Spreadsheet or dedicated tracker
Both work. The question is not which is better in the abstract, it is which one you will still be updating in week six.
What a spreadsheet does well
- It is free, familiar, and open in ten seconds.
- You can add a column the moment you need one.
- It exports and shares anywhere, and nothing depends on a company staying in business.
- For a search of a dozen applications, it is genuinely enough.
Where a spreadsheet starts to strain
- Follow-up dates sit in a cell and do not remind you of anything.
- Stage names drift, so counting where you stand takes manual work.
- Reading fifty rows on a phone is unpleasant.
- Notes, links, and contacts end up scattered across cells and other documents.
What a dedicated tracker adds
Structure, mostly. Consistent stages, a queue of what is actually due, and views that change shape without you rebuilding anything. Applas keeps a spreadsheet view alongside a board view for exactly that reason, and it imports the columns you already have.
The honest middle option
Start with the free spreadsheet template. It uses the same columns Applas expects, so moving later is an import rather than a retyping session.
Related guides
Track every application in one place.
Applas is free to start. Import your spreadsheet, or add your first role in about ten seconds.
Free to use. No credit card required.