Articles | Updated 22 October 2026
Excel, Google Sheets or shop software: which should you choose?
If one person keeps the records and the shop is not VAT registered, Excel or Google Sheets is enough. Google Sheets wins on sharing one file and opening it on a phone, but both still need someone to type every bill. With sales staff, hundreds of stock items or VAT registration, shop software pays off, because one sale updates stock, the books and tax totals by itself
Point by point
Expenses
Excel: Free if you already own Microsoft Office
Google Sheets: Free with a Google account
Shop software: Monthly, for example GORINY from 690 baht per branch a month
Several users
Excel: Files sent back and forth, easy to overwrite
Google Sheets: Can be opened at the same time
Shop software: Shared at once, with per-person rights
Stock deducted on sale
Excel: Typed by hand
Google Sheets: Typed by hand
Shop software: Deducted on every bill automatically
Monthly tax
Excel: Totalled by hand from several sheets
Google Sheets: Totalled by hand from several sheets
Shop software: Built from actual bills, with filing files
Without internet
Excel: Works
Google Sheets: Limited, needs setting up in advance
Shop software: Most need internet, including GORINY
Lost data
Excel: Depends on your own backups
Google Sheets: Stored in Google cloud
Shop software: Backed up by the provider, GORINY nightly
| Topic | Excel | Google Sheets | Shop software |
|---|---|---|---|
| Expenses | Free if you already own Microsoft Office | Free with a Google account | Monthly, for example GORINY from 690 baht per branch a month |
| Several users | Files sent back and forth, easy to overwrite | Can be opened at the same time | Shared at once, with per-person rights |
| Stock deducted on sale | Typed by hand | Typed by hand | Deducted on every bill automatically |
| Monthly tax | Totalled by hand from several sheets | Totalled by hand from several sheets | Built from actual bills, with filing files |
| Without internet | Works | Limited, needs setting up in advance | Most need internet, including GORINY |
| Lost data | Depends on your own backups | Stored in Google cloud | Backed up by the provider, GORINY nightly |
Where Google Sheets beats Excel, and where it does not help
Google Sheets genuinely fixes the many-versions problem, since everyone opens the same file from one link, even on a phone in the shop, and a broken computer does not lose the file. It is a good next step from Excel for a shop that starts to have helpers
What Google Sheets does not change is that every bill still has to be typed into several sheets. Sales, stock and tax remain separate, one missed entry still throws the month off, and anyone with an edit link can change formulas or delete rows anywhere in the file
Choosing by shop size
- Owner selling alone, under a hundred products, not VAT registered: Excel or Google Sheets is enough
- Staff start helping or you check from several places: move to Google Sheets first
- Dozens of bills a day, hundreds of stock items or VAT registered: use shop software
- Several branches, or monthly figures for a bookkeeper: use software that combines branches and lets the bookkeeper look directly
How to do it in the app
In GORINY, one sale deducts that branch stock and posts revenue and output tax immediately. Everyone sees the same numbers within the rights the owner sets, on computer or phone through the browser. Internet is needed while selling, so keep mobile data as a backup. Moving from Excel or Google Sheets, import products and customers from your existing file
Frequently asked questions
- Can free Google Sheets run shop stock?
- Yes for a small shop. Several people can open it at once, but every sale and delivery is typed by hand, and one missed entry puts the totals out
- Is moving from Google Sheets to software hard?
- No. Download the sheet as Excel or CSV and import it on the products page, checking every row before saving
- What if my internet is unreliable?
- Excel on a computer works offline. If you use browser-based software, keep mobile data or a hotspot as a backup
Related features
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