Both Tiller and SheetLink connect your bank accounts to a spreadsheet. That's where the similarity ends.
Tiller is a full-featured budgeting platform built around Google Sheets, with auto-sync, pre-built templates, and a community of power users. SheetLink is a leaner, privacy-first tool that puts you in complete control of when and how your data flows.
Here's a clear-eyed comparison.
The Quick Answer
Choose Tiller if: You want a polished, done-for-you budgeting setup in Google Sheets with auto-sync and you're willing to pay $79/year.
Choose SheetLink if: You want to own your data, use Excel as well as Sheets, prefer manual sync for privacy, or need developer features like CLI + Postgres output at a lower price.
Pricing
| Tiller | SheetLink Free | SheetLink Pro | SheetLink MAX | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $79/year | Free | $4.99/mo or $39.99/yr | $10.99/mo or $99/yr |
| Free plan | 30-day trial only | ✓ Forever | — | — |
| Transaction history | Unlimited | 7 days | Unlimited | Unlimited |
Tiller is $79/year — no free plan after the trial. SheetLink Pro is $39.99/year, less than half the price of Tiller, with the same unlimited transaction history.
Features
| Tiller | SheetLink | |
|---|---|---|
| Google Sheets | ✓ | ✓ |
| Excel | ✗ | ✓ (Pro+) |
| Auto-sync | ✓ Daily | ✗ Manual only |
| Pre-built templates | ✓ Many | ✗ Bring your own |
| CLI / API | ✗ | ✓ MAX only |
| Postgres / SQLite output | ✗ | ✓ MAX only |
| Open source | ✗ | ✓ |
| Banks supported | 21,000+ | 10,000+ via Plaid |
The Auto-Sync Question
Tiller automatically pulls your transactions every morning. SheetLink syncs only when you click Sync Now.
This isn't a limitation — it's a deliberate choice. With auto-sync, a third-party service is accessing your bank account data in the background every day, even when you're not using it. With manual sync, your data only moves when you want it to.
For most people reviewing finances weekly or monthly, manual sync is fine. If you need daily auto-populated data, Tiller is the better fit.
💡 Tip
SheetLink's append-only deduplication means you can sync as often as you like without duplicate rows or broken cell references.
Templates: Tiller Wins Out of the Box
Tiller ships with polished, community-maintained templates: Foundation Budget, Envelope Budget, Debt Snowball, Net Worth Tracker, and more. If you want a working budget without building anything yourself, Tiller has a big head start.
SheetLink writes raw, clean transaction data to your sheet. You build what you want on top of it. This is more powerful for people who know what they're building, but it's a blank canvas — not a finished template.
Excel Support: SheetLink Only
Tiller is Google Sheets only. If your workflow is in Excel — or if you switch between both — SheetLink is your only option in this category. The SheetLink Excel add-in is available from Microsoft AppSource and is included with Pro.
Developer Features: SheetLink MAX
If you want to pipe your transactions to a Postgres database, run automated syncs via cron, or access your data via REST API — Tiller has none of this. SheetLink MAX ($10.99/mo) adds:
sheetlink sync --output postgres://...sheetlink sync --output sqlite://...sheetlink sync --output csvsheetlink sync(JSON to stdout, pipeable)- REST API with API key auth
For developers who want to own their financial data infrastructure, there's no comparison.
SheetLink MAX
Add CLI, Postgres, and API access
Upgrade to MAX — $10.99/mo14-day money-back guarantee · Cancel anytime
Bottom Line
Tiller is the right choice if you want auto-sync and pre-built templates and you're comfortable with the $79/year price.
SheetLink is the right choice if you want lower cost, Excel support, manual sync for privacy, developer features, or full control over your data.
Both are solid tools. The decision comes down to whether you want a done-for-you budget experience or a flexible data pipeline you control.