Runway vs a Spreadsheetfor tracking startup finances

When a spreadsheet is genuinely fine

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.

When the spreadsheet starts costing you

It breaks in predictable ways once money actually moves:

• Your numbers are always a few weeks late — you reconcile when you remember, not when it matters.
• One dragged formula silently breaks runway, and you find out in a board meeting.
• Stripe says one thing, Razorpay another, the bank a third — and nothing ties out.
• Twelve tabs, three versions, and nobody knows which is current.
• An investor asks your burn rate and you say "let me get back to you."