Is a spreadsheet enough for a small run of show?

Often, yes. If the show is short, has few segments, and one person is calling it from the same device they built it on, a plain Google Sheet or Excel file is a genuinely fine choice. The gap only shows up once the schedule needs to change live and more than one person needs to see it change.

Does Google Sheets mark a current item automatically?

No. There's no built-in "mark as current" or "now playing" row action anywhere in Sheets' menus. Any highlight on the current row has to be a manual color fill someone applies by hand and moves to the next row themselves.

Does Google Sheets reflow times automatically when a segment runs long?

Only if someone builds the formulas first. A plain typed time in a cell doesn't move when an earlier duration changes, only a formula like =A1+B1, chained down every row, will cascade. There's no built-in "auto-adjust downstream times" toggle in Sheets.

How many people can edit a Google Sheet at once?

Up to 100 people with view, edit, or comment permissions can work on the same file at once, per Google's own support documentation. Past that, only the owner and some editors keep edit rights. Most small AV crews never hit this, but it's a documented, real ceiling.

Can Google Sheets work offline for a run of show?

With setup: you need to be online initially, use Chrome or Edge, avoid private browsing, and install the Google Docs Offline extension, per Google's own instructions. Google's documentation does not describe how conflicting offline edits from multiple people get reconciled when everyone reconnects.

What's the cheapest dedicated alternative to a spreadsheet?

Runsheet's free tier costs nothing for 1 active rundown and 3 connected screens. RundownStudio also has a free Solo plan for one person. Both add the current-item sync and live reflow a spreadsheet doesn't do on its own, at no cost for small use.

Which tool should replace my spreadsheet?

Depends on scale and budget. Runsheet and RundownStudio both fit a freelancer or small team at low or no cost. Overture fits a corporate conference producer running multiple general sessions a year. LASSO Rundown fits broadcast-scale production. All four do more than a spreadsheet can on its own once a show goes live.

Run of Show: Spreadsheet vs Dedicated Software (2026)

When is a spreadsheet actually enough for a run of show?

It's genuinely enough when the show is small and static: a handful of segments, one person calling it from the same device they built the schedule on, and nobody else needs a synced live view. A Google Sheet or an Excel file with a Start, Duration, Segment, and Owner column covers that job completely, and there's no honest reason to pay for or set up anything else. The moment a second screen needs to show the same live state, or a segment actually runs long on the day, that's where the gap starts.

What breaks when you run a spreadsheet live?

These aren't claims to take on faith, each one is a test you can run yourself in your own Google Sheet in under two minutes.

Test 1: There's no built-in current-item marker everyone follows

Open a Sheet in two browser windows. Look for a “mark as current” or “now playing” action in the right-click menu or toolbar. There isn't one. Any highlight that shows which row is live has to be a manual color fill someone applies by hand, then re-applies to the next row themselves, live, while also running the show.

Test 2: Times don't reflow without formulas someone builds ahead of time

Put a start time in cell A1 and a duration in B1, and type a second segment's start time into A2 as a plain value, not a formula. Change B1. A2 doesn't move, because it's a static value, not a reference to A1+B1. Sheets will only cascade times down a column if a person has written the formula for every row in advance; there's no built-in “auto-adjust downstream times” toggle anywhere in the menus.

Test 3: There's no presenter or follower view

Check the View menu and File > Share options for a clean, large, read-only display of just the current row, the kind you'd put on a stage manager's monitor or a backstage screen. There isn't one built in. Sheets has view-only link sharing and protected ranges, and presenting through Slides is a separate product entirely, not a live view of the sheet itself.

Test 4: The 100-editor ceiling is real

Per Google's own support documentation, up to 100 people with view, edit, or comment permissions can work on the same file at once; past that, only the owner and some editors keep edit rights. Not a problem for most small crews, but it's a documented, checkable limit if your distribution list is large.

Test 5: Offline use needs setup, and conflict resolution isn't documented

Per Google's own instructions, offline editing requires an initial internet connection, Chrome or Edge specifically, avoiding private browsing, and installing the Google Docs Offline extension ahead of time. Google's documentation does not state how conflicting edits from multiple offline collaborators get reconciled once everyone reconnects, so that's a real, checkable gap in what Google publishes, not an invented one.

What does dedicated run of show software add?

The pattern across every dedicated tool in this category is the same: a server-held current-item state that every connected screen displays identically and updates in real time, plus start times that recalculate automatically, either from a plan edit or from a live overrun, depending on the tool. That's the exact gap the five tests above expose in a spreadsheet. Some tools add a dedicated crew or presenter view built for a stage monitor, which a spreadsheet also has no equivalent for.

Which run of show tool should replace the spreadsheet?

Five options, roughly by scale and budget.

Runsheet

Runsheet is hosted with zero setup: build the rundown, then run the show from the same place, with synced current-item view and countdowns on every connected screen, and start times that reflow automatically when a segment runs long, verified in production. Free for 1 active rundown and 3 connected screens; Pro is $19/mo for unlimited rundowns and screens. Built for freelancers and small event-production teams.

RundownStudio

RundownStudio is free for solo use, $25 per event, or $600/yr for a 2-person team. A sensible pick for a solo producer running events occasionally and paying per-event rather than a flat subscription.

LASSO Rundown (formerly Shoflo)

LASSO Rundown is $1,045/yr for 1 user up to $6,950/yr for 15 users, billed annually with no free tier, plus separate add-ons. It's built and priced for broadcast-scale production, sports, corporate, worship, conferences, concerts, galas, universities, and broadcast/media, not a solo freelancer's budget.

Overture

Overture is $399/yr for 1 event up to $3,999/yr for 50 events, with a custom Enterprise tier above that and a 7-day free trial on every plan. It's built for corporate conference producers running general sessions in the 700-7,000 attendee range, and its own marketing states it reflows times automatically when a segment runs long, a claim about Overture's own product, not one we've verified by running a show on it ourselves.

StageTimer

StageTimer isn't a rundown builder, it's a synced countdown-timer product: free for 3 rooms with 3 timers and messages each, paid tiers unlock more. Worth adding on top of a spreadsheet or a rundown tool if timing across screens is the specific gap, it doesn't hold or build the schedule itself.

Details checked August 2026 from each product's public pages, and from Google's own support documentation for the Sheets facts above. Runsheet is not affiliated with any tool listed.

FAQ

Is a spreadsheet enough for a small run of show?: Often, yes. If the show is short, has few segments, and one person is calling it from the same device they built it on, a plain Google Sheet or Excel file is a genuinely fine choice. The gap only shows up once the schedule needs to change live and more than one person needs to see it change.
Does Google Sheets mark a current item automatically?: No. There's no built-in "mark as current" or "now playing" row action anywhere in Sheets' menus. Any highlight on the current row has to be a manual color fill someone applies by hand and moves to the next row themselves.
Does Google Sheets reflow times automatically when a segment runs long?: Only if someone builds the formulas first. A plain typed time in a cell doesn't move when an earlier duration changes, only a formula like =A1+B1, chained down every row, will cascade. There's no built-in "auto-adjust downstream times" toggle in Sheets.
How many people can edit a Google Sheet at once?: Up to 100 people with view, edit, or comment permissions can work on the same file at once, per Google's own support documentation. Past that, only the owner and some editors keep edit rights. Most small AV crews never hit this, but it's a documented, real ceiling.
Can Google Sheets work offline for a run of show?: With setup: you need to be online initially, use Chrome or Edge, avoid private browsing, and install the Google Docs Offline extension, per Google's own instructions. Google's documentation does not describe how conflicting offline edits from multiple people get reconciled when everyone reconnects.
What's the cheapest dedicated alternative to a spreadsheet?: Runsheet's free tier costs nothing for 1 active rundown and 3 connected screens. RundownStudio also has a free Solo plan for one person. Both add the current-item sync and live reflow a spreadsheet doesn't do on its own, at no cost for small use.
Which tool should replace my spreadsheet?: Depends on scale and budget. Runsheet and RundownStudio both fit a freelancer or small team at low or no cost. Overture fits a corporate conference producer running multiple general sessions a year. LASSO Rundown fits broadcast-scale production. All four do more than a spreadsheet can on its own once a show goes live.

Build the rundown. Run the show. Every screen in sync.

Runsheet is the hosted place to build a run of show and then run it live, no setup, share links for control, crew, and stage screens. Free for 1 rundown, 3 connected screens.

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