StartRisk vs spreadsheets
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Should we manage risk in a spreadsheet or use risk management software?
It depends on how many people touch the register and who relies on it. A spreadsheet is genuinely fine when one person owns a short list of risks, reviews it themselves, and nobody needs regular board reporting against risk appetite. It costs nothing extra, everyone knows how to use it, and you can start today. Move to software when several people update risks, reviews start slipping, more than one version of the file is circulating, or your board, funder or regulator expects consistent reporting. StartRisk is built for that second stage.
When a spreadsheet is genuinely fine
Plenty of organisations should stay on a spreadsheet for now. It is usually the right call if:
- One person writes, rates and reviews every risk
- You have a handful of risks, not dozens
- Nobody outside that person reads the register on a regular schedule
- You are still working out what your risk classes and rating scales should be
- You need complete freedom over columns and layout while you experiment
If that is you, put the effort into clear risk statements and a simple rating scale first. Our guide to a minimum viable risk framework covers what to include, and writing clear risk statements helps whichever tool you use.
What are the signs we have outgrown the spreadsheet?
If any of these apply, the spreadsheet has started to cost more effort than it saves:
- Preparing a board or committee risk report takes more than 30 minutes
- Staff avoid using the register
- Different teams record and rate risks differently
- There is more than one version of the file
- Controls are not documented or reviewed consistently
- You cannot see which risks sit outside appetite without working it out by hand
- Reviews do not happen on time
- One person "owns" the whole file, and the knowledge leaves with them
We go into each of these in Why spreadsheets can't deliver risk.
How does StartRisk compare with a spreadsheet?
| What you need | Spreadsheet | StartRisk |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Nothing extra if you already have Excel or Google Sheets. The cost is the time spent maintaining it. | From $29 per month (Starter, 1 user). Team is $99 per month for up to 5 users; Business is $499 per month for up to 30 users. 90-day full refund. |
| Flexibility | Total. Any columns, any layout, any scale. | Structured around an ISO 31000-aligned process: risk classes, risks, controls, appetite and reviews. Less freeform by design. |
| Writing risks | A blank row. Each person writes risks their own way. | New Risk AI suggests risks from a plain description of a project, incident or idea, in the context of your business and risk classes. You add, edit or reject each suggestion. |
| Rating consistency | Depends on whoever built the sheet. One broken formula can change ratings across the file. | Likelihood and consequence are rated against consequence criteria you set for each risk class. |
| Controls | Extra columns or tabs, linked by hand. | Controls are linked to the risks they treat, with an effectiveness rating and whether they reduce likelihood, consequence or both. |
| Ownership and reviews | You can type an owner and a review date. Nothing happens if the date passes. | Risk classes, risks and controls are assigned to people. Each risk has a monthly, quarterly or annual review interval, and overdue reviews show on the dashboard. |
| Risk appetite | Worked out manually, if at all. | Appetite is set for each risk class, and the dashboard shows which risks sit outside it. |
| Board reporting | Copied and pasted into board papers before each meeting. | A summary Status Report shows only the risks outside appetite, with space for your commentary, and exports to PDF. A detailed report covers every risk and control. |
| Versions and changes | Copies passed around by email. Hard to tell who changed what, or which file is current. | One shared register for your team, with changes recorded in an audit log. |
What StartRisk is not
StartRisk is enterprise risk management software, not a full governance, risk and compliance (GRC) platform. It does not map compliance frameworks, run internal audit programs or manage policy attestation. If you need those, read Risk management vs GRC platforms before choosing a tool.
Ready to move off the spreadsheet?
Start with the Starter plan and set up your risk classes, or book a call and we will walk through your current register with you.