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Accounting · head to head

Microsoft Excel vs Netvisor

Microsoft Excel logo

Microsoft Excel

Accounting

Spreadsheet software for data analysis and visualization

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Netvisor logo

Netvisor

Accounting

Finnish cloud accounting and payroll with pricing built from a base fee plus per transaction charges

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Microsoft Excel free tier limited to 5 GB cloud storage and web-only access; Netvisor pricing is a base fee plus a charge per sales invoice, per purchase invoice, per payslip and per other transaction, so a company with high document volumes pays a bill that scales with trading activity and cannot be budgeted as a fixed monthly cost.
  • They diverge on capability: Microsoft Excel covers Advanced formulas, Netvisor covers Finnish general ledger.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Microsoft Excel and Netvisor actually diverge.

Attributes where Microsoft Excel and Netvisor differ
AttributeMicrosoft ExcelNetvisor
Pricing modelfreemiumsubscription
PlatformsWindows, Macos, Web, Ios, AndroidWeb
Founded1975Unknown

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Accounting).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Microsoft Excel

  • Advanced formulas
  • Pivot tables
  • Data visualization
  • Charts and graphs
  • Conditional formatting
  • Data analysis tools
  • Macro automation
  • Collaboration features

Only in Netvisor

  • Finnish general ledger
  • Value added tax reporting
  • Bank connections
  • Electronic invoicing
  • Purchase invoice workflow
  • Sales invoicing
  • Payroll
  • Incomes register reporting

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Microsoft Excel

  • Financial modelingnot Netvisor
  • Data analysisnot Netvisor
  • Budget planningnot Netvisor
  • Reportingnot Netvisor
  • Business intelligencenot Netvisor
  • Statistical analysisnot Netvisor

Netvisor

  • A Finnish company whose accounting firm works in Netvisor and wants the client approving purchase invoices in the same systemnot Microsoft Excel
  • A Finnish employer needing payroll that handles collective agreement terms and reports to the incomes register on timenot Microsoft Excel
  • A business receiving and sending structured e-invoices with Finnish counterparties that require themnot Microsoft Excel
  • A Finnish accounting practice standardising clients on one system with a shared role model rather than one instance per clientnot Microsoft Excel

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Microsoft Excel

  • Free tier limited to 5 GB cloud storage and web-only access
  • Paid plans have per-user costs increasing significantly with more users
  • AI features like Copilot limited or unavailable on lower-tier plans

Netvisor

  • Pricing is a base fee plus a charge per sales invoice, per purchase invoice, per payslip and per other transaction, so a company with high document volumes pays a bill that scales with trading activity and cannot be budgeted as a fixed monthly cost.
  • It serves Finland, so the tax and payroll logic is useless to entities filing elsewhere, and a Nordic group ends up running a different system in each country even where they belong to the same corporate family.
  • The interface, help material and support operate in Finnish, so a foreign owned subsidiary needs a Finnish speaking bookkeeper or accounting firm to operate it and cannot supervise it directly from head office.
  • Finnish payroll requires collective agreement terms to be configured correctly, and getting holiday pay, supplements and shift rules right is specialist work usually done by a partner, so payroll implementation is a paid project rather than a setup wizard.
  • Because most deployments come through an accounting firm, the practical service you receive depends on that firm's competence with the product, and changing accountant can mean changing system or inheriting a configuration nobody documented.

Pricing, plan by plan

Microsoft Excel

Free
  • Microsoft Excel (Free)Free
    • Excel for the web
    • Real-time collaboration
    • 5 GB cloud storage
  • Microsoft 365 Personal$9.99/month
    • Desktop Excel app
    • 1 TB cloud storage
    • Single user on up to 5 devices
  • Microsoft 365 Family$12.99/month
    • 1-6 users (AI features for subscription owner)
    • Up to 6 TB cloud storage (1 TB per person)
    • Each user up to 5 devices
  • Microsoft 365 Premium$19.99/month
    • 1-6 users
    • Extensive Copilot feature access
    • Exclusive advanced AI capabilities

Netvisor

Free
  • Starter$25/month
    • Basic accounting, 1000 transactions, invoicing, payroll for 1 person
  • Basic$25/month
    • Basic accounting plus invoicing, 2.06 euros per invoice item, unlimited users, email support
  • Core$25/month
    • All Basic features, invoices included in monthly cost
  • Professional$25/month
    • All Core features, broadest software interface, budgeting, reporting, forecasting, purchase and sales orders

Which should you pick?

Choose Microsoft Excel if

  • You need advanced formulas.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Windows, Macos, Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want pivot tables.
Microsoft Excel review

Choose Netvisor if

  • You need finnish general ledger.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want value added tax reporting.
Netvisor review

Questions people ask

Is Microsoft Excel or Netvisor better?
Neither clearly leads. Microsoft Excel starts at Free and Netvisor at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Microsoft Excel or Netvisor?
Microsoft Excel starts at Free and Netvisor at Free.
Does Microsoft Excel or Netvisor run on more platforms?
Microsoft Excel runs on Windows, Macos, Web, Ios, Android. Netvisor runs on Web.
Can I use Microsoft Excel for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Microsoft Excel best used for?
Microsoft Excel is most often used for financial modeling, data analysis, budget planning, reporting. Of those, financial modeling and data analysis are not what Netvisor is typically brought in for.
What can Microsoft Excel do that Netvisor cannot?
Microsoft Excel covers Advanced formulas, Pivot tables, Data visualization, Charts and graphs. Netvisor covers Finnish general ledger, Value added tax reporting, Bank connections, Electronic invoicing.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Microsoft Excel: How much does Microsoft Excel cost?

Microsoft Excel is free as a web app with 5 GB storage. Paid options include Microsoft 365 Personal at $9.99/month for desktop apps and 1 TB storage, Family at $12.99/month for 1-6 users with 6 TB total storage, and Premium at $19.99/month with extended Copilot access.

Source
Netvisor: Is Netvisor usable outside Finland?

Not as a compliance system. The value is the Finnish tax, banking, e-invoicing and payroll logic. Companies filing elsewhere should look at the local product in the Visma range or another local vendor.

Microsoft Excel: Is there a free version of Excel?

Yes, Excel for the web is free and includes sharing, real-time collaboration, and 5 GB cloud storage accessible on web, iOS, and Android without subscription.

Source
Netvisor: Why is the pricing structured per transaction?

It reflects a Finnish market convention where the accounting firm's fee also scales with document volume. It means a low volume company pays very little and a high volume one pays a great deal, so estimate your annual invoice and payslip counts before comparing headline prices.

Microsoft Excel: What is the difference between Microsoft 365 Family and Premium tiers?

Family tier at $12.99/month supports 1-6 users with 6 TB total storage and standard features. Premium tier at $19.99/month allows extensive Copilot feature access and exclusive advanced AI capabilities including image creation and audio generation.

Source
Netvisor: Can my accounting firm work in it with me?

Yes, that is the intended model. The practice and the client share one instance with different roles, so the firm does the bookkeeping while you approve purchase invoices and issue sales invoices.

Netvisor: Does it handle payroll for collective agreements?

It supports Finnish collective agreement based payroll, but configuring the specific agreement terms correctly is expert work normally done during a paid implementation. Do not assume payroll is switched on the same week as accounting.

Netvisor: What about the incomes register?

Reporting earnings to the national incomes register within the statutory deadline is built in, which is one of the main reasons Finnish employers use a local product rather than an international one.

Netvisor: Is it a full ERP?

It includes inventory and fixed assets alongside the ledger, which covers a good deal of a small distributor's needs, but it is a financial management system rather than a manufacturing or full supply chain ERP.

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