Quickest vs Excel for Indian solar installers
Most Indian solar teams start on Excel and WhatsApp, and it is the incumbent worth beating. This page compares it honestly with Quickest Solar CRM, including the cases where the spreadsheet is the right answer.
We make Quickest Solar CRM, so read this as a vendor's honest comparison, not an independent review. Facts dated 14 October 2026.
The short answer
Feature by feature
What each option does out of the box for an Indian solar installer.
| What you need | Excel + WhatsApp | Quickest Solar CRM |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to start | ₹0 with Google Sheets. Excel itself needs a Microsoft 365 subscription or a licence, so cost varies by plan. | ₹0 on the free plan (1 user, 10 proposals a month). Pro is ₹6,999 per user per year, minimum 3 users. |
| Flexibility | Total. Any layout, any formula, any report you can build. | The solar workflow is fixed. Less flexible, with far less to build. |
| Follow-up reminders | Manual. You remember, or you set calendar alarms. | Reminders per lead, with WhatsApp templates. |
| Pipeline view by stage | Filters and pivot tables that you build and keep updated. | A pipeline view by stage and owner, from enquiry to commissioned plant. |
| PM Surya Ghar subsidy on a quote | A formula you write, check and update when slabs change. | Applied to the system size on the quote automatically. |
| Quotation and PDF | A template you copy and edit for each customer, then export to PDF by hand. | Branded proposal with BOM, GST, labour and subsidy, in about 60 seconds. |
| Sending on WhatsApp | Save the file, open WhatsApp, attach it. | Send from the proposal screen. |
| Several people on one pipeline | Shared files with sync conflicts and no roles. Version copies multiply. | Team roles and lead routing on Pro. |
| Lead source tracking | A column that someone must remember to fill in. | Source recorded when leads arrive from Meta, IndiaMART or forms. |
| Works without an account | Yes. A file on your laptop. | No. You sign in to an account and your data lives there. |
| Volume | Fine for dozens of leads. Gets fragile as rows, editors and versions grow. | Pro supports 1,00,000 leads and 2 GB storage. |
Cost: Excel and WhatsApp vs Quickest
Excel is free if you already have it, but the work does not disappear. It moves into your evenings.
| Plan detail | Excel + WhatsApp | Quickest Solar CRM |
|---|---|---|
| Licence | ₹0 for Google Sheets. Microsoft 365 plans vary. | Free plan, then ₹6,999 per user per year on Pro. |
| Extra users | ₹0 on Google Sheets. Varies on Microsoft plans. | Free is 1 user. Pro starts at 3 users. |
| Setup | Your time: building the template, the subsidy formula and the pivot views. | Sign up and send a first proposal. Most teams take about 30 minutes. |
| Upkeep | Your time: fixing formulas, updating slabs, merging copies. | Included. |
Microsoft prices change by plan and region, so we do not quote them here. Our own prices are on the Quickest pricing page.
Where Excel + WhatsApp wins
Things it does better than we do. If these matter most to you, take them seriously.
Free and already installed
Google Sheets costs nothing, and most teams already have Excel. There is no account to create, no vendor and no yearly bill.
Total flexibility
Any column, any formula, any report. If you want a one-off analysis of your own BOM costs, a spreadsheet gets there faster than any CRM.
You hold the file
Your data is a file you can copy, email or open anywhere, with or without an account or a connection.
Zero learning curve
Everyone on your team can already use it. A new tool needs a week of habit change before it pays back.
Where Quickest wins
The solar-specific work that a general tool leaves to you.
Follow-ups stop depending on memory
Reminders and WhatsApp templates sit on every lead, so a cold quote gets a nudge on day three without anyone keeping a list.
One subsidy formula, always current
The PM Surya Ghar subsidy is applied to the quote by the app, not by a formula in a file that three people have edited.
A quote built at the site
Build and send the proposal from the phone while the customer is still there, instead of formatting a template back at the office.
The owner sees the pipeline
Where every deal stands, by stage and rep, without asking for an update or opening five files.
How we checked
Quickest's details come from our own pricing and feature pages as of 14 October 2026. Excel and Google Sheets capabilities are general knowledge of how spreadsheets work; we do not quote any Microsoft prices because they vary by plan. The honest view for most Indian installers is not product against product but a solar CRM against Excel plus WhatsApp, which is why this comparison exists.
Found something out of date or wrong? Tell us on WhatsApp or at support@quickestimate.co and we will correct this page.
Related: what a solar CRM is and which features matter, solar CRM vs spreadsheet, how to migrate from Excel to a solar CRM, Quickest vs Zoho CRM.
Questions people ask
Is Excel enough to run a solar business?
When should I move from Excel to a solar CRM?
Can I import my Excel leads into Quickest?
Can I keep using Excel for pricing and use Quickest for the rest?
Is Quickest free?
Is this comparison independent?
See it on your own quotes
Free plan: 10 proposals a month, one user, no card. Or book 15 minutes and we will set it up with your pricing.