A spreadsheet stores what you type. Software reads the certificate, checks it against your rules and chases the renewal. Here is an honest comparison, plus a free template if Excel is the right call for you.
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Both are legitimate choices. The difference is who does the reading, the checking and the reminding.
| Job | Spreadsheet (Excel or Google Sheets) | COISoftware |
|---|---|---|
| Getting data off the certificate | You type insured, carrier, policy numbers, limits and dates from each PDF | Read from the PDF, scan or photo; you check each field next to the page |
| Checking limits | A formula can compare a limit you typed with a minimum you typed | Every coverage line compared with the requirement set for that vendor type, project or vendor |
| Endorsements | A Yes or No you fill in, usually from the checkbox on page one | Additional insured reported as blanket or scheduled with the named party; waiver and primary and non-contributory wording checked |
| Expiry | Days-to-expiry formula and color, visible when someone opens the file | Reminders at 60, 30 and 15 days and after expiry, to you and optionally to the vendor |
| Collecting renewals | You email the vendor and wait for an attachment | Request with a no-login upload link; the new certificate is read on arrival |
| Several people | Copies and versions drift apart | One account; a login per person is not available yet |
| Audit trail | Whatever the file looks like today | Certificates kept per vendor with the original PDF; exports to XLSX, CSV and PDF |
| Cost | Free, plus the hours of whoever maintains it | From $24 a month billed yearly or $49 month to month; one-time demo of 10 documents |
COISoftware features as they stand in September 2026. Plans and prices are on the pricing page.
Not every team needs software. A spreadsheet is a reasonable tool when these are true.
A named person opens the file on a fixed day, sorts by days to expiry and emails every vendor inside 30 days. Without that habit the sheet stops protecting you.
The same vendors year after year, few new ones, renewals you can see coming. Every new vendor is another row someone has to type correctly.
One set of limits for everyone and no per-project additional insured wording. The more your rules vary by vendor type or job, the more the sheet depends on memory.
The ADDL INSD and SUBR WVD boxes on an ACORD 25 are informational. If nobody opens the endorsement pages, the Yes in your sheet is the agent's checkbox, not proof of coverage.
If all four hold, the free template below will serve you well. If one of them breaks, for example the owner goes on leave or a large job brings twenty new subcontractors at once, that is usually where a missed renewal comes from.
COISoftware keeps the columns you already know and takes over the parts a spreadsheet leaves to people.
Insured, producer, carriers and NAIC numbers, policy numbers, each limit and each date are read from the document and shown next to the page they came from.
Requirement sets by vendor type, project or vendor. Gaps are listed in plain words, such as a general liability limit below your minimum.
Additional insured is reported as blanket (for example CG 20 38) or scheduled with the named party (for example CG 20 10), and you can require to be named.
Emails at 60, 30 and 15 days and after expiry, plus renewal requests with a no-login upload link for the vendor.
Compliance report to XLSX, CSV or PDF, and a REST API on the Pro plan.
No pre-built connectors to Procore, Yardi or accounting systems, no human review service, and one login per account. If you need those, look at the managed platforms.
Not sure yet? Upload one certificate you already have to the free demo on the home page and compare the result with your spreadsheet row. Plans and prices are on the pricing page.
Run the same three certificates through both and compare.
Open the free XLSX, set your minimum limits on the Requirements sheet and type three certificates into the COI tracker sheet. Note how long it takes.
Use the demo on the home page, no account needed, and compare each field and each gap with what you typed.
Multiply the time per certificate by your renewals per month and add the weekly review. Compare that with the plan price for your volume.
A real Excel file, not a screenshot of columns.
Download the COI tracking spreadsheet template (XLSX). It opens in Excel, Google Sheets and Numbers and contains three sheets:
Status turns red for Expired, Missing or Below requirement and yellow for anything expiring within 30 days. Three example rows show how it behaves; delete them before you start. For column by column guidance, see the certificate of insurance tracking spreadsheet guide.
It can be, when one person owns it, reviews it every week, the vendor list is stable and someone reads the endorsement pages. It cannot read a certificate, check endorsements or send reminders on its own.
Yes. It is a plain XLSX file with formulas and no macros, and you can download it without an account.
Not by itself. The template calculates days to expiry and colors the status, but someone has to open the file and send the emails.
Plans start at $24 a month billed yearly, or $49 month to month, and every price is published on the pricing page. A spreadsheet costs nothing but the hours spent maintaining it.
Yes. Import your vendor list from CSV, upload the certificates you have on file, and set your requirements once. The spreadsheet can stay as an archive.
It has no pre-built connectors to Procore, Yardi or accounting systems, no human review service, and one login per account today. Managed platforms offer those at a higher price and usually after a sales call.
Plans and prices of other vendors are quoted from their own public pages, checked in September 2026. Prices change, so confirm them at the source before you decide. Where a vendor publishes no price, we say so instead of guessing.
Our own prices are on the pricing page, and you can test COISoftware on your own certificate before you pay anything.
Every column to include and how to set up the formulas.
Published prices across the category, and who quotes only.
Platforms compared side by side.
Certificate tracking without an enterprise contract.
No credit card required. New accounts start with a one-time demo of 10 documents.
Start tracking vendor certificates of insurance and never miss an expiration.
USD
per month
per month
$288 charged today
One shared monthly allowance. Spend it on either model, or mix: 1 Pro AI certificate = 5 Base AI certificates. A certificate counts as one, whatever its page count.
| Base AI Faster | 2,500 certificates |
| Pro AI Best accuracy | 500 certificates |
Four times the monthly certificate allowance and four times the Smart Reports.
USD
per month
per month
$888 charged today
One shared monthly allowance. Spend it on either model, or mix: 1 Pro AI certificate = 5 Base AI certificates. A certificate counts as one, whatever its page count.
| Base AI Faster | 10,000 certificates |
| Pro AI Best accuracy | 2,000 certificates |
Enterprise‑grade COI tracking, security, and controls.
USD
per month
per month
$ charged today
One shared monthly allowance. Spend it on either model, or mix: 1 Pro AI certificate = 5 Base AI certificates. A certificate counts as one, whatever its page count.
| Base AI Faster | certificates |
| Pro AI Best accuracy | certificates |
