Comparison
SmokoBooks vs a spreadsheet for your tradie books
Plenty of tradies run their books on a spreadsheet, and for the first few months it is fine. It is free, you already know it, and it is honest. This page is about the point where it stops being enough, and what you actually gain by moving.
Where A spreadsheet wins
- Free, if you already have Excel or use Google Sheets.
- Completely flexible. Any layout, any column, any formula.
- No learning curve if you built it yourself.
- Works on anything, including your phone.
Where SmokoBooks wins
- Documents, not just numbers. A spreadsheet does not produce a branded quote, invoice, work order or SWMS. You end up with a second tool for those, and retyping between them.
- Nothing retyped. Quote becomes job becomes invoice. The spreadsheet version is copy and paste, and copy and paste is where errors live.
- Who owes you, without looking. The dashboard opens on overdue invoices with a one-click reminder. A spreadsheet needs you to go and check.
- Receipts attached to the expense. Photos live with the entry, not in a folder you have to cross-reference.
- BAS by quarter with the labels on it, GST position, tax set-aside. A spreadsheet can do this, but you have to build and maintain the formulas, and one broken cell goes unnoticed for a quarter.
- Daily backups, automatically. Spreadsheets get overwritten, emailed around and lost.
Side by side
| SmokoBooks | A spreadsheet | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | $19 a month, 14 days free | Free |
| Quotes and invoices as PDFs | Yes, branded | Manual, or a separate template |
| Trade documents | Nine types included | No |
| Quote to invoice | One click | Copy and paste |
| Overdue tracking and reminders | Built in | Manual |
| Receipt photos | Attached to the expense | Separate folder |
| BAS figures | Automatic by quarter | Your own formulas |
| Backups | Daily, automatic | Whatever you remember to do |
| Accountant handover | One Excel export | Your spreadsheet, as is |
Our honest take
If you send fewer than a handful of invoices a month and have no job paperwork to speak of, keep the spreadsheet. The day you find yourself rebuilding a quote as an invoice, hunting for a receipt at BAS time, or realising someone paid late and nobody noticed, that is the day it costs more than $19.
Common questions
Can I import my spreadsheet?+
Customers, price list and open jobs can be entered or imported from a spreadsheet. Historical data can stay where it is; start the app from a clean date and keep the old file for your records.
Does SmokoBooks export back to Excel?+
Yes. One click produces an Excel workbook of the whole year for your accountant, and each list can be exported as a CSV.
Is it harder than a spreadsheet?+
The first-run setup takes about three minutes. After that, every screen has a help button and a guided tour. Most people send their first real quote the same day.
Other comparisons: SmokoBooks vs Xero · SmokoBooks vs MYOB