Compare · Spreadsheets
Gather360 vs a spreadsheet: which suits a small UK team?
Most small businesses run their clients from Excel or Google Sheets, and for a while it works fine. Here is when a spreadsheet is still the right answer, and when it starts costing you.
30-day free trial · no card · £12.99 + VAT per person a month after
The short answer
Keep the spreadsheet if you work alone, have a few dozen clients and rarely need to chase anyone; you probably already pay for it. Move to Gather360 when several people share the list, follow-ups get missed, or notes and documents live in different places. It adds dated follow-ups, a shared history and roles, for £12.99 + VAT a user.
Last checked 27 October 2026
A spreadsheet and Gather360 side by side
A spreadsheet is more flexible than any CRM. That is both its strength and its problem.
| Gather360 | Excel or Google Sheets | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per user | £12.99 + VAT a month, or £129.90 + VAT a year | Often already included in Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace. Google Sheets is free with a Google account |
| Free trial | 30 days, no card | Not needed if you already have it |
| Flexibility | Fixed fields for clients, contacts, notes and follow-ups | Yes, any column, formula or chart you like |
| Follow-up reminders | Yes, due dates, owners and an overdue list on the home screen | Only what you build with dates, filters and colours |
| History of who did what | Yes, notes are timestamped with the author | Partly, through version history |
| Documents on each client | Yes, filed privately against the client | No, links to files kept elsewhere |
| Several people at once | Yes, with owner, admin and user roles | Yes, with shared editing. Anyone with edit access can change anything |
| Consistent spelling of tags and sectors | Yes, managed lists | Only with data validation you set up |
| Email sync, pipelines, integrations | No | No, unless you build or add them |
| Works on a phone | Yes, in the browser | Yes, though large sheets are awkward on a small screen |
| Setup effort | Low. Send us your sheet and we will help | None if you already have one |
Compared on 27 October 2026. Spreadsheet costs depend on which Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace plan you already have; see microsoft.com and workspace.google.com for current prices. Gather360 prices exclude VAT.
Which one should you pick?
Choose Gather360 if…
- More than one person works from the client list
- Call backs and chases get missed because nobody sees them in time
- Notes are in emails, notebooks and people’s heads
- Someone has overwritten or sorted the sheet and broken it
- You want to know who spoke to a client last, and what they said
Keep the spreadsheet if…
- You work alone and have a short client list
- You rarely need reminders to follow anyone up
- You need custom columns, formulas or charts that a CRM won’t give you
- You don’t want another monthly cost
- It works and nobody is complaining
What changes
The list stops being a record and starts telling you what to do
A spreadsheet tells you who your clients are. It won’t tell you that you promised to ring one of them back last Tuesday.
Gather360 keeps the same client list, then adds the parts a sheet struggles with: dated follow-ups with an owner, notes that show who wrote them, documents on the client, and a home screen that opens on what is overdue.
- Overdue follow-ups at the top until someone deals with them
- Search across clients and contacts
- Each person’s role controls what they can change
What a 5-person team pays in a year
Gather360
- Monthly: 5 × £12.99 × 12 = £779.40 + VAT
- Yearly: 5 × £129.90 = £649.50 + VAT
A spreadsheet
Usually nothing extra, because most teams already have Excel or Google Sheets through the email and office plan they pay for.
So the spreadsheet wins on cost. The question is whether a missed follow-up or a lost note costs you more than £649.50 a year. For some businesses it doesn’t, and a spreadsheet is the right answer. Our guide on CRM vs spreadsheet goes into more detail, and moving from Excel to a CRM covers the switch.
Bring your spreadsheet
Start a 30-day trial and send your sheet to hello@gather360.co.uk. We will help you get it in. Or try the demo first.
30-day free trial · no card · £12.99 + VAT per person a month after
Questions people ask
Is a spreadsheet good enough as a CRM?
For one person with a short client list, often yes. It starts to struggle when several people share it, when follow-ups get missed, or when notes and documents end up in different places.
Can I import my Excel or Google Sheets client list?
There is no import wizard. Send your spreadsheet to hello@gather360.co.uk and we will help you bring it in.
Can I get my data back out of Gather360?
Yes. There is no self-serve export button, but a copy of your data is available on request by email.
Does Gather360 do everything a spreadsheet does?
No. You can’t add your own formulas, columns or charts. Gather360 trades that flexibility for fixed fields, follow-ups, notes, documents and roles that work the same for everyone.
What happens to my data if I stop?
If the trial ends without billing, or you cancel, the account pauses and your data is kept for 90 days, then deleted.
See if it fits in ten minutes
Click round the live demo with no sign-up, or start a free trial with your own clients. No card, no sales call.
30-day free trial · no card · £12.99 + VAT per person a month after