Keepr vs spreadsheets for MTD

You can keep the spreadsheet - but it cannot talk to HMRC on its own.

You can keep using a spreadsheet under Making Tax Digital, but not on its own. A spreadsheet cannot send anything to HMRC, so you need bridging software to submit from it, and the records have to be kept digitally with a digital link through to the figures you file. Keepr replaces both the spreadsheet and the bridging software, and files sole trader self-employment quarterly updates on its free plan.

What a spreadsheet still does well

A fair amount. It is free, you already know it, and it does exactly what you tell it. For a very simple trade, a handful of invoices a year and few expenses, a spreadsheet plus bridging software is a legitimate way to meet MTD.

What it cannot do

It cannot submit. It cannot tell you which quarter is due or that a deadline has passed. Nothing in it stops you deleting a row you have already filed, and the MTD rules require you to create and preserve your business records digitally. It will not chase an unpaid invoice, capture a receipt, or work out what you owe. Every one of those is a job you keep doing yourself.

Spreadsheet plus bridging vs Keepr

Who each one is for

A spreadsheet still works if your trade is genuinely simple, you enjoy the control, and you are happy to buy bridging software and keep track of four deadlines a year yourself.

Keepr fits you better if you would rather the software knew which quarter was due, kept the digital link intact for you, and cost nothing to file. The free plan does all of that, so the switch does not have to be a purchase decision.

Common questions

Prices checked against getcoconut.com/pricing on 5 September 2026. Software pricing changes often, so treat anything older than a few months as indicative.