AIMadTech Stack Builder vs Spreadsheets
Spreadsheets can list tools and costs in any shape you like. The Stack Builder adds the diagram, the tool library and cost estimates without building a model.
The quick verdict
A spreadsheet (Excel or Google Sheets) is the most flexible way to list tools, owners, contracts and costs, and finance teams already trust it. For a detailed budget model, nothing beats it.
What a sheet can't show is how the stack fits together. The Stack Builder gives you the diagram, a library of reviewed tools with typical pricing, and a cost estimate you can export to CSV and keep refining in your sheet.
Feature by feature
| Feature | AIMadTech Stack Builder | Spreadsheets |
|---|---|---|
| MarTech and AdTech tools with logos, ready to drop in | 202 reviewed tools | Type every tool yourself |
| Tools placed by zone and category for you | Yes | No |
| Estimated monthly cost of the stack | Range, with editable company size and spend | Build your own formulas |
| Suggestions that fit your channels and platforms | By integration and B2B focus | No |
| Fill the stack by scanning your website | Free account | No |
| Swap a tool for an alternative in one click | Yes | No |
| Export | PNG diagram, CSV cost table | CSV, XLSX |
| Share a read-only link | Free account | Yes |
| Price | Free, no sign-up to start | Google Sheets free with an account; Excel paid |
| Freeform drawing and custom shapes | No | Tables, not diagrams |
| Real-time collaboration and comments | No | Yes |
| Formulas, pivots and any custom model | No | Yes |
Spreadsheets details from public product pages, checked November 2026. Plans and limits change; check the vendor's site.
Why marketing teams use the Stack Builder
Start from your setup, not a blank canvas
Tick the channels, platforms and systems your business already runs, or scan your website, and the Stack Builder suggests tools that integrate with them. In a spreadsheet you start from a blank page and your own knowledge of the market.
Real tools, already organised
Every block is a reviewed tool from the AIMadTech directory, with its logo and category, and it lands in the right zone and category without dragging boxes around. In a spreadsheet you find each logo, size it and decide where it goes.
A budget next to the diagram
The Stack Builder estimates what the stack costs per month from each tool's published or typical pricing, adjusted for your company size, tracked users and media spend. In a spreadsheet you look up every price and write the formulas yourself, and the diagram lives somewhere else.
Swap, compare and export
Replace a tool with an alternative from the same category and the cost updates. Export the diagram as a PNG and the costs as a CSV for your deck or finance team.
When to use Spreadsheets instead
- You need a detailed budget model with contracts, renewal dates and owners.
- Finance needs the numbers in their own format.
- You are tracking actual invoices rather than planning.
Questions
Is the Stack Builder free?
Yes. You can build a stack, see its estimated cost and export it without an account; it is saved on your device. A free account adds saving across devices, share links and the website scan.
Can I move my a spreadsheet diagram into the Stack Builder?
There is no import. Most stacks take a few minutes to rebuild: tick your setup, search for each tool and add it, and the Stack Builder places it for you. A website scan can add the tools your site already runs.
How accurate are the costs?
They are estimates. Each tool shows whether its price is published by the vendor, set by our editors or typical for its category, and you can change the assumptions (company size, tracked users, media spend). Media spend itself isn't included.
Can I get the costs into my spreadsheet?
Yes. Download the cost table as a CSV from the cost panel: one row per tool with its price basis and range, plus totals.
Will the Stack Builder replace our tool inventory sheet?
Probably not. Use it to plan and explain the stack; keep contracts, owners and invoices in your sheet.
Map your stack in minutes
Tick what your business already runs, add tools from 202 reviewed MarTech and AdTech listings, and see what the stack costs per month.
Open the Stack Builder