Beleeg vs a spreadsheet (Google Sheets or Excel)
By Michael Montalbano, founder of Beleeg · Last updated
Beleeg does the weekly work a league spreadsheet leaves to you, free for the organizer: it builds the schedule, takes captains’ scores, updates the standings, and tracks who has paid, and we bring your sheet in for you. A spreadsheet is still enough for a few teams, one careful organizer, and players who all pay cash.
Most leagues start on a spreadsheet, and many run well on one for years. The work that grows is the typing: every score, every standings update, every who-has-paid check, and every “where do we play Tuesday?” text. Beleeg does those on its own, and we bring your spreadsheet in for you.
Beleeg and a spreadsheet at a glance
Google Sheets and Microsoft Excel are general spreadsheets. Anyone with a Google account can use Sheets, and Excel for the web is free with a Microsoft account.
| Beleeg | Spreadsheet | |
|---|---|---|
| What the organizer pays each month or season | Beleeg: $0. No subscription, no per-team charge, and no setup fee. White-label (your own web address and brand) is optional at $149 a season. | Spreadsheet: Google Sheets: anyone with a Google account can use it. Excel for the web: free with a Microsoft account. Desktop Excel comes with Microsoft 365 Personal, $99.99 a year. |
| Who pays | Beleeg: Only online payments cost anything: Beleeg keeps a flat $3 from each one. Players who pay you cash cost nothing. | Spreadsheet: Nobody pays for the sheet. Collecting money happens somewhere else. |
| Fees on a $100 online registration | Beleeg: Stripe’s card fee (about $3.20) plus Beleeg’s $3, about $6.20 in all, so about $93.80 reaches you. The player pays $100, nothing added. | Spreadsheet: None for the sheet. It takes no payments; you collect by cash, check, or a payment app and type it in. |
| Where the money goes | Beleeg: To your own Stripe account, then to your bank on Stripe’s schedule. Beleeg does not hold it. | Spreadsheet: Wherever you collect it. The sheet only records what you type. |
| Sign-ups and dues | Beleeg: Players sign up and pay online, or you mark cash payers paid. When a league is full, a waiting list offers the next person the spot on its own. Captains can collect their own team dues too. | Spreadsheet: No. You collect by cash, check, or a payment app and type it in. |
| RSVPs, reminders, and team chat | Beleeg: Yes. Players say in or out for each match and captains see who is coming. Reminders go out by email and in Beleeg before each match, and every team has its own chat. No text-message reminders. | Spreadsheet: No. Players check the sheet or ask you. |
| Mobile access and iOS availability | Beleeg: Beleeg works in the web browser on iPhone, Android, and computers with no download required. The iOS app has been submitted to Apple and is awaiting review. | Spreadsheet: Opens in a web browser. Players need the link and permission to see it. |
| Season schedule | Beleeg: Builds it for you: round robin per division, with blackout dates and warnings when a court is booked twice. Captains can ask to move a match if your league allows it. | Spreadsheet: You type it in or copy it from a template, and rework it by hand for holidays and rainouts. |
| Scores and standings | Beleeg: Captains set lineups and enter scores from their phones, and the other captain can confirm or dispute. Standings update on their own with the tiebreakers you pick. | Spreadsheet: You type every score and keep the standings formulas working yourself. |
| Best fit | Beleeg: Adult and amateur leagues, clubs, and tournaments in 30 sports. We move your league in for you. | Spreadsheet: Small leagues with one careful organizer and players who pay cash. |
Facts about a spreadsheet as of September 29, 2026, read from Google’s and Microsoft’s own product pages (listed at the bottom of this page). They change, so check before you decide. “Not confirmed” means we could not confirm it, not that a spreadsheet lacks it. Tell us if we got something wrong and we will fix it.
Who Beleeg fits
- You spend evenings typing scores and fixing the standings.
- You chase players for dues. On Beleeg they pay when they sign up, the money goes to your own Stripe account, and the roster shows who has paid.
- Players keep texting you to ask when and where they play. Beleeg gives every team a schedule page and a calendar link that stays up to date.
- You want to hand the league to someone else someday without handing over a fragile sheet.
Questions people ask about Beleeg and a spreadsheet
Should I run my league on a spreadsheet or use league software?
League software such as Beleeg is worth it once you are typing scores, fixing standings, and chasing dues every week; a spreadsheet is enough for a small league where one person keeps it up to date and everyone pays cash. Both can cost the organizer nothing.
Google Sheets is available to anyone with a Google account, and Excel for the web is free with a Microsoft account. Beleeg is free for organizers too: it builds the schedule, captains enter scores from their phones, standings update on their own, and players can pay when they sign up. When a player pays online, Beleeg keeps a flat $3 from that payment; cash payers cost nothing.
Can I move my league from Google Sheets or Excel into league software?
Yes. With Beleeg, you send us your sheet with the teams, players, and schedule, and we run the first import for you. Columns for the date, the two teams, the time, and the court are enough for the schedule.
Scores already played do not carry over, so start the standings from where you are, or start fresh with your next season. Keep the old sheet as your record of past seasons.
Is there a free alternative to a league standings spreadsheet?
Yes. Beleeg keeps the standings for you for free: captains enter the score, the other captain can confirm or dispute it, and the table updates with the tiebreakers you choose. There are no formulas to break.
Anyone can see the schedule and standings on your league’s public page without logging in. Beleeg is free for organizers, and it only keeps money when a player pays online: a flat $3 from that payment.
When a spreadsheet is the better fit
- Your league is a few teams, one person enjoys keeping the sheet, everyone pays cash, and nobody asks for standings mid-season.
- Your league uses rules no league software handles, and you like writing your own formulas.
Where these facts come from
Facts about a spreadsheet were read on September 29, 2026 from these pages. Beleeg facts come from the product itself and our pricing page.
- Google Workspace: Sheets (“Anyone with a Google Account can create in Sheets”)
- Microsoft: Use Microsoft 365 apps for free on the web
- Microsoft: Compare Microsoft 365 plans (Personal $99.99 a year)
More comparisons: Best league management software, Beleeg vs BenchApp, LeagueLineup alternative: moving your league to Beleeg, Beleeg vs Playpass, Beleeg vs TeamLinkt, Beleeg vs Jersey Watch, Beleeg vs Spond, Beleeg vs PaddleScores (Tenniscores), Beleeg vs CourtReserve, Beleeg vs a group chat (WhatsApp, GroupMe, or group text), Beleeg vs TeamSnap, Beleeg vs LeagueApps, Beleeg vs SportsEngine, Beleeg vs Challonge.
Ready when you are
Send us your spreadsheet. We set up your league from it.
Send us your teams, players, and schedule as a spreadsheet and we run the first import. Free for organizers.