Should I Build It Should I Build It
23 May 2025
Productivity

an excel sheet style tool optimized for the mobile phone

Confidence
Engagement
Net use signal
Net buy signal

Idea type: Freemium

People love using similar products but resist paying. You’ll need to either find who will pay or create additional value that’s worth paying for.

Should You Build It?

Build but think about differentiation and monetization.

Your are here

You're entering a market where users appreciate the utility of spreadsheet-like tools, especially when adapted for mobile use. The 'Freemium' idea category fits your concept, as users generally gravitate towards free versions of such tools, which is evidenced by the 8 similar products we found. This also means you'll be facing considerable competition. The engagement around similar products is medium, with an average of 4 comments. This suggests that while there's interest, converting users to paid features will require a clear value proposition. Your challenge lies in identifying the 'who will pay' aspect or creating premium features enticing enough to warrant a purchase.

Recommendations

  1. Begin by deeply understanding which user segments derive the most benefit from the free version of your mobile-optimized spreadsheet tool. What are their core use cases, and where do they experience friction or limitations? Understanding these pain points is key to crafting compelling premium features.
  2. Design premium features that directly address the limitations identified in the free version. For example, explore adding features like advanced formulas, offline access, enhanced collaboration, or integration with other mobile apps. Make sure these features provide tangible and significant advantages.
  3. Given the mobile focus, consider how your tool can facilitate team collaboration on the go. Explore offering team-based pricing plans that provide additional storage, user roles, or project management capabilities. Addressing team needs can unlock a valuable monetization pathway.
  4. Explore offering personalized help or consulting services to assist users in setting up and optimizing their spreadsheets for specific tasks. Many AppAlloy users complimented its quick conversion, so look into ways to create personalized experiences. Charge a premium for tailored support to generate additional revenue.
  5. Before a full-scale launch, test different pricing models and premium feature sets with small user groups. Gather feedback on perceived value and willingness to pay. This iterative approach will help you refine your monetization strategy and optimize for conversion.
  6. Based on the discussions surrounding similar products like AppAlloy, focus on providing clear explanations of the tool's purpose and benefits. Address any potential confusion by demonstrating use cases and highlighting unique selling points.
  7. Differentiate your product by offering customization options for advanced spreadsheet features, addressing criticisms raised by AppAlloy users. Giving users more control over complex functionalities may provide a competitive edge.

Questions

  1. What specific mobile-first features can you integrate that existing desktop-based spreadsheet tools lack, providing a compelling reason for users to switch or adopt your product?
  2. Considering the freemium model, what is the optimal balance between free functionality and premium features to maximize user acquisition and conversion rates, without cannibalizing potential revenue?
  3. How can you leverage mobile-specific capabilities (e.g., camera integration, location services, push notifications) to create unique spreadsheet applications that solve specific problems for mobile users?

Your are here

You're entering a market where users appreciate the utility of spreadsheet-like tools, especially when adapted for mobile use. The 'Freemium' idea category fits your concept, as users generally gravitate towards free versions of such tools, which is evidenced by the 8 similar products we found. This also means you'll be facing considerable competition. The engagement around similar products is medium, with an average of 4 comments. This suggests that while there's interest, converting users to paid features will require a clear value proposition. Your challenge lies in identifying the 'who will pay' aspect or creating premium features enticing enough to warrant a purchase.

Recommendations

  1. Begin by deeply understanding which user segments derive the most benefit from the free version of your mobile-optimized spreadsheet tool. What are their core use cases, and where do they experience friction or limitations? Understanding these pain points is key to crafting compelling premium features.
  2. Design premium features that directly address the limitations identified in the free version. For example, explore adding features like advanced formulas, offline access, enhanced collaboration, or integration with other mobile apps. Make sure these features provide tangible and significant advantages.
  3. Given the mobile focus, consider how your tool can facilitate team collaboration on the go. Explore offering team-based pricing plans that provide additional storage, user roles, or project management capabilities. Addressing team needs can unlock a valuable monetization pathway.
  4. Explore offering personalized help or consulting services to assist users in setting up and optimizing their spreadsheets for specific tasks. Many AppAlloy users complimented its quick conversion, so look into ways to create personalized experiences. Charge a premium for tailored support to generate additional revenue.
  5. Before a full-scale launch, test different pricing models and premium feature sets with small user groups. Gather feedback on perceived value and willingness to pay. This iterative approach will help you refine your monetization strategy and optimize for conversion.
  6. Based on the discussions surrounding similar products like AppAlloy, focus on providing clear explanations of the tool's purpose and benefits. Address any potential confusion by demonstrating use cases and highlighting unique selling points.
  7. Differentiate your product by offering customization options for advanced spreadsheet features, addressing criticisms raised by AppAlloy users. Giving users more control over complex functionalities may provide a competitive edge.

Questions

  1. What specific mobile-first features can you integrate that existing desktop-based spreadsheet tools lack, providing a compelling reason for users to switch or adopt your product?
  2. Considering the freemium model, what is the optimal balance between free functionality and premium features to maximize user acquisition and conversion rates, without cannibalizing potential revenue?
  3. How can you leverage mobile-specific capabilities (e.g., camera integration, location services, push notifications) to create unique spreadsheet applications that solve specific problems for mobile users?

  • Confidence: High
    • Number of similar products: 8
  • Engagement: Medium
    • Average number of comments: 4
  • Net use signal: 25.9%
    • Positive use signal: 25.9%
    • Negative use signal: 0.0%
  • Net buy signal: 0.0%
    • Positive buy signal: 0.0%
    • Negative buy signal: 0.0%

This chart summarizes all the similar products we found for your idea in a single plot.

The x-axis represents the overall feedback each product received. This is calculated from the net use and buy signals that were expressed in the comments. The maximum is +1, which means all comments (across all similar products) were positive, expressed a willingness to use & buy said product. The minimum is -1 and it means the exact opposite.

The y-axis captures the strength of the signal, i.e. how many people commented and how does this rank against other products in this category. The maximum is +1, which means these products were the most liked, upvoted and talked about launches recently. The minimum is 0, meaning zero engagement or feedback was received.

The sizes of the product dots are determined by the relevance to your idea, where 10 is the maximum.

Your idea is the big blueish dot, which should lie somewhere in the polygon defined by these products. It can be off-center because we use custom weighting to summarize these metrics.

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AppAlloy's Product Hunt launch garnered positive feedback, with users praising its ability to transform spreadsheets into functional apps, addressing common struggles and mobile usability. Many highlighted the straightforward workflow, quick conversion, and sleek app creation. Several users congratulated the team on the launch and website design. Questions arose about customization options and row limitations. Users expressed excitement about AppAlloy's potential in business and future growth, with some describing it as life-saving and well-made.

The main criticism revolves around the level of control users have over complex spreadsheet functionalities. Users are questioning the extent to which the product allows manipulation and customization of advanced spreadsheet features.

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Hello HN, I'm Peter, the founder of AppAlloy. Over the last year, we've been working on a tool that converts spreadsheets (Google Sheets, Excel, csv) into fully functional CRUD mobile apps, without the need for coding skills.Our goal is to make mobile app development accessible to anyone who uses spreadsheets for business operations.Our platform uses OpenAI to analyze and infer the structure of spreadsheet data, automatically generating a mobile-friendly app interface. This allows non-technical users to easily manage data directly from their mobile devices with an interface optimized for usability on small screens.Here’s what AppAlloy offers:1. AI-Driven interface creation: Automatically generates a user interface suitable for mobile devices based on the contents of your spreadsheet. 2. Customization with Power Fx: Users can integrate Microsoft Power Fx to add custom logic and calculations that appear directly in the app. 3. Real-time sync: Changes made in the mobile app are synchronized in real-time with the original spreadsheet, maintaining a single source of truth without disrupting existing workflows.We believe that simplifying the app creation process from spreadsheets can significantly empower businesses, especially those relying heavily on mobile workforces.Check out these demos: App creation in 30 seconds https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sODApB5yCoIn-depth customization https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_h6gG2LCY2QAppAlloy is still in the early stages, and we're keen to gather feedback to improve further. We're particularly interested in your thoughts on usability, AI integration, and any other features you think we could add or improve.Thanks for checking this out, and I look forward to your feedback!

Users praised Peter and his introduction. They commended the great work and requested information about AppAlloy's initial purpose.

The product lacks a clear explanation of AppAlloy's initial purpose, leaving users confused about its intended use and benefits.

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RevoSheets' Product Hunt launch received overwhelmingly positive feedback. Users congratulated the team and praised the tool's UI, functionality, and ability to manage and organize data. Several users highlighted its user-friendliness, efficiency, and feature-rich environment, positioning it as a go-to spreadsheet editor. The app was described as an ultimate, versatile, and offline solution. One user inquired about its similarity to Google Sheets, while another compared it to Notion. Features such as offline capabilities, visual data representation, markdown support, hierarchical pages, templates, and mobile optimization were specifically mentioned.

The user has not yet tried the product and is therefore unable to offer informed criticism, meaning their feedback is based on first impressions only.

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