When Google Sheets Are Better
Let's be honest: Google Sheets are amazing for certain use cases. If any of these describe your table, stick with Sheets:
Solo Games / Small Groups (1-3 Players)
If you're running a solo campaign or have 2-3 players who rarely transfer items, Sheets are perfectly fine. The complexity doesn't justify a dedicated tool.
Full Customization Control
Want to track custom fields like "who found this item" or "sentimental value"? Sheets let you build exactly what you want with zero constraints.
Offline Play
If your table plays in a basement with no WiFi, Sheets (downloaded for offline use) beat any web app. Period.
"I Love Spreadsheets" People
Some people genuinely enjoy building complex formulas and pivot tables. If that's you, Sheets will always be more satisfying than a pre-built tool.
Bottom Line:
If you're running a simple campaign with minimal loot tracking needs, Google Sheets are free, flexible, and more than enough. Don't overthink it.
When Google Sheets Break Down
Here's where Sheets fall apart—usually around level 5 when loot starts piling up and the party has 30+ magic items:
Problem #1: Real-Time Sync Is a Lie
Google Sheets claims to have "real-time collaboration," but here's what actually happens:
- The rogue adds 3 potions to their inventory
- The fighter edits the same cell to add gold
- Both hit "Enter" at the same time
- One change overwrites the other—silently
Sheets doesn't have conflict resolution. Last edit wins. No warning. No undo. Just... gone.
Problem #2: Formulas Break When Players Edit
You spend 30 minutes building a formula to auto-calculate party gold:
=SUM(B2:B10)/5Then the wizard accidentally deletes column B while adding an item. Your formula breaks. Now it shows #REF!.
The party doesn't notice for 3 sessions. Your gold totals have been wrong the entire time.
Problem #3: Mobile Experience Is Terrible
Try editing a Google Sheet on a phone. Seriously, try it right now.
- Tiny cells you can't tap accurately
- Horizontal scrolling required to see all columns
- Formulas don't work well in the mobile app
- Copy-paste is a nightmare
If your table has even one player who joins from their phone, Sheets become unusable for them.
Problem #4: No Transaction History
Session 12: "Wait, why does the fighter have 2,000 extra gold?"
In Sheets, you have no audit trail. You can check version history, but that shows you what changed, not why or who authorized it.
Good luck debugging 12 sessions of transactions manually.
Problem #5: Setup Time for Each Campaign
Starting a new campaign? Time to:
- Duplicate your old Sheet template
- Delete all the old data manually
- Re-invite all players with edit permissions
- Fix formulas that broke during copy
- Re-explain to new players how to use it
That's 15-30 minutes of setup work before Session 1.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Google Sheets | D20 Loot Tracker |
|---|---|---|
| Setup Time | 15-30 min (per campaign) | 2 minutes |
| Real-Time Sync | ❌ Conflicting edits overwrite | ✅ True real-time with conflict resolution |
| Mobile Experience | ❌ Tiny cells, horizontal scrolling | ✅ Mobile-optimized UI |
| Formula Errors | ❌ Break when players edit | ✅ No formulas to break |
| Transaction History | ❌ Version history only (manual) | ✅ Complete audit trail |
| Learning Curve | ✅ Everyone knows Sheets | ⚠️ 5 min to learn interface |
| Customization | ✅ Infinite (if you know formulas) | ⚠️ Pre-built features only |
| Offline Access | ✅ (if pre-downloaded) | ❌ Requires internet |
| Cost | Free | Free |
Real Table Scenarios
"The Broken Formula Incident"
Real story from a DM on Reddit:
Session 8, the party defeats a dragon and loots 50,000 GP. The DM adds it to the "Party Gold" cell in their Sheet, which has a formula to auto-split among 5 players.
Except the formula broke 3 sessions ago when someone added a new row. It's been dividing by 4 instead of 5. Nobody noticed.
Now the DM has to manually audit 3 sessions of transactions to figure out who's owed how much gold. The session ends early because of the argument.
With D20 Loot Tracker: Automatic equal splits, no formulas to break, complete transaction history to resolve disputes.
"The Mobile Player Problem"
One player in your party only has a phone (no laptop). They can't use Google Sheets effectively—tiny cells, horizontal scrolling, accidental edits.
So they just... stop tracking their loot. The DM has to manually update their inventory after every session.
With D20 Loot Tracker: Mobile-first design works perfectly on phones. No horizontal scrolling, large tap targets, simple interface.
Bottom Line: Which Should You Use?
Use Google Sheets If...
- You have 1-3 players and minimal loot
- Everyone plays on laptops (no mobile players)
- You love building custom spreadsheets
- You play offline often
- Loot tracking is a minor part of your game
Use D20 Loot Tracker If...
- You have 4+ players with lots of loot transfers
- At least one player joins from mobile
- You're tired of fixing broken formulas
- You want transaction history / audit trail
- You play online with internet access