From the spreadsheet to time tracking, without a break
Excel is not the problem while three people enter their hours. It becomes one as soon as several write at the same time, somebody overwrites a formula, or the month end has to be typed up. The move takes an afternoon, and the old files stay where they are.
- The old Excel files stay untouched, nothing is imported
- The first week runs in parallel, in case you want to compare
- 14 days free, no credit card
Last checked on 14 September 2026
Lena H.
Tobias K.
Aylin D.
Mehmet Y.
Sophie B.
Mara W.Leave, 3 daysAylin Demir · 28–30 OctTraining, 1 dayTobias Krüger · 22 Oct
Leave, 3 daysNadia Schulz · 22–24 DecReview
Month endSeptember · Krämer payroll officeDone- Made in GermanyDeveloped and hosted in Germany
- Certified data centreISO 27001, located in Germany
- Web, app and terminalBrowser, iPhone, Android, Mac, Windows
- GDPR compliantServers in Nuremberg and Falkenstein
Where the Excel solution actually fails
Not at the arithmetic. A spreadsheet adds hours more reliably than any person. It fails at four other points, and they have nothing to do with Excel and everything to do with a file not being a system.
The typing up at the month end is the most visible of them, but not the most expensive. More expensive is the argument about a figure nobody can trace any more.
- Several people write at the same time, and the last save wins.
- An overwritten formula only shows up when the total stops adding up.
- Who changed which value and when is recorded nowhere.
- No spreadsheet checks the break and rest period rules of the Working Hours Act.
What happens in the first week
You create the people, give each of them a working time model and decide how they clock in: in the app, in the browser or with a card at the terminal. After that the recording runs, and you see each person's time account with target, actual and balance.
Anyone who wants to keeps the Excel list running for four weeks and compares at the month end. That is not a recommendation but an option: trust in a figure comes faster once it has been held against the old calculation.
What the spreadsheet can do, and what the system does on top
| Task | Excel list | MetronHR |
|---|---|---|
| Adding hours | reliable, as long as the formula holds | reliable, and nobody can overwrite the formula |
| Several people at the same time | the last save wins | everyone writes into their own record |
| Checking breaks and rest periods under the ArbZG | not provided for | automatically as you enter, with a warning |
| Tracing who changed something | not possible | a change history of the time entries in the Professional plan |
| The month end for payroll | add up by hand and type up | DATEV payroll file or Excel summary, at the push of a button |
Adding hours
- Excel list
- reliable, as long as the formula holds
- MetronHR
- reliable, and nobody can overwrite the formula
Several people at the same time
- Excel list
- the last save wins
- MetronHR
- everyone writes into their own record
Checking breaks and rest periods under the ArbZG
- Excel list
- not provided for
- MetronHR
- automatically as you enter, with a warning
Tracing who changed something
- Excel list
- not possible
- MetronHR
- a change history of the time entries in the Professional plan
The month end for payroll
- Excel list
- add up by hand and type up
- MetronHR
- DATEV payroll file or Excel summary, at the push of a button
What happens to the old files
Nothing. The import only reads your spreadsheets, it does not change them. The old files stay where they are and go on meeting the retention duty for the months gone by.
You start on a cut-off date, usually the first of a month. Everything before it is in the old file, everything after it in the system. That is the simplest separation and the one where nobody maintains data twice.
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ViewPrices and the savings calculator
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ViewSetting MetronHR up
The steps from the first sign-in to the invited workforce.
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Frequent questions
What we are asked most often about Instead of Excel.
Question not answered here? Every step is explained in the help centre.
Send us a messageCan we import our Excel data?
Past hours are not imported. The move happens on a cut-off date: everything before it stays in the old file and meets the retention duty there, and everything after it comes about in the system. Master data such as names, start dates and weekly hours you create while setting up. The time account counts from the cut-off date: the start date stays the real one, and you enter the cut-off date and the balance from the old file per person as the time account start and opening balance. That way no minus hours appear for the years before.
How long does the setup take?
For a business with ten people, an afternoon: create the people, assign a working time model, choose a way of recording. Anyone planning to use a terminal should add the delivery time for the cards.
What if it turns out not to fit?
The 14 days are free and end by themselves, with no credit card and no cancellation. Afterwards there is no minimum term either, and you can export your data as Excel or CSV at any time.
Does everybody have to take part?
Everybody whose working time has to be recorded, and since the Federal Labour Court decision of 13.09.2022 that is every employee. How they clock in may differ: app, browser and terminal can be mixed in the same business.
What does that cost compared with the Excel solution?
Excel costs nothing extra; the time for the month end does. MetronHR costs 5 € per person a month on the Team plan, so 50 € for ten people. The pricing page has a calculator that sets the hours spent adding up against the monthly price.
Close the next month without typing anything up.
Try it free for 14 days, no credit card. The old Excel list stays where it is.
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