In short
A spreadsheet is a good fit for a handful of transactions a month with no VAT and one currency. Qaid is a better fit once you have receipts to keep, invoices to track, VAT to report, or more than one currency — because entries are double-entry, documents stay attached, and reports are generated rather than maintained.
Side by side
| Spreadsheet | Qaid | |
|---|---|---|
| Intended user | Anyone; works best for very small volumes | Freelancers, startups and small businesses |
| Setup | Build your own columns and formulas | Create a company; chart of accounts and tax defaults provided |
| Recording a transaction | Type a row by hand | Describe it in a sentence, upload a receipt, forward an email, or import a statement |
| Receipts & documents | Separate folder; manual linking | Extracted and attached to the entry |
| Double-entry | Only if you build it | Always; trial balance, P&L, balance sheet, cash flow generated |
| VAT / Zakat | Manual formulas | VAT on invoices and expenses, VAT summary/detail report, Zakat estimate |
| Multi-currency | Manual rates | Converted at transaction-date rate, original kept |
| Invoices | Separate template | Created, shared and posted to receivables |
| Human review | You are the only check | AI drafts; you approve; audit log |
| Collaboration | Share the file | Single owner today (team roles planned) |
| Price | Free | Free Starter plan; paid plans from KWD 9/month when billing launches |
| Limits | Errors compound silently; no audit trail | No bank feeds; no public API; AI can misread — review required |
When a spreadsheet is the right choice
- You record fewer than ~20 transactions a month, in one currency, with no VAT.
- You want full control of the layout and already have a template you trust.
- You have no receipts to retain (or you are happy keeping them elsewhere).
When Qaid is the right choice
- You need receivables, payables or VAT figures you can rely on.
- You handle foreign-currency payments or several businesses.
- You want documents attached to entries and an audit trail for your accountant.
- You would rather describe transactions than maintain formulas.
Moving from a spreadsheet
Export your spreadsheet to CSV and import it as a statement, or enter opening balances as of a start date and continue from there. See the getting-started guide.
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