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Crew timesheets in Excel or in HiVis: what changes
Many small crews start with a spreadsheet: a tab per week, a row per person, a formula for pay. It works until the same hours have to be copied into payroll, each job’s costs and the next quote. Here’s what changes when the hours go into HiVis instead, and when a spreadsheet is still enough.
Choose Excel or Google Sheets if
- You have a few people on one or two jobs at a time, and one person keeps the sheet.
- You already pay for Excel or Google Workspace and don’t want another subscription.
- You want to design every column and formula yourself.
Choose HiVis if
- Hours are entered once: they count toward the job’s labor cost right away, and the pay period can be closed once they’re approved.
- Pay uses each person’s rate on the date worked, so a raise doesn’t rewrite earlier months, and closed periods are locked.
- You want reminders without building them: missing hours, stock below its minimum, and van insurance and service coming due.
Cost and effort for a 10- and 25-person team
A spreadsheet costs nothing extra, but someone keeps it up every week. HiVis costs a monthly fee, and the copying between sheets goes away.
| Team size | HiVis | Excel or Google Sheets |
|---|---|---|
| 10 people | Starter plan: $19/month, or $15/month billed yearly, if no more than 5 people sign in. Hours are entered once, and pay and job costs follow from them. | No extra cost if you already have office software. Each period, someone copies hours into the pay sheet and each job’s sheet, and checks that the formulas still cover every row. |
| 25 people | Still Starter if no more than 5 people sign in, because crew members who never sign in are free. If more people need logins, Team covers up to 25 users for $49/month. | The same copying with more rows, more tabs and more jobs, so more places for a pasted number or a dragged formula to go wrong. Mid-month raises need manual splits. |
The real cost of a spreadsheet is the time spent on it each week, and only you know how much that is. To put a price on that time, try the labor burden calculator.
Switching from spreadsheets
Send us your sheets as they are
We import projects, people, stock and vehicles for you. It’s included on Business and available as a one-time service on other plans.
Set hourly rates with their dates
Add each person’s rate from the date it applies. Every hour is priced at the rate in force on the day it was worked.
Enter this week’s hours
The office or a foreman enters hours per person, job and day. A reviewer approves them or sends them back with a note.
Close the first pay period
Compare HiVis’s totals with your last spreadsheet, export the CSV and close the period. Keep the old file for your records.
Side by side
| What we compared | HiVis | Excel or Google Sheets |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Flat monthly price per workspace, by number of users | Included with Excel or Google Workspace |
| Published price | $19/month for up to 5 users; $49 up to 25; $129 up to 75 | No extra cost if you already pay for office software |
| GPS clock-in | No. The office or a foreman records hours by job | No |
| Mobile app | No native app; works in a phone browser | Spreadsheet apps on phones; awkward for data entry |
| Payroll | Calculates pay from hours, dated hourly rates and bonuses, plus per-km compensation for crew members’ own vehicles; closes pay periods once all hours are approved and no vehicle claims are pending; doesn’t run payroll or file taxes | Formulas you build and maintain yourself |
| Quotes and invoices | Quotes with customer approval links; no invoices or payments | Separate files or templates |
| Inventory and tools | Stock with minimum levels, who holds each item and stock used per job | A separate sheet, updated by hand |
| Vehicle reminders | Insurance, inspection and service reminders by date or mileage, with email alerts | None, unless you add calendar reminders yourself |
| Languages | English and Ukrainian | Any |
Questions and answers
See your crews, hours and costs in one place
Book a 30-minute demo or start a 30-day trial. We set up your workspace and help move your data.