Excel is a free, flexible way to list who owes you what and when it is due — but it does not send reminders by itself. Checking due dates, writing each message, sending it and crossing off whoever has paid is still your job. With a handful of invoices a month, Excel is enough. As customers multiply, recurring payments start or reminders keep slipping, a tool like RemindCash does that work automatically — and you can import your existing Excel list straight in.
What each tool is for
Excel is Microsoft's general-purpose spreadsheet. Formulas and conditional formatting can calculate balances, days overdue and totals for a receivables list. Excel for the web is free with a personal Microsoft account.
RemindCash is software built for receivables tracking and automated payment reminders. You record what each customer owes once (or import it from Excel), and RemindCash sends reminders in your business's name before, on and after the due date, stopping when you mark it paid.
Feature comparison
| Feature | RemindCash | Excel |
|---|---|---|
| Customer records | Yes Customer records with email, phone, language and time zone | Partly Any columns you design yourself |
| Invoice / receivable records | Yes Receivables with amount, due date, partial payments and status history | Partly Rows you type or paste; no built-in receivable or partial-payment logic |
| Automated email reminders | Yes Included in Basic and Pro within plan limits | Partly Not by itself; possible with a Power Automate flow or Office Script you build and maintain |
| Custom reminder timing | Yes One company schedule: up to 5 steps from 30 days before to 30 after; send hours; weekends on or off | Partly Only as far as your own flow, formulas and conditions go |
| Recurring reminders | Yes Weekly and monthly recurring receivables, each occurrence reminded automatically | Partly Copy rows or write formulas for each period |
| Payment status tracking | Yes Upcoming, overdue, partially paid and paid | Partly Formulas and conditional formatting you set up and update |
| Stops when paid | Yes When you mark it paid, pause it or record a dispute | Partly Only if your flow checks a “paid” column; nothing stops by itself |
| Customer can mark as paid | No You record payments; customers cannot mark an invoice paid | No Customers have no access to your sheet |
| Payment links | Partly Your own payment link in templates; RemindCash does not process payments | Partly You can type a link into a cell or email text |
| SMS / WhatsApp | Planned Prepaid credits, enabled per country once verified — not open yet | No Not built in |
| Multiple currencies | Yes EUR, GBP, TRY and USD | Yes Any currency format |
| Languages | Yes English and Turkish app and reminders | Yes Excel is localised; your messages are whatever you write |
| Integrations | Partly CSV/Excel import; REST API built, not yet public; no accounting sync | Yes Very wide: Microsoft 365, Power Automate, imports and exports |
| Free plan | No 7-day trial without a card; no permanent free plan | Yes Excel for the web is free with a personal Microsoft account |
RemindCash values are taken from its product code and pricing page; competitor values from its official website on October 11, 2026. “Not verified” means the official pages do not say — not that the feature is missing.
Pricing
| Product | Plan | Price |
|---|---|---|
| RemindCash | Basic | $9 / month |
| RemindCash | Pro | $19 / month |
| Excel | Excel for the web | Free with a personal Microsoft account (5 GB OneDrive) |
| Excel | Microsoft 365 | Paid subscription for desktop Excel; price depends on country and plan |
- RemindCash: Illustrative launch prices on remindcash.com/pricing; checkout is not open yet. SMS and WhatsApp use separate prepaid credits.
- Excel: Automatic emails from a workbook need Power Automate with the Excel Online (Business) connector, which works with work or school Microsoft 365 accounts. See microsoft.com for current prices in your country.
Excel itself can cost nothing; the real cost is time. Checking upcoming due dates every week, writing messages and updating payments is a recurring workload.
A ready-made Excel receivables tracker
If you are staying with Excel, start with these columns:
| Column | Header | Content / formula |
|---|---|---|
| A | Customer | Customer or company name |
| B | Email / phone | Where the reminder goes |
| C | Invoice no. | 1042 |
| D | Amount | 2,450 |
| E | Due date | 15/10/2026 |
| F | Paid | Amount paid so far |
| G | Balance | =D2-F2 |
| H | Days | =E2-TODAY() (negative = overdue) |
| I | Status | =IF(G2<=0,"Paid",IF(H2<0,"Overdue","Open")) |
| J | Last reminder | Date you last sent a message |
Add conditional formatting to Status (Overdue = red) and sort by Days each morning. Remind the rows that are due in 3 days, due today and 3 days overdue. For wording, see the payment reminder email templates.
Where Excel is stronger
- Free and familiar. Most businesses already use it; nothing to learn.
- Completely flexible. Any column, report or chart you want.
- Works with everything. Exports from accounting software and banks, Power Automate and the rest of Microsoft 365.
- No limits on currencies or languages.
Where RemindCash is stronger
- It sends the reminders. Before, on and after the due date, within your send hours and in your customer's time zone — without you remembering.
- It stops by itself. Nothing goes to receivables marked paid, paused or disputed; partial payments reduce the balance.
- Recurring receivables. Monthly retainers and regular payments are created every period automatically.
- Approved templates and a record. Messages go out in your business's name using templates you approved, and every send is logged.
- You do not have to give up Excel. Import your list as CSV or Excel; the app includes a sample file.
Limitations of both
- Excel does not send email on its own. Automating it means building a Power Automate flow or Office Script, handling date comparisons and blank cells correctly, and maintaining the flow; the Excel Online (Business) connector works with work or school Microsoft 365 accounts.
- In a shared workbook, a deleted row or a broken formula can go unnoticed.
- RemindCash is paid software (7-day trial without a card); it does not create invoices or take payments, and its SMS and WhatsApp channels are not open yet.
Which is better for freelancers?
For a freelancer with a few invoices a month who can follow each one personally, Excel is enough. Once you approach ten clients, start monthly retainers or keep forgetting to send reminders, RemindCash saves time.
Which is better for small businesses?
When several people track receivables in one workbook, it gets unclear who contacted whom and when. In RemindCash the team works in one workspace with roles, and sends are logged. You can keep using Excel for reporting and analysis.
Choose by scenario
| Your situation | Better fit |
|---|---|
| Fewer than 5 invoices a month, you follow each one | Excel |
| It must be free | Excel |
| Custom reports and analysis | Excel |
| Reminders go out late or get forgotten | RemindCash |
| Monthly retainers or recurring payments | RemindCash |
| More than one person following up | RemindCash |
| Keep your Excel list and automate reminders | Both: import your sheet into RemindCash |
FAQ
Can Excel send automatic payment reminders?
Not by itself. With a Microsoft 365 work account you can build a Power Automate flow that checks due dates in a table every day and sends emails; building and maintaining the flow is up to you.
Can I import my Excel receivables list into RemindCash?
Yes. RemindCash imports receivables from CSV or Excel files and validates every row, showing errors before anything is saved.
Is Excel free?
Excel for the web is free with a personal Microsoft account. Desktop Excel and automations that need a work account come with a Microsoft 365 subscription.
Does the same apply to Google Sheets?
Largely, yes: lists and formulas work the same way, and automatic emails need a script or add-on you set up.
Sources and verification
Excel's official page: microsoft.com/microsoft-365/excel.
- Microsoft — Excel
- Microsoft Support — Microsoft 365 subscription vs free web apps
- Microsoft Learn — Send weekly email reminders based on spreadsheet data (Office Scripts + Power Automate)
- RemindCash — product code, documentation and the pricing page at remindcash.com/pricing
Last verified: October 11, 2026. Prices and features change; if something here is out of date, write to contact@remindcash.com and we will correct it.