COMPARISON
Pulse vs Excel
Excel is free and infinitely flexible. It's also the spreadsheet that 80% of small business owners build with good intentions, stop updating within a quarter, and then can't trust again. Pulse is the same forecast — but maintained automatically from your real bank transactions.
WHERE PULSE WINS
- Updates automatically — no monthly data entry
- AI-classified transactions (no manual categorization)
- Mobile dashboard you can check on the go
- Industry benchmarks no spreadsheet can give you
- Audit trail of every change
WHERE PULSE DOESN'T COMPETE
- Can't arbitrarily model whatever you want — Excel is infinitely flexible, Pulse is opinionated
Feature comparison
| FEATURE | PULSE | EXCEL |
|---|---|---|
| Updates automatically | ✓ live | ✗ manual |
| AI categorization | ✓ Claude | ✗ |
| Mobile dashboard | ✓ native | ✗ |
| Audit trail | ✓ | ✓ but error-prone |
| Setup time | 60 seconds | Hours / month |
Pricing
| TIER | PULSE | EXCEL |
|---|---|---|
| Entry | Free year 1 | Microsoft 365 sub |
| After | $19.99/mo | Microsoft 365 |
RECOMMENDED USE
If you've abandoned the spreadsheet — and most owners have — Pulse is the version that stays current.