Excel is where most estimates start, and for good reason: it's free, flexible and everyone can open it. It's also where estimates quietly break: a formula that stops at row 80, a dependency nobody encoded, a buffer added by gut feel. AxioPlan does the maths a spreadsheet makes you maintain.
Excel details checked October 2026. Spot something out of date? Let us know.
| Feature | AxioPlan | Excel |
|---|---|---|
| Gantt chart with dependencies | All 4 types, auto-rescheduling | Hand-built with formulas and conditional formatting |
| Critical path | Manual analysis | |
| Three-point (PERT) estimates | T-shirt size + risk → PERT optimistic / likely / pessimistic | Possible with formulas you build and maintain |
| Probabilistic delivery dates | P50, P85 and P95 delivery dates | Only with custom statistical formulas |
| Automatic staffing | Allocation engine assigns tasks and suggests hires | |
| Cost from hourly rates | Hourly rates per role roll up to project cost | With formulas |
| Live what-if scenarios | Timeline recalculates as you edit | Copy the sheet and edit |
| Client share link | Read-only plan, timeline and costs | Share the file, formulas and all |
| Export plan to Jira | One-click export of epics, stories and links | CSV import into Jira |
| Free | One project, unlimited team members | Usually already licensed |
A good estimating spreadsheet is a small piece of software: PERT formulas, standard deviations, date arithmetic, working-day calendars. Someone has to maintain it, and nobody tests it. In AxioPlan the maths is built in and the same for every project.
In a spreadsheet a dependency is a column someone types into. In AxioPlan it's a link: extend one task and everything downstream reschedules, the critical path recomputes, and the confidence dates update.
You don't have to throw the spreadsheet away. The free Excel to Gantt converter takes your existing .xlsx or .csv task list and turns it into a project in about a minute.
Common questions about AxioPlan and Excel.