Skip to content
Spreadsheets and paper or TrackOver, honestly

The spreadsheet got you here. Is it getting you further?

Excel, a whiteboard and a clipboard run a lot of good dirt companies, and they cost next to nothing. They start to slip when there is more than one crew, because the hours, photos and changes live in too many places to add up by Friday.

TrackOver publishes Free at $0, Pro at $25/user/mo, Premium at $45/user/mo, Elite at $69/user/mo, with a three seat minimum on the paid tiers, so the smallest paid bill is $75 a month and the free plan needs no card. Spreadsheets and paper cost little or nothing in software; what they cost is office hours, missed hours on timecards and extras nobody wrote down. Excel, a whiteboard and a clipboard run a lot of good dirt companies, and they cost next to nothing. They start to slip when there is more than one crew, because the hours, photos and changes live in too many places to add up by Friday.

What Spreadsheets and paper does well

Nothing is faster to start or easier to change. Everyone already knows how a spreadsheet works, it never has an outage, a clipboard never needs a signal, and you own every cell. For a one-truck operation where the owner is on every job, that is often all it needs.

Who each one is best for

Pick Spreadsheets and paper if…
You are a one or two person outfit and the owner is on every job
Your sheet already works and nobody is losing hours, photos or extras
Your crew won't carry a smartphone on the job
Pick TrackOver if…
You run more than one crew and the whiteboard is wrong by 7am
Hours, photos or change orders fall through the cracks between the field and the office
Invoices go out late because the notes are in three places
You want to try it on the free plan before spending anything

Side by side

TrackOverSpreadsheets and paper
What it costsYes. A free plan, then $25, $45 or $69 per user per month, 3-seat minimum.Little or nothing if you already have Excel or Google Sheets.
Learning itCrews learn the phone app in a morning: my jobs, camera, clock.Nothing to learn. Everyone already knows it.
Today's scheduleDrag-and-drop board; every phone updates live.Whoever has the latest copy, or the whiteboard in the shop.
Crew hoursGPS clock-in against the job; overtime broken out.Paper timecards or texted hours, added up by hand.
Site photosStamped with date and GPS, filed on the job.On each person's camera roll, hard to find a year later.
811 / markout tickets811 ticket numbers and expiration warnings on each job.A column or a folder, if someone remembers to check it.
InvoicesBuilt from the job, sent with a pay link, photos attached.Typed up after the fact from notes and memory.
Job costingLabor, materials and machine time against billed, per job.Possible, if every sheet is kept up to date.
Your dataExport anytime in standard formats.Yours, in a file or a filing cabinet.

Plenty of good companies run on spreadsheets and paper. The question is whether yours still fits.

How to switch from spreadsheets and paper

  1. 1
    Download your lists
    Export your customers, jobs and prices as CSV or Excel, or save each sheet as a file.
  2. 2
    Drop them into TrackOver
    Start free, go to Import, pick what the file holds and drop it in.
  3. 3
    Check every row, then import
    Columns are matched for you and every row is shown before it is saved. Undo takes it all back out for 24 hours.

The full guide: what comes over from your sheets and where it lands →

Moving off spreadsheets and paper: common questions

Should I move off spreadsheets and paper?

Excel, a whiteboard and a clipboard run a lot of good dirt companies, and they cost next to nothing. They start to slip when there is more than one crew, because the hours, photos and changes live in too many places to add up by Friday. It fits best when: You run more than one crew and the whiteboard is wrong by 7am; Hours, photos or change orders fall through the cracks between the field and the office; Invoices go out late because the notes are in three places; You want to try it on the free plan before spending anything.

When should I stay on spreadsheets and paper?

You are a one or two person outfit and the owner is on every job; Your sheet already works and nobody is losing hours, photos or extras; Your crew won't carry a smartphone on the job. We would rather you pick the right tool than pick us.

What are spreadsheets and paper good at?

Nothing is faster to start or easier to change. Everyone already knows how a spreadsheet works, it never has an outage, a clipboard never needs a signal, and you own every cell. For a one-truck operation where the owner is on every job, that is often all it needs.

How does TrackOver compare to spreadsheets and paper for excavation and dirt work?

Today's schedule: Every phone updates when the board changes. Crew hours: GPS clock-in against the job, added up for payroll. Site photos: Stamped with date and GPS, filed on the job. Markout tickets: 811 ticket numbers with expiration warnings. Getting paid: Invoice from the finished job with a pay link. Your data: Export everything anytime, in standard formats.

How do I switch from spreadsheets and paper to TrackOver?

Export your customers, jobs and prices as CSV or Excel, or save each sheet as a file. Start free, go to Import, pick what the file holds and drop it in. Columns are matched for you and every row is shown before it is saved. Undo takes it all back out for 24 hours. The full guide is at trackover.io/switch/spreadsheet.

Is there a free trial?

Yes. The free plan needs no card and doesn't expire, and every paid plan starts with a 7-day free trial.

The fastest comparison is a real job

Start free, run one job through it, and let the crew vote. No card, no contract, a 7-day free trial on every paid plan, and your data exports if you leave.

Start freeSee a demo

See pricing · Switching guides · 811 ticket tracking

Comparing more than one?

vs CompanyCamvs Jobbervs ServiceTitanvs Housecall Provs ClockSharkvs busybusyvs LMNvs Buildertrendvs Procorevs CrewTracks

Or start from your trade:

ExcavationSepticSewer & WaterFiberUtilitiesGrading & Clearing