Alternatives

Alternative to budgeting in Excel for construction

The real incumbent: the inherited template nobody dares to touch.

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Comparison reviewed on· sourced fromMicrosoft 365 — Excel

Is Geztio a good alternative to Excel?

Geztio is an alternative to spreadsheet budgeting for teams that outgrew a single file: nested chapters, unit-price analysis with yields, and overhead and profit are built in, so totals cannot break when a row is inserted. Several people work on the same budget at once. A spreadsheet still wins when the layout itself is the deliverable.

In short
  • Chapters and numbering that survive a reorder
  • Several people on one budget, with roles per project
  • No schedule, no S-curve and no offline editing

Geztio vs Excel, function by function

FeatureGeztioExcel
Budget
Nested chapters, unlimited depthIncludedBuilt by hand
Automatic numbering per levelIncludedManual formulas
Quantities by location (tower, floor, unit)IncludedBuilt by hand
Overhead, contingency and profitIncludedBuilt by hand
Scenarios and approved versionsFrom ProCopies of the file
Unit-price analysis
Preloaded unit-cost database100+ unit costsNot available
Editable yields and wasteIncludedBuilt by hand
Unit costs reusable across projectsIncludedCopy and paste
Supplies
Reference supply database1200+ suppliesNot available
Bulk price updatesIncludedFind and replace
Supply price historyFrom BusinessNot available
Collaboration
Users included3 · 10 · 30 · customPer your Microsoft 365 plan
Simultaneous editingIncludedIncluded
Roles and permissions per projectIncludedFile-level sharing only
Read-only guests (client, supervision)From ProFile-level sharing only
Data and export
Export to ExcelIncludedIncluded
Public APINot availableNot available
Scheduling
Schedule and S-curveNot availableBuilt by hand
Deployment and licence
Runs in the browser, no installIncludedIncluded
Works offlineNot availableIncluded
Licence modelMonthly subscriptionIncluded with Microsoft 365
Updates includedIncludedIncluded

How is Geztio different from Excel?

Totals that cannot quietly break

Insert a row above a SUM range in a spreadsheet and the total keeps returning a number — just the wrong one. Nobody audits a formula that still works. In Geztio the chapter tree owns the arithmetic: subtotals roll up from the structure, not from ranges you have to keep honest, so reordering an item is a safe operation instead of a risk.

Unit costs that outlive the project

Unit-price analyses built inside a spreadsheet die with that file. The next tender starts from a copy of the last one, with prices that are already stale and yields nobody remembers agreeing to. Geztio keeps unit costs and supplies in a database shared across projects, so repricing a tender is a bulk update rather than a rebuild.

One budget instead of fourteen copies

The estimator sends the file, the site manager changes the quantities, someone renames it and now two versions disagree about the contract value. Spreadsheet co-authoring solves the typing, not the filing. Geztio keeps one budget with roles per project, read-only access for the client, and approved versions frozen when they are signed off.

When is Excel still the better choice?

A spreadsheet is still the right tool in three situations, and it is worth saying so before you migrate anything. If any of these describe your work, Geztio will feel like a heavier tool than the job needs.

  • The layout is the deliverable — the client mandates a form with an exact cell structure that has to be filled in as-is.
  • It is a one-off budget of a few dozen items that will never be repriced or reused.
  • You work without connectivity most of the time; Geztio needs a browser and a connection.

How do I move my budgets and unit costs off Excel?

  1. Step 1
    Flatten the sheet

    One row per item, one header row, no merged cells and no subtotal rows in the middle of the data. Subtotals are rebuilt from the chapter tree.

  2. Step 2
    Map the columns

    Code, description, unit, quantity and unit price. Anything else is optional and can be added afterwards inside Geztio.

  3. Step 3
    Import and check the total

    Compare the imported total against the spreadsheet's before you touch anything. A mismatch here is almost always a formula that was already wrong.

  4. What does not migrate
    Formulas, macros and formatting

    Values come across, the machinery behind them does not — that is the point of the move. Conditional formatting, macros and custom print layouts are rebuilt or dropped.

What does Geztio cost compared with Excel?

Geztio

Four plans, from a free tier to enterprise, priced per region and billed monthly. Prices come from the live catalog, so they are never restated here.

See all plans →
Excel

A spreadsheet has no separate licence to compare — it comes with Microsoft 365. The cost that matters is the hours spent rebuilding structure, repricing by hand and reconciling versions. Compare that against a Geztio plan rather than against a licence fee.

Frequently asked questions

Can I import my budget from a spreadsheet?

Yes, from a flat sheet with one row per item: code, description, unit, quantity and unit price. Formulas are not imported — values are. Chapters are rebuilt inside Geztio, which is what makes the totals reliable afterwards.

Can I still export to Excel?

Yes. Every budget exports to Excel, so tenders that require a spreadsheet deliverable are unaffected. Geztio replaces where the budget is built and maintained, not the format you hand over.

What happens to my budgets if I stop paying?

Your data stays yours: export your budgets and unit costs to Excel before the subscription ends. Geztio does not hold budgets hostage behind an active plan.

Does it work offline on site?

No. Geztio needs a browser and a connection, and a spreadsheet does not. If most of your budgeting happens without connectivity, this is a real reason to stay where you are.

Shall we look at it with a budget of yours?
Thirty minutes, with a unit cost you have already built.

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Methodology. Built from Excel's public documentation, last reviewed on 2026-08-25. Excel is a trademark of its owner; Geztio is not affiliated with it. Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.