Camelus vs a feedback spreadsheet
Last updated October 25, 2026
Most founders start with a spreadsheet, a Notion page or a Slack channel: paste each request in, add a tally, sort by count. It's free and it works, until there are a few hundred rows, three products and messages in four languages. Here's what changes when you move to Camelus, and when you shouldn't bother.
What a spreadsheet does well
- It costs nothing and everyone knows how to use it.
- You decide every column.
- For a few requests a week from one product, it's enough.
Where it breaks
| Spreadsheet | Camelus | |
|---|---|---|
| Getting feedback in | Copy and paste from email, chat and your widget | Widget, forwarded email, REST API, Polar cancellations, CSV import: it arrives on its own |
| Duplicates | You decide by eye whether two rows are the same request | Similar messages are grouped into themes, across languages; you can correct any grouping |
| Counting | A tally that counts messages, so the loudest person wins | Each person counts once; paying customers and verified users weigh more |
| Revenue | Looked up by hand, if at all | MRR affected per theme when Polar is connected |
| Staying current | Someone has to keep it up to date | A real-time Inbox and a digest every morning |
| Personal data | Names and emails in a shared sheet | Original text visible only to your workspace; summaries carry no personal data |
| Telling people it shipped | Find the rows, find the emails, write each one | Drafted email to everyone who asked, sent after your approval |
| Several products | One tab per product, or one long sheet | One Inbox, themes per product |
Moving over
Export your sheet as CSV and import it in the Inbox (Import CSV). Columns are matched by name (text, email, name, created_at, external_id, title), and you can change the mapping before importing. Old feedback is grouped into themes like new feedback, and keeps its original date, so recent requests still weigh more.
When to stay with the spreadsheet
If you get a handful of requests a month, from one product, in one language, a spreadsheet is fine. Camelus's Free plan (1 product, 100 items a month) is there for when it stops being fine.