A Google Sheet is where every founder starts, and it's genuinely fine for a while. Here's exactly when it stops being fine, and what a free tool does that a spreadsheet can't.
| Feature | Spreadsheet | Runway |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free | Free for founders |
| Updates automatically from your bank/Stripe/Razorpay | ||
| Always current (no stale tabs) | ||
| Survives a broken formula | ||
| GST / TDS-aware runway (India) | Manual | |
| AI answers ("why did burn jump?") | ||
| Auto-drafted investor update | ||
| Live data room for investors | ||
| Benchmarks vs similar startups | ||
| One source of truth for the team | Maybe | |
| Full control / total flexibility | Structured | |
| Works offline | ||
| Setup time | Hours of formulas | ~10 min |
You're pre-revenue or doing a few transactions a month, you like full control over the formulas, and your “board” is two friends. A clean Google Sheet you actually update is better than a tool you ignore. Don't over-engineer this stage.
It breaks in predictable ways once money actually moves:
The moment real money flows through Stripe, Razorpay, Cashfree, Tally, or your bank, and you want it reconciled for you instead of byyou. Runway syncs those sources, computes live runway (GST-aware for India), answers questions in plain English, and drafts your investor update from the same numbers. It's the spreadsheet you wish you maintained, maintained for you.
Free forever for founders. 10-minute setup. Export to a sheet anytime; your data stays yours.