Compared on 30 September 2026.
What does a spreadsheet do well?
Plenty. You decide the layout, the categories and the formulas. You can model anything: a mortgage payoff, a retirement scenario, what-if tables. It costs nothing, it works offline, and nobody else holds your data. Google Sheets has a GOOGLEFINANCE function for many quotes, and Excel in Microsoft 365 has a Stocks data type, so simple price lookups are possible.
If your balance sheet is a house, a mortgage, a retirement balance and a couple of ETFs you never sell, and you enjoy updating it, a spreadsheet may be the right tool. We mean that.
Worthbase and a spreadsheet side by side
| Worthbase | Spreadsheet | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | US$3.99/month with a 7-day free trial, or US$49 once for lifetime access (launch price). | Free or included in software you already have. |
| Flexibility | A fixed, well-defined model: items, owners, transactions, valuations. | Anything you can build. |
| Getting data in | Your AI reads statements and CSVs; preview before saving; duplicates skipped. | Typing or pasting, then fixing columns. |
| Prices | Shares, ETFs, crypto, gold and silver priced daily, with history. | Quote functions for some instruments; coverage and history vary. |
| Lots and gains | Every lot kept; FIFO or chosen lots; fees in cost bases; realised and unrealised gains and losses. | Possible with careful formulas, and easy to break. |
| Currencies | Each row stores its own exchange rate for its date. | You look up and enter rates yourself. |
| History | Daily net worth snapshots, rebuilt if you backdate a change. | Only if you copy values into a history tab. |
| Mistakes | Preview, audit trail, undo that checks the whole ledger. | Version history; errors can go unnoticed. |
| Sharing | Roles: viewer, editor, admin. Invitees join free. | Share the file; editors can change any cell. |
| Weekly update | Weekly email of what moved. | When you open it. |
Where does a net worth spreadsheet strain?
Prices
Quote functions help, but they cover some instruments better than others, crypto and non-US listings can be patchy, and a formula that errors on one ticker can quietly zero a total. Worthbase prices listed securities on major exchanges including the US, London and the ASX, plus crypto and gold and silver, every day, and tells you when something couldn't be priced.
Lots, fees and gains
Once you sell part of a holding, you need to know which shares you sold and what they cost, including brokerage. Doing FIFO in formulas across dozens of trades is possible, but it's the part of a spreadsheet most likely to be subtly wrong. Worthbase keeps every lot, applies fees to cost bases and proceeds, and gives the realised gain or loss on every sale.
Currencies
A US ETF bought in 2021 and sold in 2025 needs two exchange rates, not today's. Worthbase stores the rate for each transaction's date (from the European Central Bank unless your statement gives one), so returns in your base currency are right.
History
Most net worth spreadsheets show today. To see a chart, you have to copy values into a history tab on a schedule. Worthbase saves a snapshot every day, and if you add a trade from last year, the history is recalculated.
Two people, one file
When a partner also edits the sheet, formulas get overwritten and rows get pasted in the wrong place. In Worthbase, every change goes through a preview, is recorded with who made it and from which file, and can be undone.
Silent errors
A spreadsheet will happily add a figure twice. Worthbase detects duplicates when you import a file again, and can reconcile its figures against a statement and flag a difference.
Can I bring my spreadsheet into Worthbase?
Yes, and it's a good way to start. Give your AI the spreadsheet (or a CSV export of it) and ask it to add your holdings and balances. It maps your columns, and Worthbase shows a preview before anything is saved. Where you don't know the original cost of a holding, it can be recorded as an opening balance with an unknown cost base and completed later from broker exports. You can export everything from Worthbase at any time, so you're not locked in.
Which should you choose?
Stay with a spreadsheet if…
- Your balance sheet is simple and you rarely sell investments.
- You enjoy building and maintaining it, or you need custom models.
- You want a free tool with no account.
Choose Worthbase if…
- You hold shares or crypto across brokers and sell from time to time.
- You have assets in more than one currency.
- You want daily prices and a net worth history without upkeep.
- More than one person looks after the household's money.
- You'd rather hand your AI a statement than retype it.
Questions
Can I keep my spreadsheet too?
Yes. Your AI can pull figures from Worthbase whenever you ask, and you can export your data as a file from your account page at any time.
Is there a free net worth calculator?
Yes. The net worth calculator is free and needs no account.
Does Worthbase replace my spreadsheet's what-if models?
Partly. Worthbase can simulate a sale (proceeds, lots used and the gain or loss for each owner) and track goals with progress and pace. For other custom scenarios, a spreadsheet is still a good tool.
