Fider vs Excel
The spreadsheet is the most used personal finance tool in the world, for good reasons. It is free, it is yours and it does what you tell it. It also has a cost that never shows up on an invoice: your time. This page compares the two options honestly.
| Fider | Excel or Sheets | |
|---|---|---|
| Platform | Web (PWA): Android, iOS and desktop | Desktop, web and mobile |
| History | Unlimited | Whatever you maintain |
| Tax features (303 and 130) | Modelo 303, 130 and 349 drafts | No, unless you build the formulas |
| Invoices | Yes | Only with your own templates |
| CSV export | Yes, on the free plan | Yes |
| Dark mode | Yes | Yes |
| Login | Google, Microsoft and email | Microsoft or Google account |
| Languages | Spanish and English | Whatever the product ships |
| Price | Free; PRO 4.99 €/month or 39.99 €/year | Free or included in Office |
What Excel does better
Total flexibility. You can model anything, from a budget to a mortgage simulation, and the file is yours forever. You depend on nobody.
What breaks over time
Investment prices do not update on their own. Transactions come in by hand or pasted from a CSV, and the same expense ends up twice. You build the tax formulas yourself and nobody warns you when a VAT rate changes.
- No live prices unless you program them.
- No duplicate detection.
- No tax engine: modelo 303 and 130 depend on your formulas.
When to choose Excel
If you enjoy building your own system, your data is small and you like absolute control over the file, the spreadsheet is unbeatable on price and freedom.
- You want a model built to your measure.
- You have few transactions a month.
- You do not need live prices or sharing with an accountant.
When to choose Fider
Fider makes sense when you have more than one financial life in the same app: personal, freelance and, if you have one, a company. Every transaction carries its wallet and you can look at one, two or all three together.
- You are self-employed in Spain and want the modelo 303 and 130 drafts without copying figures into another tool.
- You work from a computer and want a real web app, with dark mode.
- You want the full history, not a window of a few months.
- You prefer not to connect your bank: import a PDF or CSV statement and review it.
- You share the numbers with your accountant and want them to see exactly what you see.
What Fider does with your taxes
The tax engine is deterministic: it adds up your income, applies each expense's deductible share and fills the modelo 303 and 130 drafts box by box. It is a draft to review with your advisor, not a filing.
Frequently asked questions
Can I move my spreadsheet into Fider?
Yes. Export the sheet to CSV and import it. Fider has a column mapper and detects the decimal format.
Can I take my data out of Fider?
Yes. CSV export is on the free plan, so you can always go back to the sheet.
Does Excel update my stock prices?
Only if you build the connection. Fider prices crypto, stocks, ETFs and funds in real time and shows the time of every price.
Can I do the modelo 303 in Excel?
You can, with your own formulas. Fider computes it box by box from your transactions, as a draft to review with your advisor.
Which one is free?
Excel or Sheets are usually free or bundled with Office. Fider has a free plan and a PRO plan at 4.99 €/month or 39.99 €/year.