Comparison

RecruiterDesk vs a spreadsheet

For a lot of recruiters, the most common tool is not software at all. It is a spreadsheet. Plenty of good recruiters run a whole desk on Excel or Google Sheets, and for a brand-new solo recruiter that is often the right call: it is free, flexible, and everyone already knows how to use it.

So this is an honest comparison, not a strawman. A spreadsheet is a capable starting point. The question is what it costs you once you are juggling several mandates, clients and candidates at once, and that is where a purpose-built workspace starts to pay for itself.

RecruiterDesk a spreadsheet

Cost Flat, published monthly price, every feature included Free, already on your machine

Pipeline and stages Real stages that move a candidate forward Status is just text; things silently slip

Fitment scoring JD becomes a weighted checklist automatically Hand-built and easy to skip

Follow-ups Reminders and an activity trail Lives in memory or scattered cells

Linked records One candidate, client and mandate, linked Copy-paste and drift across tabs

Submissions Branded reports in a click Built by hand each time

Data protection Built in, with export and delete Candidate data in an ad-hoc sheet, no controls

When a spreadsheet is enough

If you are just starting out, working one or two mandates, and you want zero cost and total flexibility, a single well-kept sheet is genuinely fine. Google Sheets even adds real-time collaboration and cloud access for free. Do not buy software to solve a problem you do not have yet.

When to move off the spreadsheet

The moment you are running several mandates at once, the manual glue starts to cost you: scoring by feel, follow-ups you forget, the same candidate copied across three tabs, submissions rebuilt by hand, and candidate data sitting in a sheet with no consent or retention controls. RecruiterDesk keeps the flexibility you like and adds the structure, follow-through and compliance you are otherwise doing in your head, for one flat monthly price.

Questions

Comparison questions

Is a spreadsheet good enough for recruiting?

For a brand-new recruiter with one or two mandates, often yes. A spreadsheet is free, flexible and familiar. It starts to cost you once you juggle several mandates and clients, because there is no real pipeline, no fitment scoring, no reminders, and no safe handling of candidate data.

Why move from Excel to recruitment software?

You move when the manual work of a spreadsheet, scoring candidates by feel, chasing follow-ups from memory, rebuilding submissions, and keeping candidate data organised and compliant, starts costing you more time and placements than the software costs. RecruiterDesk adds that structure for one flat monthly price.

Can I move my spreadsheet data into RecruiterDesk?

Yes, and in both directions. Bring your candidates in by dropping their resumes in bulk, add your clients and mandates by hand in a minute, and export everything to CSV at any time, so moving off a spreadsheet does not lock you in.

Keep comparing

RecruiterDesk vs a spreadsheet

When a spreadsheet is enough

When to move off the spreadsheet

Comparison questions

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See it on your own desk.