A spreadsheet is excellent at storing and calculating. It’s poor at execution. Most traders write a detailed plan in Excel or Google Sheets and never open it during the session it was meant to guide. TradingPlan was built specifically to close that gap — turning your strategy rules and pre-market routine into a live checklist you actually run before every trade. Use a spreadsheet for trade records and performance analysis. Use TradingPlan for in-session discipline.
Quick Comparison
| Feature | TradingPlan | Excel / Google Sheets |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | In-session execution and discipline | Storage, calculation, record-keeping |
| Setup time | Minutes | Hours (or you build it over weeks) |
| In-session usability | ✅ Designed for live trading flow | ❌ A document you have to open and read |
| Pre-market routine builder | ✅ Dedicated module | ❌ Build it yourself |
| Strategy Flow (live checklist) | ✅ Core feature | ❌ Doesn’t exist natively |
| Risk management framework | ✅ Built-in (10 categories) | ⚠️ Possible with formulas |
| iPhone-first design | ✅ Native one-handed use | ❌ Painful on mobile |
| Works offline | ✅ Full functionality | ✅ Excel yes, Sheets limited |
| Privacy | iCloud only — no third-party | ✅ Excel local / ⚠️ Sheets on Google servers |
| Free tier | 1 strategy, 1 routine, basic risk | ✅ Sheets free, Excel needs Microsoft 365 |
| Paid pricing | £59.99/year or £149.99 lifetime | Microsoft 365 from £59.99/year |
Why Spreadsheets Became The Default
Excel and Google Sheets are powerful, flexible, and familiar. You can build a trading plan, a watchlist, a risk calculator, and a trade journal — all in one file.
For tracking historical trades, calculating P&L, win rate, average risk-to-reward, drawdown — a well-built spreadsheet is genuinely excellent.
So if spreadsheets work for record-keeping, why do so many traders end up frustrated?
The Spreadsheet Problem Nobody Talks About
Most traders write a beautifully detailed trading plan in Excel — strategy rules, entry triggers, stop-loss criteria, risk parameters, pre-market checklist — and then never open it during the session it was meant to guide.
The plan exists. It’s correct. It’s complete. And it’s completely disconnected from how the trader actually trades each day.
This isn’t a discipline problem. It’s a tool problem.
A spreadsheet is a document. It stores information. It does nothing to surface that information in the moment of a trade. Your rules sit in a tab you have to actively choose to open, scroll through, and mentally apply.
That’s the gap TradingPlan was built to close.
Where Spreadsheets Win
1. Calculation Power
Custom calculations, complex formulas, conditional formatting. If your strategy has unusual requirements, a spreadsheet bends to fit them.
2. Performance Analytics
After a few hundred trades, the data analysis a good spreadsheet provides is genuinely powerful.
3. Total Customisation
You can build your trading plan exactly the way you think. Every column. Every formula.
4. Free To Use
Google Sheets is genuinely free. Excel comes with Microsoft 365.
5. Cross-Platform
Google Sheets works in any browser on any device.
Where TradingPlan Wins
1. Your Plan Becomes Alive — Not Just Documented
A spreadsheet trading plan is information stored in a file. TradingPlan turns that same information into a flow you actually run.
You open the app. You select the strategy you’re trading today. Strategy Flow walks you through your rules — one step at a time. Pre-market checklist done. Risk parameters confirmed.
2. Built For The Moment Of Trading
A spreadsheet is built for desk work — recording, calculating, reviewing. TradingPlan is built for the seconds and minutes immediately before a trade.
3. Zero Setup For Real Results
A good Excel trading plan takes hours to build properly. Many traders never finish. TradingPlan: open the app, pick a strategy template or build one in three steps, run your first flow.
4. Pre-Market Routine As A Living System
TradingPlan has a dedicated routine builder. You build your morning routine once. Every trading day, you tap and step through it.
5. Native Apple Performance And Privacy
TradingPlan is built in SwiftUI with SwiftData and CloudKit. Instant launch, offline-first, your data stored only in your iCloud account.
Our Honest Verdict
Use a spreadsheet if: - You want maximum calculation power and customisation - You’re primarily focused on tracking, analysing, and reviewing trades after the fact - You’re on Windows or Android primarily - You want zero subscription cost
Use TradingPlan if: - Your plan exists but you don’t actually use it during sessions - You’re an Apple user (iPhone, iPad, Mac) - You want a tool that forces discipline rather than relying on willpower - You’re frustrated that “having a plan” hasn’t translated to “following a plan”
Many serious traders use both. A spreadsheet for trade records. TradingPlan for in-session execution.
The One Question Worth Asking Yourself
When did you last open your trading plan spreadsheet during a session — not before, not after, but during the actual moment of deciding whether to take a trade?
If the answer is “I can’t remember” or “honestly, never” — the spreadsheet isn’t doing its real job. It’s documenting your intentions, not guiding your actions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a trading plan spreadsheet still a good option in 2026?
A spreadsheet is fine for recording trades and calculating performance metrics. It’s poor for in-session execution because you have to remember to open it and read it during a live session. Most traders need both.
Can TradingPlan replace my trading journal spreadsheet?
TradingPlan is not primarily a journal — it’s an execution tool. Many traders use TradingPlan for execution and a separate journal tool or spreadsheet for performance analysis.
Why don’t spreadsheets work well for trading discipline?
Spreadsheets are static documents. They store information but do nothing to surface that information in the moment of a trade.
Is TradingPlan free?
Yes. TradingPlan has a free tier that includes one strategy, one routine, the complete Plan Builder, basic risk management, and iCloud sync.
Can I import my trading plan from Excel into TradingPlan?
There’s no automated import — but most traders find rebuilding their plan in TradingPlan takes 10-15 minutes because the app guides you through the setup.
Ready to Try TradingPlan?
Free on the App Store. Native iPhone, iPad and Mac. Setup takes minutes.
Stop trading from memory. Start trading from a plan.
Ready to build a plan you actually follow?
TradingPlan turns your trading rules into a live system you run before every trade. Free on the App Store — iPhone, iPad and Mac.
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