QuitRunway vs Excel: Tracking Your Financial Runway the Right Way

If you're already tracking your financial runway in Excel or Google Sheets, you're ahead of 90% of people. Seriously, the fact that you're modeling your finances at all puts you in an elite group. But there comes a point when spreadsheets become the bottleneck instead of the solution. Let's talk about when a purpose-built tool makes the difference.

Why Spreadsheets Are the Natural Starting Point

Let's be clear: spreadsheets are amazing. They're flexible, powerful, and familiar. Most people start with Excel or Google Sheets because:

• You already have it: No new tools to learn or accounts to create
• Total flexibility: Build exactly what you want, however you want
• Free (mostly): Google Sheets is free, Excel comes with Office
• Familiar interface: You've been using spreadsheets since high school

For simple runway tracking one scenario basic math spreadsheets work fine. The problems emerge when you want to do more: compare scenarios, visualize trends, or share your plan with a partner or advisor.

Where Spreadsheets Break Down for Runway Planning

Here are the four pain points that drive people from spreadsheets to dedicated runway calculators:

1. Manual Updates & Formula Maintenance

In a spreadsheet, changing one input often means updating multiple cells. You adjust your monthly expenses in cell B5, but now you need to remember to update the formulas in D12, F8, and that summary tab you created last month.

Copy a row to test a different scenario? Good luck, your cell references just broke.

2. No Visual Timeline

Spreadsheets give you a number: "12.3 months runway." That's useful, but it doesn't tell you the full story. When will you hit the danger zone? What does your balance look like at month 6 vs month 10?

You can build a chart in Excel, sure, but that means more formulas, more maintenance, and more time spent wrangling your sheet instead of planning your future.

3. Error-Prone Formulas

Here's the harsh truth: one wrong cell reference can break your entire financial model. And the worst part? You might not notice until you're making decisions based on bad numbers.

Did you accidentally use B5 instead of B6? Is that SUM() formula actually capturing all your expenses? Did you forget to add severance to your available funds calculation?

4. No Built-In Scenario Comparison

This is where spreadsheets really fall apart. You want to model three scenarios:

• Optimistic: You find a job in 3 months with $1,000/month side income
• Realistic: 6-month job search with current expenses
• Pessimistic: 9-month search, expenses up 20% due to COBRA

In Excel, you have a few bad options:

• Duplicate tabs: Now you're maintaining three separate sheets. Change your savings amount? Better update all three tabs manually.
• Complex formulas: Build IF statements and scenario toggles. Congrats, your simple tracker is now a 500-cell monster.
• Side-by-side columns: Hard to read, hard to compare, and formulas get messy fast.

Spreadsheet vs QuitRunway: Side-by-Side

Feature	Excel/Sheets	QuitRunway
Updates	Manual - update multiple cells	Automatic - instant recalculation
Visual timeline	Build your own chart (if you want)	Built-in line chart showing balance over time
Formulas	Build and maintain yourself	Zero - just enter your numbers
Scenarios	Duplicate tabs or complex formulas	3 scenarios free, unlimited in Pro
What-if analysis	Manually edit cells and recalculate	Interactive sliders - adjust expenses and income in real-time
Export/Share	Email the file or share Google Sheet	Share link (free) or PDF/CSV export (Pro)

Real Example: Marcus's Spreadsheet Struggle

What QuitRunway Adds

Here's what you get with QuitRunway that spreadsheets can't match (or would take hours to build):

Free Tier ($0 Forever)

• Up to 3 scenarios to compare side-by-side
• Runway calculator with color-coded safety indicators (red/yellow/green)
• Visual runway chart showing balance over time, multiple scenario lines on one chart
• Interactive what-if sliders to adjust expenses (±50%) and side income instantly
• Share scenarios via link with partners or advisors
• No formulas to maintain - just enter your numbers and get results
• Guest mode (no account required) or free account to save across devices

Pro Tier ($6.99/month or $59/year)

• Unlimited scenarios - model as many cases as you need
• Edit & duplicate scenarios - test variations without starting over
• Expense breakdown tracking by category (housing, food, transport, etc.)
• Month-by-month action timeline - see exactly what actions to take when
• Scenario templates (Job Loss, Sabbatical, Career Change, Starting a Business)
• PDF & CSV export - formal documentation and spreadsheet integration if needed
• Priority support

When to Stick with Spreadsheets

Let's be honest: spreadsheets still have their place. Stick with Excel or Google Sheets if:

• You love building systems: If tinkering with formulas is your idea of fun, keep at it
• You need full household budgeting: QuitRunway is focused on runway planning, not tracking every coffee purchase
• You're doing complex financial modeling: Investment portfolios, debt payoff strategies, multi-year projections with inflation adjustments that's spreadsheet territory
• You only have one simple scenario: If you just want to track one set of numbers with no what-ifs, a spreadsheet works fine

Bottom line: QuitRunway is laser-focused on one thing helping you understand how long your money will last and what decisions extend your runway. If that's what you need, a purpose-built tool beats a spreadsheet every time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I still use Excel for my budget?

Absolutely! QuitRunway is specifically for runway planning, not replacing your full budget spreadsheet. Many users keep their detailed monthly budgets in Excel and use QuitRunway specifically for runway calculations and scenario planning. They complement each other perfectly.

Is the calculator really free?

Yes. The free tier includes up to 3 scenarios, visual charts, what-if sliders, and sharing via link. That's enough for most people. Upgrade to Pro ($6.99/month or $59/year) only if you need unlimited scenarios, expense breakdown tracking, scenario templates, and PDF/CSV export.

Do I need to create an account?

No for basic use. You can use guest mode without signing up your scenarios are saved locally in your browser. Create a free account only if you want to save scenarios across devices and access them anywhere. No credit card required for the free tier.

Can I export my scenarios?

Free tier: Share scenarios via link with partners, advisors, or friends. Pro tier ($6.99/month): Export to PDF and CSV for formal documentation and spreadsheet integration if you want to bring the data back into Excel for deeper analysis.

What if my spreadsheet does more than runway tracking?

Keep it! Use QuitRunway alongside your spreadsheet specifically for runway planning and scenario comparison. Many users maintain detailed budgets in Excel while using QuitRunway for "what-if" scenarios and visual runway planning. You don't have to choose one or the other use the right tool for each job.

How is this different from a retirement calculator?

Retirement calculators focus on 20-40 year timelines with investment growth and inflation. QuitRunway is for short-to-medium term planning (3-24 months) when you're between jobs, changing careers, or taking a sabbatical. Different problem, different tool.

Ready to ditch the spreadsheet headaches? Try QuitRunway free →