COMPARISON
Excel costs you 15 hours per week. That's 780 hours per year
You spend 45 minutes per quote in Excel. With PlotonIQ it's 30 seconds — with AI calculation, customer portal and automated production management
FEATURE COMPARISON
PlotonIQ vs. Excel — side by side
Excel and Google Sheets are flexible but not built for sign shop quoting. PlotonIQ replaces 45 minutes of spreadsheet work with an AI-generated quote in 30 seconds.
| KRITERIUM | PLOTONIQ | EXCEL / GOOGLE SHEETS |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | 9 €/Mo (Beta) | ~7 €/Mo (Microsoft 365) |
| AI modules | 19 | 0 |
| Industry-specific | ✓ (Werbetechnik) | — (Generisch) |
| Automated calculation | ✓ | Manuell / Formeln |
| CRM integrated | ✓ | — |
| Production management | ✓ mit KI | — |
| Invoices | ✓ (mit Buchhaltung) | — |
| Multiple users simultaneously | ✓ (Echtzeit) | Eingeschränkt |
| Data loss risk | Keine (Cloud + Backup) | Hoch (lokale Datei) |
| Onboarding time | <1 Stunde | Wochen (eigene Vorlagen) |
Why 90% of sign makers still use Excel — and why it's costing them money
Excel is free, flexible, and everyone knows it. But for sign-making calculations it's a time sink.
45 minutes per quote
You open your Excel template, look up material prices, calculate areas, estimate labour time, format the PDF. 45 minutes for a standard quote. At 5 quotes per week that's 200 hours a year — €10,000 in opportunity costs at €50/h.
No price justification for the customer
Excel gives you a number. When the customer asks 'Why €485?' you have no argument. PlotonIQ explains: 'Market rate for frosted vinyl with installation: €45–65/m². At 3.4m² total area this price is in the mid-range.'
Version chaos and data loss
Quote_v2_final_FINAL(2).xlsx — sound familiar? No versioning, no backup, no tracking. One accidental overwrite and the calculation is gone. PlotonIQ saves every version automatically in the cloud.
Excel vs. PlotonIQ in practice
Monday morning: 3 enquiries in the inbox
Excel: You open 3 tabs, copy your template, look up material prices in the supplier catalogue, calculate each line item individually. 2 hours for 3 quotes. PlotonIQ: You dictate each enquiry in 2 minutes, the AI calculates immediately. 3 quotes in under 10 minutes.
Customer wants 'the same thing as last year'
Excel: You search through 200 files in the 'Quotes 2025' folder. Maybe you find it, maybe not. PlotonIQ: Type the customer name, full order history with all specs visible instantly.
Post-job review: did you make money?
Excel: You have no idea whether the calculation was accurate. Was the installation time realistic? Did the materials last? PlotonIQ: Planned vs. actual at the touch of a button — you see immediately where margin was lost.
From Excel to PlotonIQ in 5 minutes
- 1
Create a PlotonIQ account — free Beta access
- 2
Test your first quote by voice: 'Illuminated sign 2x1m, aluminium frame, double-sided'
- 3
Keep your existing Excel template as a reference — PlotonIQ learns your pricing
- 4
New jobs in PlotonIQ, finish old ones in Excel
You don't have to delete Excel straight away. Most users realise after 3 quotes that they don't need it any more.