Compare / DrawFort vs. Excel & Google Sheets templates
A better alternative to Excel G702/G703 templates
A downloaded G702/G703 spreadsheet is the status quo for a lot of subs. It's free, and it works — until the formulas break, the carry-forward drifts, or you bill from the wrong version. Here's an honest look at when a spreadsheet is fine and when it isn't.
What Excel & Google Sheets templates is
An Excel or Google Sheets G702/G703 template is a downloaded spreadsheet you copy and hand-edit each billing period to produce your application for payment.
DrawFort vs. Excel & Google Sheets templates at a glance
| Excel & Google Sheets templates | DrawFort | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free | Free tier, then $34/month flat |
| Multi-period carry-forward | Manual — copy last month, hand-edit | Automatic — Column D fills itself |
| Retainage math | Hand-built formulas, easy to break | Computed exactly every period |
| Change orders | Manually bolted onto the SOV | Tracked and reconciled |
| Error checking | None — wrong totals fail silently | Totals reconcile by design |
| Version control | PayApp_v3_FINAL.xlsx sprawl | One source of truth + history |
| PDF output | Print formatting often breaks | Clean G702/G703 PDF every time |
Choose Excel & Google Sheets templates if…
- You bill one tiny, single-period job and won't touch it again.
- You're comfortable building and maintaining spreadsheet formulas yourself.
- You need to work fully offline with total manual control.
Choose DrawFort if…
- You bill the same projects across multiple periods and want carry-forward done for you.
- You track retainage and change orders and can't afford a formula error.
- You want a consistent, clean PDF and a record of what you submitted.
A note on pricing
Spreadsheet templates are free — the real cost is time and mistakes. DrawFort is also free to start, and $34/month flat unlocks unlimited projects with the math handled for you.
What Excel & Google Sheets templates does that DrawFort doesn't
We're focused on pay-app billing, which means there are real things Excel & Google Sheets templatesdoes and we don't. If you need these, Excel & Google Sheets templates may be the better fit:
- Completely free and works offline.
- Total manual flexibility — change any cell however you like.
- No account needed (though our free generator gives you that too).
Stop building pay apps in a spreadsheet
DrawFort fills in the carry-forward, computes retainage and current payment due, handles change orders, and exports a clean G702/G703 PDF your GC can approve at a glance.
Frequently asked questions
- What's wrong with an Excel G702/G703 template?
- Nothing, for a one-off. The trouble starts with recurring billing: carrying 'work completed from previous applications' forward, computing retainage per line, and keeping change orders reconciled — all by hand. A single overwritten formula produces a wrong total with no warning.
- Is there a free way to try DrawFort's output?
- Yes — our free, no-signup G702/G703 generator builds a complete pay app you can print or save as PDF. A free account adds multi-period carry-forward so you don't start from scratch each month.
- Can I import my existing spreadsheet?
- You can rebuild your schedule of values in DrawFort in a few minutes, then never copy a file again — every period carries forward automatically.
More comparisons
Want to see the output first? Try the free G702/G703 generator — no signup required.
Excel & Google Sheets templates is a trademark of their respective owners. DrawFort is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by their respective owners. Comparisons reflect our understanding as of June 2026; features and pricing change, so verify current details with Excel & Google Sheets templates.