Contract tracking spreadsheet vs. software that reads the contracts
Every contract tracker starts as a spreadsheet, and every spreadsheet fails the same way: silently. The data was typed by hand, nobody gets alerted, and the sheet is only as current as the last person who remembered to update it.
Updated
Where the spreadsheet breaks
Three failure modes show up everywhere. First, data entry: someone reads an 80-page lease and types five fields; one typo in an end date and the tracker lies. Second, alerts: a spreadsheet doesn't email you — someone has to remember to look, at the right time, forever. Third, drift: contracts get amended and the sheet doesn't hear about it.
None of this is the spreadsheet's fault. It's a display layer being asked to be a system of record, an OCR engine, and an alarm clock.
What replacing it actually changes
With Keep Track of Stuff, the data comes from the documents: AI reads each upload and fills the fields itself, cited to the page, verified by you once. Alerts run on computed notice deadlines. Amendments update records through an approval flow. Full-text search covers the documents, not just the summary row. And it exports back to CSV whenever you want it.
If you're keeping the spreadsheet, keep a good one
Genuinely not ready for software? Use a complete template. Ours is free — the columns operators actually need, including renewal type, notice period, and a notice-deadline column with the formula built in: download the contract-tracking template below. When the sheet starts failing you, the columns map one-to-one to an import here.
Download the free contract-tracking spreadsheet template (CSV) — no email required.
Side by side
| Keep Track of Stuff | a tracking spreadsheet | |
|---|---|---|
| Data entry | AI extracts from the document, cited to the page | Typed by hand from memory or skimming |
| Notice deadlines | Computed automatically; alerts at 90/60/30/14/7 days | A formula if someone builds it; no alerts |
| Amendments | Read against the record; changes arrive as approvals | Sheet silently goes stale |
| Finding a clause | Full-text search inside every document | Open PDFs one by one |
| Access control | Roles, view-only access, audit-logged downloads | Whoever has the link |
| Cost | From $19/mo | Free until a missed renewal isn't |
Third-party pricing and features reflect public information as of the updated date above — always verify current details with the vendor.
When a tracking spreadsheet is the better choice
- You have a handful of contracts, none auto-renew, and you review them quarterly anyway.
- A single owner-operator with strong calendar discipline can survive on a sheet plus manual reminders — the template below makes that as safe as it can be.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free contract tracking spreadsheet template?
Yes — download ours free (CSV, opens in Excel or Google Sheets). It includes counterparty, type, dates, cost, renewal type, notice period, and a computed notice-deadline column, matching the fields Keep Track of Stuff extracts automatically.
When does a spreadsheet stop being enough?
Three signals: more than ~10 active agreements, anything that auto-renews, or more than one person relying on the data. Any one of those makes silent staleness expensive; all three make it inevitable.
Keep reading
See it on your own contracts — free for 14 days.
14-day free trial · No card required · From $19/mo