The short version
Spreadsheets are universal, free, and infinitely flexible. For a one-off runway model, a few hours in Google Sheets is genuinely hard to beat.
RocketRunway is a purpose-built runway calculator with scenarios, milestones, and read-only sharing as first-class features. It trades flexibility for speed and structure.
If you have spreadsheet fluency and a single static model, spreadsheets win. If you find yourself copy-pasting tabs to model scenarios or sending PDFs to investors, the trade-off shifts.
Side-by-side comparison
| RocketRunway | Spreadsheets | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | From $10 / month (Startup, billed yearly) | Free (Google Sheets) or bundled (Excel) |
| Flexibility | Bounded by line items + categories | Unlimited - any formula you can write |
| Time to first model | Minutes with sensible defaults | Hours, more if you start from a blank sheet |
| Scenario comparison | Built in, 2 to 4 on one chart | Manual - duplicate tabs and rebuild charts |
| Formula safety | No formulas to break; integer cents under the hood | Easy to silently break a formula |
| Sharing with investors | Read-only URL with chart-preview unfurls in Slack/Twitter/Notion | Permission share or PDF export |
| AI editing | Yes - propose line-item edits from plain English | Limited (Gemini in Sheets, Copilot in Excel) |
| What-if sliders | Live re-projection on drag (Pro+); save as new scenario | Manual - duplicate the sheet, edit cells, redraw chart |
| Hiring plan | First-class positions; auto-render in runway (Pro+) | Add rows + formulas; maintain by hand |
| Fundraise calculator | Built-in reverse-runway math | DIY formulas |
| Snapshots | Freeze + restore on any scenario | Save-As copies; manual diff |
| Multi-currency display | USD/EUR/GBP/CAD/AUD/JPY/SGD - workspace-wide | Format strings per cell |
| Chart export | Builder with themes, sizes, fonts; 2x PNG / Pro+ PDF | Right-click → Save image; manual restyle |
| Version history | Per-scenario, structured | Cell-level history (Google Sheets) |
| Lock-in risk | CSV export any time | None - the file is yours |
What spreadsheets do really well
- Universal access. Every co-founder, advisor, and investor knows how to open a spreadsheet.
- Total flexibility. If you can express it as a formula, a spreadsheet can model it.
- No lock-in. The file is yours. It will still open in 10 years.
- Free or already paid for. Google Sheets is free. Excel is bundled with most work email accounts.
Where spreadsheets get painful
- Scenarios are tabs. Modelling "what if we hire two engineers?" usually means duplicating a tab and changing numbers. Comparing four scenarios on one chart is a project.
- Formulas silently break. A range that didn't extend, a SUM that missed a row, a paste that overwrote a formula with a value. No alarms go off.
- Sharing means PDFs. Investors don't want edit access to your live model, so the workflow becomes "screenshot, format, send." Updates require a new PDF.
- Growth modelling is math homework. Compounding monthly hires, ramped revenue, and tiered SaaS pricing each take custom formulas.
When to choose spreadsheets
- You are comfortable with formulas and want full control.
- You only need one model, not a few scenarios you compare often.
- You already share a master model with a co-founder who edits it.
- The model needs custom logic that doesn't fit a line-item structure.
When to choose RocketRunway
- You want a runway projection this afternoon with sensible defaults.
- You compare scenarios regularly (base, aggressive hiring, delayed raise).
- You share read-only views with co-founders or investors.
- You want AI suggestions that respect your model structure.
- You don't want to maintain formulas as the team grows.
Summary
Spreadsheets are still the right answer for a lot of founders. That's why RocketRunway lets you import and export CSV at any time. If you outgrow RocketRunway, you can leave with your data. If you outgrow your spreadsheet, you can paste your line items in and get scenarios, milestones, and shareable charts in minutes.
FAQ
Is a spreadsheet enough for modelling startup runway?
Yes, for a single static model. Where spreadsheets get painful is when you need to compare two or more scenarios on one chart, share read-only views with investors, or maintain growth and milestone logic without formula bugs. RocketRunway is built around those workflows.
Can I import my Google Sheets or Excel runway model into RocketRunway?
Yes. CSV import with auto-detected column mapping is on every plan. Export your sheet as CSV, import in seconds. Excel workbook export is also available so the round-trip works in either direction.
Will I lose my data if I leave RocketRunway?
No. CSV export and Excel workbook export are on every plan. Delete a workspace and the data is hard-deleted within 24 hours.
Does RocketRunway replace Google Sheets entirely?
Not for everything. Spreadsheets remain better for highly bespoke financial logic and for teams that already collaborate inside Sheets. RocketRunway focuses on runway projection, scenario comparison, milestones, and read-only investor sharing - the parts of a financial model that benefit most from purpose-built UI.