Danny CRM · Excel alternative
The simple alternative to Excel for managing leads and contacts
Updated · by Vidagdhan Technologies
Short answer
If an Excel or Google Sheets list has stopped working for your leads, the easiest step up is a simple mobile CRM such as Danny CRM. You import your sheet in about a minute, and every contact then keeps its own history of calls, WhatsApps and notes, with follow-up reminders and cloud backup. Free for up to 50 contacts; Pro is $6.99 a month or $49.99 a year (local prices in Google Play), with a 7-day free trial on yearly.
Spreadsheets are a great way to start: free, familiar and flexible. They struggle once your list is something you work from every day, on your phone, between calls.
This guide covers the signs you've outgrown a spreadsheet, how Danny CRM compares, and how to move your sheet across without losing anything.
Excel or Google Sheets vs Danny CRM
| Topic | Excel / Google Sheets | Danny CRM |
|---|---|---|
| History of each person | One row; past calls get overwritten or lost in a notes cell | A timeline per contact: calls, WhatsApps, texts, emails, notes and edits, with dates |
| Follow-ups | You have to remember, or keep a separate list | Set the next step on a contact and get a reminder when it's due |
| Calling and WhatsApp | Copy the number into your phone | One tap from the contact, logged automatically |
| On your phone | Small cells, slow to search and edit | Built for the phone: search by name, company, tag or part of a number |
| Without internet | Depends on the app; sync conflicts are common | Works offline and saves instantly |
| Backup | Only if you remember to save it somewhere safe | Pro backs everything up to the cloud and restores it on a new phone |
| Duplicates | Easy to add the same person twice | Warns about matching numbers or emails; import skips duplicates |
| Setup | None | About a minute: import your sheet and the columns are matched for you |
Signs you've outgrown your spreadsheet
- You've lost track of who you last spoke to, and what was promised.
- Follow-ups slip because nothing reminds you.
- You work from your phone, and the sheet is painful to use there.
- There are several copies of the file and you're not sure which is current.
- Losing the laptop or phone would mean losing your customer list.
How to move from Excel to Danny CRM
- 1
Save your sheet as .xlsx or .csv
In Excel use Save As; in Google Sheets use File → Download → Microsoft Excel (.xlsx) or CSV. Keep the column names in the first row (a title row above them is fine).
- 2
Import it in the app
Install Danny CRM, then open Settings → Import contacts and pick the file. You can also choose Import from Excel or CSV when you first set up.
- 3
Check the columns
Name, mobile, email, company, position and tags are matched automatically. Anything else (city, budget, remarks) becomes a note on each contact, so nothing is lost.
- 4
Import
Rows without a valid mobile number or email, and people already in your list, are skipped and counted, so you can see exactly what happened.
You can always go back
Export your contacts to a spreadsheet at any time, on any plan, from Settings → Export contacts. The file opens in Excel and Google Sheets and includes tags, custom fields and notes.
What Danny CRM doesn't do (yet)
- Android only for now; there's no iPhone app or web version yet.
- No formulas, pivot tables or charts: it replaces the list, not your analysis sheets.
- Shared team lists aren't available yet (team plans are on the waitlist).
Frequently asked questions
Can I import a Google Sheet?
Yes. In Google Sheets choose File → Download → Microsoft Excel (.xlsx) or CSV, then import that file in Danny CRM from Settings → Import contacts.
What happens to columns Danny CRM doesn't have?
Extra columns such as city, budget or remarks are added as a note on each contact, written as "Column: value", so nothing in your sheet is thrown away. You can also add custom fields for details you use often.
Will importing create duplicates?
No. Rows whose mobile number or email already exists in your list, or appears twice in the file, are skipped and counted.
Is Danny CRM free?
Free for up to 50 contacts; Pro is $6.99 a month or $49.99 a year (local prices in Google Play), with a 7-day free trial on yearly.
Can I get my data back into Excel later?
Yes. Settings → Export contacts creates a CSV that opens in Excel or Google Sheets, on every plan.
Simpler than Salesforce. Safer than Excel.
Free to start on Android. Import your sheet in a minute.