Logging in seconds from your phone, receipts next to the expense, and statistics with no formulas. No bank connection.
COMPARISON
Tally vs Excel: app or spreadsheet for expenses?
A spreadsheet is free, endlessly flexible, and you probably already have one. This comparison is not here to talk you out of it: it explains where each one wins, so you pick the one you will actually keep up to date — the only one that works.
Data reviewed on September 4, 2026 · Juan Carlos Rodicio
A file of your own, with the columns and calculations you decide. All the work and all the control are yours.
COMPARISON
Tally and a spreadsheet, point by point
| Criterion | Tally | Excel or Sheets |
|---|---|---|
| Logging in the moment | Tap +, amount, account, and category on your phone, in seconds, right after paying. | Excel and Sheets do have mobile apps, but typing into a cell on a phone keyboard is slower, and the template is designed for a computer. |
| Receipts and proof | Attach the photo to the movement and it stays on your phone. Tap “Analyze receipt” and Tally proposes amount and date for you to review. | A spreadsheet does not turn a receipt photo into a row: you can insert or link the image, but you type the data yourself. |
| Accounts, cash, and currencies | Separate accounts for cash, cards, or a trip. Three on the free tier; unlimited plus event accounts with PRO. Each account in its own currency, from 47, with the total converted to your main currency at daily rates. | As many sheets and columns as you want. Currency conversion can be built with formulas, but you maintain and update it. |
| Categories and statistics | 17 built-in categories and charts by month, quarter, semester, or year with nothing to configure. Custom categories, date range, trend, and evolution with PRO. | Pivot tables and charts that are far more powerful — if you know how to build them. Official budget templates exist so you do not start from zero. |
| Sharing with someone | You share one specific account; its content is encrypted on your device before upload and each person logs from their own phone. Requires PRO on both. | You share the whole file: in Sheets through Google account permissions, in Excel through OneDrive or by sending it. Whoever opens it sees everything. |
| Flexibility | It does what it does: expenses, income, accounts, categories, goals, and recurring items. No formulas of your own and no budgets. | Practically unlimited. You can calculate anything and cross your spending with any other data. This is its great advantage. |
| Cost | The app is free with limits (3 accounts, 1 receipt analysis, 1 recurring item, 1 goal). Import, sharing, and the advanced features are Tally PRO. | Google Sheets is free with a Google account; Excel comes with a Microsoft licence or subscription. If you already have it, you pay nothing more. |
| Where the data lives | On your device by default. Only what you choose to share, or a receipt you send for analysis, leaves it. An account is required to use the app. | A local file never leaves your computer and needs no account at all. A Google Sheet lives in your Google account. |
| Moving between them | You can bring the sheet in: export it as .xlsx or CSV and Tally proposes the rows for you to review before saving (PRO). The old .xls is not supported. | You can take your data out: Tally exports a CSV with accounts, categories, movements, goals, and recurring items — without the receipt images. |
Who each one fits
Choose the flow you will keep
Tally may fit you better if…
- You log on your phone right after paying, and you know that leaving it for Sunday means it will not happen.
- You want the receipt stored next to the expense instead of in a separate folder.
- You mix cash, several cards, or several currencies and want to see them as separate accounts.
- You want the category breakdown without building a pivot table.
- You have already abandoned an expense spreadsheet because you stopped maintaining it.
Excel or Sheets may fit you better if…
- You already have your template and keep it effortlessly: the best tool is the one you already use.
- You need calculations of your own: amortizations, scenarios, forecasts, or category budgets.
- You want to cross your spending with other data of yours in the same place.
- You prefer a single file under your control, with no service account at all (with a local file).
- You are comfortable working on a computer and do not need to log on the go.
Bottom line
A spreadsheet almost always loses for the same reason: it is not in your hand when you pay. And it almost always wins for the same reason: it does exactly what you tell it to. If your problem is logging, an app will last you longer; if your problem is calculating, stay with the sheet. And if you are unsure, you can import your sheet into Tally and try a month without losing your history.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Can I import my expense spreadsheet into Tally?
Yes. Export the sheet as .xlsx or CSV and pick it in “Import from bank”: Tally reads the rows, proposes amount, date, concept, and category, detects duplicates, and you confirm. It is a Tally PRO feature, and the old .xls format is not supported.
Can I get my data out of Tally into a spreadsheet?
Yes. From Settings you can export a CSV with your accounts, categories, movements, goals, and recurring items. Be aware it is a single file with a “row_type” column mixing all of those, and amounts in minor units — it is designed mainly for re-importing into Tally. It opens in any spreadsheet, but for a clean expense table you will need to filter the rows of type “movement”. Receipt images are not included.
Does Tally have budgets like an Excel template?
No. Tally has no category budgets and no money assignment. It has goals for setting money aside with an intention and recurring items for what repeats. If budgeting is the centre of your method, a spreadsheet template or a budgeting app fits better.
Does it convert currencies like a formula with an exchange rate?
For totals, yes. Each account keeps its currency and Tally adds up the total in your main currency, converted on the phone with exchange rates it downloads once a day; converted amounts are marked “≈” with the rates date. It does not use real-time or historical rates, and does not convert when saving. In a spreadsheet you pick the rate and the formula yourself; if you need a specific day's rate, the spreadsheet wins.
Is a spreadsheet more private?
A local file on your computer never leaves it and needs no account, so in that specific case yes. Tally stores data on the device by default, but it requires an account and some actions — analyzing a receipt, sharing an account — do send data. A Google Sheet, by contrast, lives in Google's cloud from the start.
Official references
Keep exploring
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