Most businesses start tracking inventory in a spreadsheet, and for good reason: it's free, familiar, and flexible. The question isn't whether Excel or Google Sheets is “bad” it's whether your operation still fits inside what a shared document can reliably do. This page covers the comparison, what a usable template needs (including manufacturing), and how to move the data into StockFlow without a full rebuild.
Excel or StockFlow which should you use?
Stick with a spreadsheet if you're a single person managing under roughly 50-100 SKUs at one location, and manual updates are rare enough to stay accurate. Switch to StockFlow once any of three things happen: more than one person needs to update stock, you operate more than one storage location, or you need stock levels to update automatically when a sale or shipment happens rather than by hand.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | StockFlow | Excel / Sheets |
|---|---|---|
| Setup cost | Free Starter plan | Free (existing software) |
| Multi-user editing | Real-time, conflict-free | Conflict-prone, no locking |
| Automatic stock deduction | On sale/shipment | Manual only |
| Barcode scanning | ||
| Multi-location visibility | Single unified view | Separate tabs/files |
| Audit trail | ||
| Low-stock alerts | Automatic notifications | Manual conditional formatting |
| Realistic SKU ceiling | Effectively unlimited | ~50-100 SKUs, 1 editor |
Where Excel Genuinely Wins
It's worth being honest about this: a spreadsheet isn't a lesser tool used only until you can afford better, it's the right tool for a specific range of situations.
Excel is the right choice when
- One person manages inventory, and edits are infrequent enough to stay accurate
- Catalog size is small (roughly under 50-100 SKUs) and stable
- You're validating a new business before committing budget to software
- You need full control over custom formulas or reporting layouts specific to your business
- Zero cost matters more than automation at your current stage
Where Spreadsheets Break Down
Structural limits no formula fixes
- No automatic deduction stock only changes when someone remembers to edit a cell
- No real multi-user support two people editing simultaneously risk overwriting each other
- No audit trail knowing who changed a number, and when, requires manual discipline
- No native barcode workflow receiving and counting stay manual or need fragile add-ons
- No unified multi-location view separate tabs or files drift out of sync over time
Google Sheets feels safer because everyone edits the same live file instead of emailing versions. That solves version chaos, not accuracy: two people can still subtract the same unit independently, and a sheet has no concept of a stock transaction only a number that changes. These aren't problems a cleverer template solves permanently.
Want barcodes on labels while still on Excel? See can I create a barcode system in Excel for what a basic setup requires and where it breaks then come back here when you need scanning that updates stock without a separate bridge app.
The Three Signals That Actually Matter
- Team size: more than one person touches stock. The moment a second person needs to update quantities receiving, picking, or counting a spreadsheet's lack of real-time, conflict-free editing becomes a daily source of discrepancies. This tends to matter more than raw SKU count.
- Locations: more than one place holds stock. A second stockroom, warehouse, or fulfilment partner means either a second tab that drifts out of sync, or constant manual reconciliation between them. StockFlow gives one unified view regardless of how many locations feed it.
- Automation: stock needs to change itself. Once you're selling through more than one channel (in-store plus online, for example), waiting for someone to manually update a spreadsheet after each sale creates a real risk of overselling stock that's no longer there.
Inventory Templates While You Stay on Excel
If none of the three signals apply yet, a disciplined template still helps. At minimum use SKU, product name, quantity on hand, reorder point, unit cost, and supplier. Add UOM, location/bin, and last count date once the basics work. For columns and the reorder-point formula in detail, use the free inventory list template guide or the ready-made spreadsheet download. For the exact IF and SUMPRODUCT formulas that turn those columns into automatic low-stock flags and a total stock value, see the Excel inventory template.
Manufacturing: raw, WIP, finished
Manufacturers need more than one on-hand column. Use separate sheets (or clearly separated blocks) for raw materials, WIP, and finished goods optionally MRO. For WIP, add work order ID and stage. Prefer a Transactions sheet (date, SKU, type, qty, WO/reference, user) over silent edits to on-hand cells. Protect formula columns, validate locations and transaction types, freeze headers, and conditional-format rows below reorder point.
Enforce a single OneDrive or Google Drive master never email “final_v7”. When a second user, a second location, or barcode needs appear (or WIP value becomes material to the business), export cleaned SKUs to CSV, map columns, cycle-count opening balances, and recreate reorder points in software. Keep Excel as a read-only archive for engineering notes if you want quantities should have one system of record.
How to Switch From Excel or Google Sheets
- Clean up your sheet. Remove duplicate rows, archived products, and any rows without a product name before exporting, easier in the spreadsheet you already know than after import.
- Export as CSV or Excel. In Excel use Save As / Export; in Google Sheets use File > Download and choose .csv or .xlsx. Both formats upload directly.
- Upload and map columns. Drag the file into StockFlow bulk import. Common headers like Qty, Stock, and Item match automatically; adjust anything unrecognized.
- Import and verify. Run the import, then spot-check top SKUs against the old sheet (and ideally a quick shelf count) before you rely on reorder alerts.
Formulas, conditional formatting, and Apps Script do not transfer they were calculating from the data you're importing. For file types, required columns, and mapping edge cases, see the CSV and Excel import guide. Typical small-business catalogs take under an hour once duplicates are cleaned.
What Happens to Your Old Spreadsheet?
Keep it. Nothing forces you to delete the original file, and it's useful as a reference during your first few weeks on StockFlow while you double-check that counts line up. Your current on-hand stock, prices, and product details transfer directly through the CSV import. What doesn't carry over automatically is historical transaction detail that only existed as static numbers in old tabs most teams accept that and treat the import date as a clean starting point for accurate stock history going forward.
Related Guides
- Can I create a barcode system in Excel? educational walkthrough of fonts, labels, and scanner apps and where the setup fails.
- Free inventory Excel template columns and formulas while a spreadsheet still fits.
- Free inventory spreadsheet download a ready-made CSV file with sample data, plus purchase order, stock count, and asset register templates.
- Import inventory from CSV/Excel column mapping and file requirements.
- Inventory management migration guides switching from a competitor tool instead of a spreadsheet.
- Inventory management software features and pricing once you're ready to switch.
- Alternatives to Excel for inventory a wider round-up if StockFlow isn't the only option you're weighing.
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