Excel, a notebook, or real management software?
Excel is an excellent tool. Many businesses start with it, and it's often the right choice at the beginning. The real question isn't which one is 'better' — it's figuring out when the spreadsheet costs you more than it saves.
The comparison, without compromise
| Criterion | Excel / notebook | Logesco |
|---|---|---|
| Initial cost | Already installed, no additional cost | From 8,000 FCFA/month, installation and training included |
| Formatting flexibility | Total — you organize your columns however you want | Imposed structure, designed for business management |
| Stock updated after a sale | Manual: you must remember to do it for each sale | Automatic as soon as the sale is recorded |
| Multiple people at the same time | Version conflicts, files named 'final_v2_real.xlsx' | Workstations connected to network, single shared database |
| Who modified what | No traceability | Every movement timestamped and linked to its author |
| Alert before stock-out | You must monitor it yourself | Automatic alert at the threshold you define |
| Professional invoice or quote | Template to create and fill out manually | Generated in a few clicks, numbered automatically |
| Real margin per product | Formulas to write and maintain | Calculated continuously, visible on dashboard |
| Cash register control | None | Named sessions with closing report |
| Data loss risk | High: one file, often without backup | Database with backup configured at installation |
Excel wins on the first two rows — and that's normal. If your business fits on one page and you manage it alone, a spreadsheet is more than enough.
5 signs Excel is no longer enough
If you recognize three, the spreadsheet is already costing you money.
1.You search for a price across multiple files
When the same information exists in three places, it eventually differs. Pricing errors result in lost margin, often without you noticing.
2.You discover stock-outs while serving a customer
The file's stock no longer matches actual stock. Each unanticipated stock-out is a lost sale — and sometimes a customer who goes elsewhere.
3.You don't know what you're really earning
Revenue is easy to know. Margin per product, after discounts and expenses, requires work that no one does every month.
4.You can't delegate without risk
Without separate accounts or traceability, entrusting the cash register or stock to an employee means complete trust, without a safety net.
5.Daily closing takes you an hour
Recounting, re-entering, checking. One hour per day is over 250 hours per year doing what software produces with one click.
"I'll have to re-enter everything"
This is the number one barrier, and that's exactly why installation and training are included in all our plans.
- We transfer your product file and prices with you
- Your customers and their balances are integrated during setup
- Your teams are trained on their real cases, not on a demo
- You keep your Excel file in parallel while you gain confidence
What you get without writing a single formula.
Test before deciding
7 days free, no credit card. If the software doesn't suit you, you've lost nothing — and your Excel file is still there.