A checklist in Excel or Google Sheets is quick to start and costs nothing extra. It gets harder when the same checklist runs every week or for every new starter, several people tick rows, and someone has to copy it, chase it and prove later who did each step. CheckFlow runs those checklists as processes: a fresh run on schedule, an owner and due date on every step, steps in order, approvals and a record of every run, from $10 per user per month.
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Excel and Google Sheets both have checkboxes now (Insert, then Checkbox), and in Excel a ticked box counts as TRUE in a formula, so a progress percentage is one COUNTIF away. For a personal list, that is all you need. A checklist a team runs again and again needs more: a fresh copy each time, the right person on each step, steps that can’t be skipped and a record nobody can reset.
CheckFlow is built for the team version, at $10 per user per month. Here is where it differs.
Neither Excel nor Google Sheets copies a checklist on a schedule by itself: you would build it with a Power Automate flow or an Apps Script trigger. A CheckFlow schedule starts a fresh checklist daily, weekly, monthly or on a custom cadence, with every task assigned.
Learn MoreIn a spreadsheet the owner is a name in a column. In CheckFlow each task is assigned to people or groups, with a due date set by rules, and they are notified when it is theirs and alerted when it is overdue.
Learn MoreMark a task as halted and nothing after it can be completed until it, and every task before it, is done. Approval steps can be completed only by the approver, and required fields stop a step being ticked without the evidence.
Learn MoreExcel’s Show Changes covers the past 365 days and is cleared when the file is uploaded, copied or replaced; restoring an earlier version in Google Sheets clears its cell edit history. CheckFlow saves every task and field with who changed it and when, and keeps completed checklists for good.
Learn MoreIf… Then… rules show or hide tasks and fields from the answers given, so the contractor’s offboarding skips the laptop return. A spreadsheet shows every row to everyone, whether it applies or not.
Learn MoreWhen each run is a copy of a file, last quarter’s answers are spread across last quarter’s files. The Reports Grid shows every checklist from a template with its progress and answers, with filters and saved views.
Learn MoreGenerate with AI reads Word, Excel, PDF and CSV files, or a photo of a paper checklist, and turns it into a template you can edit. Lists such as clients or sites import into a Data Set from CSV.
Learn MoreThese are the problems teams describe when a shared spreadsheet becomes the way a process runs.
Every new starter or every month means a copied file or tab, cleared ticks and new names in the owner column. The copy is a step someone can forget.
Excel and Google Sheets can assign a comment to someone, who gets an email. The rows themselves don’t tell anyone it is their turn, or chase them when a step is late.
Anyone who can edit the sheet can tick any row, in any order, and untick it later. Protected ranges help, but Google’s own help says they shouldn’t be used as a security measure.
Excel and Google Sheets cost nothing extra if your team already has Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace. As of October 2026 Microsoft 365 Business Basic is $7 per user per month on an annual subscription ($8.40 monthly), with the web and mobile apps, and Google Workspace Business Starter is $7 per user per month on an annual plan ($8.40 flexible).
CheckFlow’s Business plan is $10 per user per month, or $9 billed annually, on top of the office suite you already have, and guests are free. What it buys back is the time spent copying, chasing and checking spreadsheets, and a record you can show an auditor or a client.
| CheckFlow Business Plan | Excel or Google Sheets In your office suite | |
|---|---|---|
Disclaimer: All information was last verified on 13th October 2026 from Microsoft’s and Google’s own support, pricing and developer pages. To report any incorrect or outdated information, please contact us. | $10USD PER USER PER MONTH | Included WITH MICROSOFT 365 OR GOOGLE WORKSPACE |
| Cost | ||
| Extra cost per user | $10 a month, $9 annually | None, with Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace |
| Free guests who complete steps | Yes | Sharing outside a work account can be blocked by an administrator |
| Running checklists | ||
| Checkboxes and progress | Yes | Yes |
| A fresh run of the checklist on a schedule | Yes | Build it with Power Automate or Apps Script |
| An owner per step who is notified | Yes | Assign a comment; the person gets an email |
| Due dates with overdue alerts | Yes | A date column you check yourself |
| Steps that must be done in order | Yes | No |
| Approval steps | Yes | No |
| Conditional logic that hides steps | Yes | Conditional formatting, not hidden steps |
| Required fields | Yes | Data validation on a cell |
| History of who changed what | Kept for good | Excel: 365 days, cleared by a copy; Sheets: cleared by a restore |
| Answers from every run in one place | Yes | One file or tab per run |
| Everyday use | ||
| Several people editing at once | Yes | Yes |
| Calculations, charts and pivot tables | No | Yes |
| Native mobile apps | Web app in the phone browser; no native app | Yes |
| Works offline | No | Sheets offline in Chrome or Edge |
| Export to Excel or CSV | Yes | Yes |
✓ included · ~ partial, limited or unknown (hover for detail) · CheckFlow Enterprise plan
If the spreadsheet is really a project plan, a project management tool may be the better swap. If it is a process that repeats, see how CheckFlow compares with the other checklist tools on our comparison page. And if a spreadsheet is still the right tool, our guides show how to make a checklist in Excel and in Google Sheets.
What teams ask before moving a checklist out of a spreadsheet.
Not by themselves. Both have checkboxes, and you can copy a file or a tab for each run. To do that on a schedule you build it yourself: a scheduled Power Automate flow that copies the file for Excel, or an Apps Script time-driven trigger for Google Sheets. In CheckFlow a schedule starts a new checklist each time, with every task assigned. See recurring checklists.
Yes, if you only count the subscription. Excel and Google Sheets come with Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace, which most teams already pay for. CheckFlow’s Business plan is $10 per user per month on top, or $9 billed annually, and guests are free. The saving is the time spent copying, chasing and checking spreadsheet checklists, and a record you can show.
Yes. Generate with AI in the template designer reads Word, Excel, PDF and CSV files, or a photo of a paper checklist, and turns it into a template you can edit. Our team will convert your first checklists for you free, and lists such as clients or sites import into a Data Set from CSV.
Yes. Checklists and tasks export to Excel, CSV or PDF, so you can keep any reporting you do in a spreadsheet.
No. CheckFlow is a responsive web app that works in the browser on phones and tablets, and you can add it to your home screen. File Upload fields can take a photo with the device camera. It needs a connection to save, and there is no offline mode. Excel and Google Sheets have mobile apps, and Google Sheets can work offline in Chrome or Edge.
Yes. You can start a 14-day free trial with no credit card required. The trial gives you every Business plan feature, so you can test your real processes. If CheckFlow is not right for you, cancel at any time. We also have a fair refund policy on paid subscriptions.
Still weighing up your options? See how CheckFlow stacks up against the other tools on your shortlist.
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