Comparison

Vertex42 vs Tiller vs sheetfolk: which budget spreadsheet should you use in 2026?

Updated August 2026 · prices from each vendor’s own page

Pick by how much manual work you will tolerate and whether you want a subscription. Vertex42 is free and manual, its Money Management Template lists “Over 750,000 downloads” (original) and “Over 250,000” (v2.1) on Vertex42’s own page, all under a free personal-use license. Tiller is a subscription ($99/year, 30-day free trial) that automatically syncs your bank transactions into a Google Sheet or Excel file. sheetfolk has a free manual budget template, plus polished one-time-purchase templates ($9, $29) if you want more design, both still manual entry. If you never want to pay, Vertex42 or sheetfolk's free template both work; if manual entry is what makes you quit, pay Tiller; if you want a ready-made layout without a subscription, buy a one-time template.

The gap nobody ownsThe real decision is between free-but-manual (Vertex42) and $99/yr-but-automated (Tiller). A one-time-purchase template ($9, $29) sits between them: nicer than free, no annual bill, but you still type in transactions. Choose it only if layout and polish, not automation, are what you’re missing.

The full comparison

Prices and features as stated on each vendor’s own site, August 2026. Verify before purchase.
	Vertex42	Tiller	sheetfolk
What it is	Free downloadable templates	Bank-sync service for your own sheet	Free template, plus one-time-purchase templates
Price	$0	$99 / year	$0, or $9, $29 once
Billing	None (free)	Annual subscription	None, or one-time, lifetime ownership
Free trial	n/a (already free)	30 days, card not charged until it ends	n/a (free template, or one-time)
Bank sync	No, type it in	Yes (auto-import + AutoCat categorization)	No, type it in
Platform	Excel + Google Sheets	Google Sheets or Excel	Excel, Google Sheets, LibreOffice
Best for	Anyone who wants $0 and full control	People who quit because of manual entry	People who want a free start with room to upgrade to a polished layout, on the widest platform support of the three
The catch	You build/maintain it; you enter every transaction	Recurring cost; sync can miss/duplicate and needs review	Still manual entry; the paid layouts buy polish, not automation

Vertex42, the free incumbent

Vertex42 has been publishing free Excel templates for two decades. Its Money Management Template is genuinely free under a personal-use license (not for resale or redistribution) and the download counts on its own page, over 750,000 for the original and over 250,000 for v2.1, are the strongest social proof in the category. The trade-off is manual data entry and a dated, dense layout you adapt yourself.

Tiller, the one paid automation play

Tiller is the only widely-used option that pulls your real bank transactions into a spreadsheet automatically. Per Tiller’s pricing page it is $99/year after a 30-day free trial (“your card isn’t charged until the end of your free trial”), includes automatic categorization (AutoCat) and daily transaction feeds, and states “never any ads or hidden fees.” You keep the spreadsheet if you cancel, but the auto-import stops.

sheetfolk, one-time templates

Worth a looksheetfolk is a “cozy spreadsheet studio” with a free manual budget template plus hand-built templates sold as a one-time purchase with lifetime ownership and free updates, e.g. a Couples Budget Spreadsheet at $17 (its “most popular”), a Sinking Funds Tracker at $9, and a 2026 Ultimate Budget Bundle at $24 (“best value”). Templates work in Excel, Google Sheets and LibreOffice. Like Vertex42 it is manual entry; unlike Tiller there is no bank sync and no subscription. sheetfolk → One option among the honestly compared free and paid tools above.

The honest positioning: a one-time template is worth it only if a ready-made, formula-wired layout saves you more than its price versus assembling a free Vertex42 or Google sheet yourself. It does not add automation, for that you need Tiller or an app.

Frequently asked questions

Is Tiller worth $99 a year over a free Vertex42 template?

Only if automatic bank sync is what you're missing. Tiller's $99/year buys automated transaction import and categorization into your own Google Sheet or Excel file. Vertex42 is free but you type every transaction. If manual entry is the reason you've abandoned budgets before, Tiller's automation is the fix; if you don't mind typing, Vertex42 does the same math for $0.

What's the difference between sheetfolk and Tiller?

Tiller is a subscription ($99/year) that automatically syncs your bank data into a spreadsheet. sheetfolk sells one-time-purchase templates ($9, $29) that you fill in manually, no bank sync, no recurring fee. Tiller solves data entry; sheetfolk solves layout and polish. They address different problems.

Does Vertex42 cost anything?

No. Vertex42's Money Management Template is free under a personal-use license (you may use it but not resell or redistribute it). Vertex42 also sells some premium templates and a Pro bundle, but the core budgeting templates are free.

Which is best for a beginner?

Start with a free option, Vertex42 or a Google Sheets starter, and a simple method like 50/30/20. Upgrade to Tiller only if manual entry makes you quit, or buy a one-time template if you want a nicer layout without a subscription. Don't pay for automation before you know manual entry is your blocker.