If you're an indie developer trying to track project expenses, you've probably considered three options: a spreadsheet, QuickBooks (or similar accounting software), or a purpose-built tool. Each approach has real tradeoffs. Let's compare them honestly.
Option 1: Spreadsheets (Google Sheets / Excel)
Cost: Free (Google Sheets) or included with Microsoft 365
Spreadsheets are the default choice because they're free and familiar. You open a new sheet, create some columns, and start entering expenses.
What Works
Completely free. No new subscriptions to track (ironic, given the task).
Fully flexible. You can structure data however you want.
No learning curve. Everyone knows how to use a spreadsheet.
Good for one-time analysis. If you just want to do a quick audit of your spending, a spreadsheet is fine.
What Doesn't Work
No structure for projects. Spreadsheets are flat by nature. Organizing expenses by project means either multiple tabs (messy), nested columns (clunky), or pivot tables (overkill for this).
No recurring expense logic. You can't easily tell a spreadsheet "this is $12/year, show me the monthly cost." You have to calculate and enter it yourself.
Manual updates only. Every new expense requires you to remember to open the sheet and add a row. Most people stop doing this within a month.
No waste detection. There's no built-in way to flag unused subscriptions or calculate wasted spend.
No mobile experience. Google Sheets on mobile is functional but painful for data entry.
Formula maintenance. As your sheet grows, SUM formulas, conditional formatting, and cross-references break in subtle ways.
Best For
Developers who want a one-time snapshot of their expenses and don't need ongoing tracking. Also fine if you only have one project with 3–4 expenses.
Verdict
Spreadsheets work for about two weeks, then become another abandoned tab in your browser. The problem isn't the tool — it's that spreadsheets require continuous manual effort with no reminders, no structure, and no automation.
Option 2: QuickBooks (or FreshBooks / Xero / Wave)
Cost: $15–55/month (QuickBooks), $17–55/month (FreshBooks), $15–78/month (Xero), Free (Wave, with limits)
Professional accounting software is designed for businesses. QuickBooks is the most popular choice, so we'll focus on that.
What Works
Bank connection. QuickBooks can connect to your bank and credit card to automatically import transactions. This is genuinely useful.
Tax preparation. If you're a freelancer or LLC, QuickBooks makes tax time significantly easier with categorized expenses and reports.
Invoicing. If you do client work alongside your side projects, the invoicing features are valuable.
Receipt scanning. Take a photo of a receipt and it gets attached to the expense.
Accountant access. Your accountant can log in directly, which saves time during tax season.
What Doesn't Work
Overkill for project expense tracking. QuickBooks is designed for full business accounting: invoicing, payroll, tax filing, inventory. If you just want to know "how much does Project X cost me per month," you're using a sledgehammer to hang a picture frame.
Expensive. The cheapest QuickBooks plan is $15/month (billed annually). The plan most indie devs would need (with project tracking features) is $30/month. That's $360/year to track your expenses — which itself becomes an expense to track.
Steep learning curve. Chart of accounts, journal entries, reconciliation, classes, categories — QuickBooks has a lot of concepts that make sense for accountants but are confusing for developers who just want a simple breakdown.
Not developer-focused. QuickBooks doesn't understand that "Vercel" is hosting or that a domain renewal is a project expense. You have to set up all categories yourself.
No project-based view by default. QuickBooks has "classes" and "projects" features, but they're designed for client projects and job costing, not for tracking your own side project expenses. Getting a per-project monthly burn requires custom reports.
Setup time. Expect to spend 2–4 hours setting up QuickBooks properly. Many people give up before finishing.
Best For
Indie devs who are running a real business (LLC, freelancing income, tax obligations) and need full accounting, not just expense tracking. If you're already using QuickBooks for invoicing and taxes, adding expense tracking there makes sense.
Verdict
QuickBooks is excellent accounting software that's wrong for this specific job. It's like using Photoshop to crop a profile photo. It can do it, but the complexity and cost aren't justified if expense tracking is all you need.
Option 3: Dev Expense Tracker
Cost: Free
Dev Expense Tracker is a purpose-built tool for tracking development project expenses. Full disclosure: this is our tool, so we'll be factual about what it does and doesn't do.
What Works
Project-first organization. Every expense belongs to a project. The dashboard shows per-project monthly costs at a glance.
Developer categories. Pre-built categories that match how devs spend: Hosting, Domain, SaaS, API, Monitoring, CI/CD, Database, Email, Analytics, Other.
Recurring expense normalization. Enter an expense as yearly, monthly, or one-time and it automatically calculates the normalized monthly cost.
Waste detection. Mark any expense as "unused" and see your total wasted spend separately.
Zero setup. Open the page, start adding expenses. No account creation, no email verification, no onboarding wizard.
Local-first. All data stays in your browser's localStorage. Nothing is sent to any server.
Free forever. No tiers, no premium features, no "upgrade to unlock."
What Doesn't Work
No bank connection. You enter expenses manually. There's no automatic import from your bank or credit card.
No tax features. This isn't accounting software. It won't generate tax reports or categorize expenses by IRS schedule.
No invoicing. This is purely for tracking your own expenses, not for billing clients.
Browser-only storage. If you clear your browser data, your expenses are gone. No cloud sync, no export (yet).
No receipt attachments. You can't attach receipts or invoices to expenses.
Single device. Since data is in localStorage, you can't access it from another device.
Best For
Indie developers who want to answer one question: "How much does each of my projects cost me per month?" If that's your primary need and you don't want to pay for or configure accounting software, this is the most direct solution.
Verdict
Dev Expense Tracker does one thing well: per-project expense tracking for developers. It deliberately doesn't try to be accounting software.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Spreadsheet | QuickBooks | Dev Expense Tracker |
|---|
| Cost | Free | $15–55/mo | Free |
| Setup time | 10 min | 2–4 hours | 0 min |
| Project-based view | Manual | Requires config | Built-in |
| Developer categories | Manual | Manual | Built-in |
| Bank connection | No | Yes | No |
| Recurring normalization | Manual formulas | Partial | Automatic |
| Waste detection | No | No | Yes |
| Tax features | No | Yes | No |
| Data storage | Cloud (Google) | Cloud | Browser (local) |
| Learning curve | Low | High | None |
| Mobile friendly | Mediocre | Yes (app) | Yes (responsive) |
Which Should You Choose?
Choose a spreadsheet if: You only need a one-time expense audit, you have one project with few expenses, or you enjoy building elaborate spreadsheet systems.
Choose QuickBooks if: You run a real business with invoicing needs, you have tax obligations that require categorized expense reports, or your accountant specifically asked you to use it.
Choose Dev Expense Tracker if: You're an indie dev who wants a fast, free, project-focused view of what each project costs you per month. No accounting degree required.
The best tool is the one you'll actually use. For most indie developers, that means something free, instant, and simple enough that you won't abandon it after two weeks.
Try Dev Expense Tracker →
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