Should a SaaS Compare Itself to Spreadsheets?

Should a B2B SaaS company compare itself to spreadsheets?

Yes, if spreadsheets are what your buyers use today. For many B2B products, the real competitor is not another vendor but a Google Sheet or Excel file someone built years ago. A fair comparison page that admits what spreadsheets do well, then shows where they break, can speak to buyers that rival comparison pages never reach.

Most SaaS comparison pages target named competitors. That makes sense when buyers are choosing between vendors. But many potential buyers are not choosing between vendors at all. They are deciding whether to change anything. Their current tool is a spreadsheet, and it works well enough.

I help B2B SaaS teams plan acquisition pages, and I like to push teams to write about the status quo before writing about rivals. Here is how I think about whether a spreadsheet comparison makes sense, and how to write one buyers will trust.

Why is the spreadsheet often your real competitor?

The spreadsheet is often your real competitor because it is free, familiar, and already in use. Buyers do not need approval, training, or a contract to keep using it. Every new tool has to beat not just its rivals but the comfort of doing nothing. For early-stage categories, doing nothing usually wins.

Think about the buyer's actual decision. They are not comparing you to another startup. They are asking whether the pain of their current spreadsheet is worth the effort of switching. If your marketing only talks about features versus competitors, it never addresses that question.

This is especially true for operations, finance, sales planning, and project tracking tools. These jobs started in spreadsheets for most teams, and many never left. If your product replaces a spreadsheet workflow, your buyer's alternative is staring at them in another browser tab.

What does a fair spreadsheet comparison page include?

A fair page starts by admitting what spreadsheets do well: they are flexible, cheap, and familiar. Then it names the specific moments when spreadsheets break, such as version conflicts, broken formulas, missing history, manual updates, and no permissions. Finally, it shows how your product handles those moments and who should stay with a spreadsheet.

The honesty is what makes it work. Buyers know spreadsheets have strengths, and a page that pretends otherwise loses credibility immediately. When you openly say a spreadsheet is fine for a small team with simple needs, readers trust the rest of what you say.

Structure the page around situations, not features. "When three people edit the same file" or "When you need to know who changed a number last month" are moments buyers recognize. Those moments create the urgency that feature lists never do.

Who should a spreadsheet comparison page target?

Target buyers who have outgrown their spreadsheet but have not yet looked at tools. They feel the pain, but they have not named it as a software problem. They search for things like how to stop version conflicts or how to track changes in a shared sheet. Your page should meet them at that question.

These buyers are often earlier in their journey than visitors to a vendor comparison page. They need education before persuasion. Explain the problem clearly, show that it is common, and offer a path forward that does not demand an immediate demo.

Write in their language. They may not know your category name. They know their spreadsheet is a mess. Use the words they use, and let them discover the category through the page rather than requiring them to know it first.

When should you not write a spreadsheet comparison?

Skip it if your buyers already use dedicated tools and are choosing between vendors, or if your product is not a clear upgrade from a spreadsheet workflow. A spreadsheet comparison only works when the status quo is genuinely a spreadsheet. Otherwise, you are arguing against an alternative your buyers do not have.

Also skip it if you cannot be honest about the trade-offs. If your product is more expensive, slower to set up, or harder to learn than a spreadsheet, you must say so. A page that hides those costs will attract the wrong buyers and frustrate the right ones.

Finally, consider timing. If you have no rival comparison pages, no clear positioning, and few case studies, a spreadsheet page may not be your first priority. Fix the basics first. My guide to alternative pages worth building for B2B software helps rank which comparison pages to write first.

How do you write it without sounding dismissive?

Respect the spreadsheet and the person who built it. Many buyers built their sheet themselves and are proud of it. Mocking spreadsheets mocks them. Instead, praise what the sheet achieved, then explain that the team has grown past what any spreadsheet was designed to do. Growth is a compliment, not a criticism.

Tone matters as much as content. Phrases like "still using spreadsheets?" sound condescending. Phrases like "when your spreadsheet starts to strain" sound understanding. The second version invites the buyer in rather than putting them on the defensive.

The same principle applies to rival comparisons. Fairness wins trust. I wrote about this in writing a comparison page without trashing a competitor. Treat the spreadsheet with the same respect you would give a named rival.

Should you help buyers stay in a spreadsheet?

Sometimes, yes. Telling small teams that a spreadsheet is still the right choice for them builds trust and saves your sales team from poor-fit leads. Offer a simple template or checklist for teams not ready to switch. Some of them will come back when they grow, and they will remember who gave honest advice.

This is counterintuitive for many SaaS marketers. But helpful content that does not force a sale is often what earns a place in a buyer's mind. When the pain finally becomes too much, the company that helped them earlier is the first one they think of.

I have strong feelings about this from the automation side too. Not every workflow needs software, and my piece on when a spreadsheet beats an automation makes the same point. Honesty about when a simple tool is enough is a competitive advantage.

How do you measure whether the page works?

Measure organic visits from problem-focused searches, time on page, clicks to your product or pricing pages, and leads that mention spreadsheets as their current tool. Ask new leads what they used before. If many say spreadsheets, the page is reaching the right audience. Track this over a quarter, because these buyers move slowly.

Watch the quality of leads, not just the count. A spreadsheet page may attract smaller teams. That is fine if your product serves them, but if your ideal customers are larger, adjust the page to speak to the moments when bigger teams outgrow their sheets.

Sales feedback helps too. If reps hear buyers quote the page or mention the specific breaking points it describes, the content is doing its job.

What should you do next?

Ask your last ten customers what they used before buying. If most say spreadsheets, plan a comparison page. Write down what spreadsheets do well, the exact moments they break for your buyers, and who should stay with a spreadsheet. Build the page around those moments, keep the tone respectful, and track lead quality for a quarter.

A fair spreadsheet comparison can reach buyers that no rival comparison will. It meets them at the moment they first feel the pain, which is often months before they start looking at vendors.

If you want help planning comparison pages that speak to buyers who are not shopping yet, reach out. I build acquisition pages for B2B SaaS teams. Let's chat.