A detailed comparison of Dora and Google Sheets for managing specifications and projects.
Google Sheets is a convenient tool for collaboration, but it is not designed for specifications in design and architecture. Spreadsheets lack structure for product items, images, and approval workflows.
Dora is built exactly for this: structured specifications with AI parsing, a product library, online client approvals, plus procurement planning and financial control tools.
| Dora | Google Sheets | |
|---|---|---|
| AI product data extraction from URLs | ||
| Professional look out of the box | ||
| Online client approval workflow | ||
| Reusable product library | ||
| Automatic budget calculation | ||
| Real-time collaboration | ||
| Product images in specifications | ||
| PDF export | ||
| Per-item approval history | ||
| Free access | ||
| Procurement scheduling (Gantt chart) | ||
| Invoice generation | ||
| Project financial tracking |
Google Sheets is a blank spreadsheet that you need to structure yourself. Columns for images, dimensions, materials — everything has to be set up manually. Dora has a ready-made specification structure: each item includes an image, price, dimensions, materials, and approval status.
Google Sheets works great for collaborative editing, but it has no approval workflow. A client might accidentally change data or not understand what exactly needs to be approved.
Dora separates roles: the designer fills the specification, and the client views the final result through a separate public link and approves or rejects specific items.
A specification in Google Sheets looks like a data table. A specification in Dora looks like a professional document with product images, categories, and clear structure — without any extra formatting.
Google Sheets is a good choice for general collaboration, but Dora offers a specialized platform with AI parsing, an approval workflow, procurement planning, and project financial control.
Try Dora free for 14 days and compare it with your current process.