Google Sheets
Google's browser-based collaborative spreadsheet application, part of Google Workspace.
HN commenters use it for personal tracking and work logs1234, as a free lightweight database or backend567, and with Apps Script for automation and API calls.8910 The most common caveat is that people outgrow it and build dedicated apps or interfaces111213, with others citing limited automation and rendering bugs.1415
Why people recommend it
Personal tracking · 3
Commenters use it to log work hours, workouts, expenses and other personal records.
“This has been a complete game changer for me.”
“I have been using Google Sheets until I made my own.”
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“Google Sheets is what I use for my personal needs these days.”
Lightweight database · 3
It serves as a free flat-file database or backend for small projects and workflows.
“I used google sheet as a backend, it did the storing like a database”
“It serves as a free, easily manageable, flat-file database”
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“manage those lists in Google Sheets and build an LLM-powered workflow for email outreach”
Apps Script automation · 3
Apps Script and add-ons extend it with scripting and external API calls.
“Use Google Sheets + Google App Scripts to make external API calls for each column!”
“Google sheets is my go-to assistant these days”
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“I eventually wrapped it into a Google Sheet with Apps Script”
Accessible anywhere · 2
Users can reach their sheets from different devices, including a phone home-screen shortcut.
“I use a google sheet for this. It is accessible via different device.”
“This has been a complete game changer for me.”
Intuitive · 2
Spreadsheets are praised as intuitive for all experience levels, with instant feedback.
“I cannot overstate just how much I love working on stuff in Excel and Google Sheets.”
“I even have done this first day's advent of code, and the first part of day two, in a Google sheet.”
Reliability · 1
One commenter ranks it among the few services that just work.
“I put them in an exclusive S-Tier with, surprisingly, Chase Mobile (in recent years), Signal, Google Sheets”
Caveats and dissent
Outgrown · 3
Some users replaced their sheets with custom apps, wanting a better UI or fewer forgotten updates.
“I love my sheets, but they could really stand to benefit from a UI around them.”
“I have been using Google Sheets until I made my own.”
Show 1 more
“We used Google Sheets but it’s easy to forget to update those.”
Limited automation · 1
One commenter found it lacked enough automation for tracking failures.
“Google sheets: not enough automation.”
Bugs · 1
A commenter reported an unusually bad rendering bug.
“Google Sheets had a weird rendering bug that was worse then I’ve ever seen”
No tests or versioning · 1
Spreadsheets lack good testing, source control and modularity.
“I cannot overstate just how much I love working on stuff in Excel and Google Sheets.”
Text-only content · 1
One user notes it is unsuitable for equations or image capture.
“I use a google sheet for this. It is accessible via different device.”
Excel entrenchment · 1
Companies standardized on Excel may not consider it a viable option.
“Google Sheets is not a viable option: Everyone in the company knows Excel.”
Often compared with
Who recommends it in their own words
Threads where it came up
- The difference between "today's task" and "accretive work" 2 mentions
- Microsoft Teams is a red flag 1 mention
- Kids turned low-traffic NPR Spotify comments into a secret group chat 1 mention
- My Rules for Using Spreadsheets 1 mention
- I Started a "Dirt Notebook" 1 mention
- Ask HN: Is it just me, or is software buggier across the board? 1 mention
Data: google-sheets.json. Quotes are verbatim; the verdict and theme labels are written by a model from these comments, and every clause links to its sources.
All comments 21
“Google Sheets is not a viable option: Everyone in the company knows Excel.”
“It was a lot more fun than Discord, Slack, or any other dedicated chat client.”
“I used google sheet as a backend, it did the storing like a database”
“I use a google sheet for this. It is accessible via different device.”
“Google Sheets had a weird rendering bug that was worse then I’ve ever seen”
> This is about gender, not sex, and that's not the definition I used for "gender" that you agreed with. You agreed with this definition of "gender": "female gender refers to the social roles and norms associated with being a woman". According to the definition you used, if a woman likes doing masculine things, does that automatically make her a man? I presume not. There is another part of the definition which you om
“Google sheets is my go-to assistant these days”
“I cannot overstate just how much I love working on stuff in Excel and Google Sheets.”
“I eventually wrapped it into a Google Sheet with Apps Script”
“I have been using Google Sheets until I made my own.”
“manage those lists in Google Sheets and build an LLM-powered workflow for email outreach”
“It serves as a free, easily manageable, flat-file database”
“I put them in an exclusive S-Tier with, surprisingly, Chase Mobile (in recent years), Signal, Google Sheets”
“We used Google Sheets but it’s easy to forget to update those.”
“I love my sheets, but they could really stand to benefit from a UI around them.”
“Google sheets: not enough automation.”
“This has been a complete game changer for me.”
“His first example, Google Sheets, does well by this metric IMO”
“I even have done this first day's advent of code, and the first part of day two, in a Google sheet.”
“Google Sheets is what I use for my personal needs these days.”
“Use Google Sheets + Google App Scripts to make external API calls for each column!”