Comparison
Kattia vs. Spreadsheet
for job tracking.
A spreadsheet is how most serious job searches begin. It is free, flexible, and immediately familiar. This is an honest look at what it does well, where it breaks down, and when Kattia is the better choice.
Spreadsheet
Best for the first ten applications.
- Free and immediately available
- Fully flexible — any columns you want
- Supports formulas and conditional formatting
- Works well as a lightweight tracker early on
Kattia
Built for searches that outgrow a spreadsheet.
- Stage-based pipeline view with visual momentum
- Next actions on every application, overdue items surfaced
- Notes, reminders, and job description in one record
- No configuration — usable in under two minutes
Feature by feature
| Capability | Spreadsheet | Kattia |
|---|---|---|
| Getting started | Open Sheets, build columns manually (~20–30 min) | Sign up, paste a job URL, done (~2 min) |
| Stage tracking | Manual text field or dropdown — no visual pipeline | Built-in pipeline stages from Sourced to Offer |
| Next action tracking | Manual column, nothing surfaces overdue actions | Next action on every record, overdue items surface automatically |
| Notes per application | Crammed into a cell or in a separate document | Inline notes attached to each record |
| Follow-up reminders | Manual date column — no automatic alerting | Date-based reminders that surface in the pipeline |
| Job description storage | URL column only — the tab often gets closed | Full description captured on import |
| Custom columns | Unlimited, fully flexible | Structured fields with notes overflow |
| Formula & pivot support | Full formula and chart support | Built-in metrics, no custom formulas |
| Cost | Free | Free during beta |
| Data portability | Native — it is a spreadsheet | CSV export anytime, no lock-in |
| Works offline | Yes (Google Sheets with offline mode, Excel natively) | Web-based, requires connection |
When to use which
Stay with a spreadsheet if…
- You have fewer than ten applications and the search just started
- You need custom formulas or advanced conditional formatting
- You share the tracker with someone else who uses Excel natively
- You want offline access on a device without a reliable connection
Switch to Kattia if…
- You have missed a follow-up that mattered
- Your notes from a phone screen live somewhere different from your tracker
- You cannot answer "what needs attention today?" without scanning twenty rows
- You closed a job description tab and had to find it again
- Your spreadsheet has rows you stopped updating because it felt like busywork
Ready to move beyond the spreadsheet?
Kattia is free during beta. Bring your existing data with a CSV import — or start fresh with one job URL.
Ready when access opens?
Sign up for early access to create your account when Kattia opens for new users.