Cadence vs a spreadsheet cash flow forecast

A spreadsheet is where most cash flow forecasts start, and for some businesses it is all they need. This is a fair look at what each does well.

Side by side

Cadence vs a spreadsheet cash flow forecast
Feature	Cadence	A spreadsheet
Cost	From £69.99 a month after a 14-day free trial	Free if you already have the software
Getting started	Connect your accounting software or import a CSV; the forecast builds itself	Build or download a template, then type in every invoice and bill
Keeping it current	With your accounting software connected, invoices and bills sync every day and paid items drop out on their own	By hand, usually weekly; the most common reason forecasts go stale
When money really arrives	Learns how late each customer usually pays and uses that date	Whatever date you type in
VAT, PAYE and corporation tax	Placed in the forecast on their due dates	Added by hand, if remembered
Formula mistakes	No formulas to break	One broken formula can change every later week
Scenarios	Switch a hire, a new project or a lost client on and off	Copy the sheet and edit it
Sharing	Team members and your accountant see the same live forecast	Email a copy, or share a file and hope it is the latest
Flexibility	Built for cash flow; it is not a general modelling tool	Model anything you like

You have only a handful of invoices and bills a month.
You enjoy building models and want complete control of every formula.
You need a one-off model, for example for a funding round, rather than a forecast you keep using.

You raise or receive enough invoices that keeping a sheet current takes real time each week.
Customers often pay late, so due dates are not a reliable guide.
Tax bills have caught you out before.
More than one person needs to see the same, current numbers.

Connect your accounting software or import a spreadsheet and see your forecast in minutes. 14-day free trial, no card needed.