Cutme
Cutme vs Excel: an honest comparison for companies in Egypt
Excel is a flexible general-purpose spreadsheet: any ledger, tax schedule or report is whatever you build and maintain with formulas. Cutme Accounting is a fixed accounting system: every document posts a balanced entry, and the VAT return, withholding report and financial statements come out of the ledger. Excel suits very few transactions or custom analysis; accounting software suits books that several people keep every day.
Excel information comes from Microsoft's official support documentation, checked on 27 September 2026. Rows without a source link describe what a spreadsheet does not do by itself.
| Feature | Cutme | Excel |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A cloud accounting system with a ready-made chart of accounts, journals and ledgers | A general-purpose spreadsheet; you design the ledger layout yourself |
| Double entry | Every invoice, receipt and payment posts a balanced journal entry | Not enforced; balance checks exist only if you build them |
| Egyptian VAT and withholding | VAT return and withholding report from the ledger; Egyptian rates pre-loaded (you still file on the ETA portal) | No built-in tax reports; schedules are built by hand |
| Financial statements | Trial balance, income statement, balance sheet and cash-flow statement for any period | Built and linked by hand with formulas |
| Several people at once | 3 users included, with permissions set per action |
Co-authoring when the workbook is stored in OneDrive or SharePoint and opened in current Microsoft 365 Excel, the web or mobile apps
Source ↗ |
| Change history | Audit trail of every create, update and delete, field by field, with before and after values |
"Show Changes" lists recent cell and formula edits (not formatting, charts or filters); older states via Version History for files in OneDrive or SharePoint
Source ↗ |
| Locking past figures | Posted entries cannot be edited, only reversed; months and years can be closed |
Any cell can be changed unless you protect it; restoring an older file version is possible for files in OneDrive or SharePoint
Source ↗ |
| Flexibility | Fixed accounting workflows; reports are the ones the system provides | Any model, layout or analysis you can build |
| Offline use | Needs an internet connection (browser-based) |
The desktop app works on local files; co-authoring needs the file in OneDrive or SharePoint
Source ↗ |
When is Cutme the better fit?
- More than one person records transactions every week and you need to know who changed what.
- You are VAT-registered and rebuild the monthly return or Form 41 schedule from spreadsheets.
- You want a trial balance and financial statements without maintaining the formulas yourself.
When is Excel the better fit?
- You have very few transactions a month and one person keeps the books.
- You need a custom model — a budget scenario, a pricing sheet or ad-hoc analysis.
- You must work offline on a local file.
Common questions about this comparison
Can I keep my company accounts in Excel?
Can I still use Excel after moving to Cutme?
Sources: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/collaborate-on-excel-workbooks-at-the-same-time-with-co-authoring-7152aa8b-b791-414c-a3bb-3024e46fb104 · https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/get-help-with-show-changes-in-excel-a1493bf9-25c3-470a-b970-60eceb0136e5 · https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/collab-files/view-previous-versions-of-office-files
Excel is a trademark of its owner. Excel information comes from its public website on 27 September 2026; prices and features may change, so check its site for the latest. Cutme information matches the verified reference at cutme.org/facts. To correct anything on this page, email info@cutme.org.