Google Sheets doesn't know about TDS. DealBook does.
Spreadsheets are for data. Brand deals are relationships with deadlines, deliverables, and tax implications. Here's what managing them in a spreadsheet actually costs you.
When Sheets work fine
If you're doing two or three brand deals a month, a spreadsheet is probably enough. You can hold deal status in your head, manually update columns when things change, and remember to follow up without a system telling you to.
Sheets are free, infinitely flexible, and everyone knows how to use them. For a creator at early stages of monetisation, the friction cost of switching isn't worth it. This is the honest case for Sheets — remember it, because the case for DealBook only makes sense once you've outgrown it.
Where Sheets start failing
No reminders
A cell with a date is not a reminder. You added a column called 'Deadline' months ago. You do not look at it every day. A boAt Reel goes overdue because the spreadsheet never told you it was due on Thursday — it waited for you to check. DealBook surfaces overdue deals and upcoming deadlines every time you open it.
No TDS calculation
When a Nykaa campaign manager offers ₹75,000, your spreadsheet writes ₹75,000. It does not write ₹67,500. That's the difference after 10% TDS under Section 194H. If you're billing with 18% GST, the formula is more complex. Your spreadsheet can do this math — but only if you built the formula, applied it to every row, and didn't break it when you added a merged cell last month.
No deliverable tracking
A brand deal for Mamaearth might include: one Instagram Reel, two Stories, a link in bio for 48 hours, and a 24-hour highlight. In a spreadsheet, that's either four rows or one cell with a text list you'll forget to update. Missed deliverables create disputes. DealBook tracks each deliverable per deal with a checkbox.
No invoice generation
The spreadsheet doesn't connect to your invoice. You track the deal in Sheets, then open a Word template, manually fill in the brand name and amount, add up the GST, subtract the TDS, save as PDF, and email it — usually two weeks after the post went live. Every week of delay adds a week to your payment cycle.
The real cost
None of these are catastrophic in isolation. You can miss a deadline once and apologise. You can get the TDS wrong and fix it. You can invoice late and still get paid.
The cost is cumulative. A deal that falls through because you forgot to follow up at the Negotiating stage is ₹50,000 you didn't earn. A payment that comes 60 days late instead of 30 because of a delayed invoice is a cash flow gap. A tax filing with incorrect TDS documentation is a conversation with a CA you shouldn't need to have. DealBook doesn't charge you to avoid any of this.
Side by side
| Feature | Google Sheets | DealBook |
|---|---|---|
| Track deals by stage | Manual — build your own columns | Automatic 7-stage pipeline |
| Deadline reminders | A cell with a date. That's it. | Overdue flagged automatically |
| TDS calculation (10%) | Build your own formula | Per deal, automatic |
| GST calculation (18%) | Another formula to maintain | Per deal, toggle on/off |
| Deliverable checklist per deal | Text in a cell | Checkbox per deliverable |
| Invoice generation | Separate tool required | One click from delivered deal |
| Mobile experience | Technically works. Barely. | Purpose-built for mobile |
| Built for Indian creator economy | ||
| Free to use |
The switch takes five minutes
You don't migrate data. You add your active deals to DealBook — brand name, amount, stage, deadline. Most creators have 5–10 active deals. At 30 seconds a deal, you're done before the next WhatsApp notification. Keep the spreadsheet open in another tab if it makes you feel better. Most creators close it within a week.
Common questions
Is DealBook actually better than Google Sheets for brand deals?
For creators doing 1-2 deals a month, Sheets is fine. For anyone with 3+ active deals at a time, DealBook solves real problems: deadline tracking, TDS/GST calculations, deliverable checklists, and invoice generation — none of which Sheets does natively. And DealBook is free.
Can I migrate my existing spreadsheet data to DealBook?
You can add your active deals to DealBook manually in about 30 seconds per deal — brand name, amount, platform, stage, deadline. Most creators with 5-10 active deals are done in under 5 minutes. There's no bulk import required.
What does DealBook cost?
DealBook is free. The full pipeline, TDS calculator, deliverable checklists, and invoice integration are all included at no cost. MediaKit Lab is in beta — no paywalled features.
Switch to DealBook — it's free
Full pipeline, TDS calculator, deliverables, invoicing. No credit card.