendly construction cost control software interface, featuring commitment templates, approval options, and detailed financial information such as current valuation, committed totals, and valuation remaining.

Valuations, certificates and retentions

Planyard collects subcontractor valuations, generates client valuations/certificates and tracks retentions. Approvals update the budget and forecast automatically. “Overbilling becomes virtually impossible.”

Excel relies on emailed spreadsheets/PDFs and separate retention trackers; keeping budgets and forecasts aligned is manual.

CIS in QuickBooks with Planyard—approved bill to correct vendor, HMRC-ready exports.

CIS and compliance

Planyard handles CIS together with your accounting system so deductions and verifications are consistent and auditable. Timesheets and approvals provide the evidence trail.

Excel relies on manual tagging and separate files; HMRC-ready outputs require extra checks and rekeying.

Implementation timelines

What to expect before you go live.

Approach Typical duration Typical steps
Planyard ✔ A few days to a week
  1. Connect accounting and import budgets
  2. Pilot one live project during the first week
  3. Roll out to more jobs once the team is confident
Excel ✔ Immediate (templates already exist)
  1. Agree standard templates & file naming
  2. Define approval & archiving rules
  3. Plan monthly reconciliation to accounting

Actual timelines vary by scope, data quality and internal capacity.

Who should choose what

  • Choose Planyard if you want one tool to handle forecasting, CVR, variations, subcontractor valuations, retentions and client valuations with clean ledger integration—replacing multiple spreadsheets and point solutions.
  • Choose Excel if you’re very small, have simple jobs and strong spreadsheet governance, and you accept the risks and manual workload.

In one paragraph

Planyard is the easy, quick-to-roll-out choice for full commercial control next to your ledger. Excel is flexible but manual and error-prone for CVRs, forecasting, valuations and retentions at scale. If you want everything commercial in one place with approvals, audit and live reporting, pick Planyard; if your needs are very light and well-controlled, Excel can suffice.

Sources and last updated. Planyard Capterra UK reviews and customer case studies (user quotes), internal implementation data. Last reviewed 1 October 2025.