What's the Best ROI Calculator in 2025?
Looking for an ROI calculator and thinking you'll need to do it in Excel?
We've reached a tipping point where artificial intelligence is no longer a gimmick. It's not a stretch to say that it has quickly become the operating system of the software we use at work. That includes how we measure value, justify investments, and decide what's worth doing. And yes, that means simplifying the way we calculate return on investment, and relying on Excel, Google Sheets, and other spreadsheet packages a whole lot less.
Now, let's be fair: Excel had a good run. A great run, even. But for some reasons that we'll explore, it's really not the ideal tool for the job. We can see this by googling ROI Calculator and seeing the many niche ROI calculators that have been created for all sorts of random use cases. Wouldn't it be better if we didn't have to find or create bespoke tools for all of them?
The Spreadsheet Illusion
We have a tendency — particularly in business — to mistake familiarity for efficiency. Excel feels like control. But in practice? It's closer to a blank canvas that requires both arts and engineering degrees to paint anything useful. And when you're trying to convince someone to fund a project, you don't want to be debugging a VLOOKUP error on the fly.
Let's break this down. If you're modelling ROI in Excel:
- ❌You start from scratch, or copy someone else's model and hope it still works
- ❌You spend hours fiddling with formulas that break when you add a row
- ❌You email around static files no one wants to open
- ❌You present something so dense even you aren't sure what it says
Enter AI
What's changed? AI can now do something Excel never could: understand context. You describe your project — say, replacing an outdated software system — and AI generates the financial logic, structures it clearly, and presents it interactively. Tools like Reschematic let you:
- ⚡Generate ROI models from a short brief
- 🔁Switch between scenarios without rework
- 📈Share models interactively, not as static files
- 🧠Avoid common logic traps and overconfidence errors
Getting buy-in on an important decision, project or investment is hard as it is, so why not give yourself the best chances for success?
The Scorecard: Excel vs Reschematic
| Feature | Excel | Reschematic |
|---|---|---|
| Speed to Model | Slow, manual setup | Instant from prompts |
| Ease of Use | Requires spreadsheet skills | No formulas, pre-built logic |
| Scenario Planning | Manual duplication | Built-in and instant |
| Presentation Ready | Cluttered and hard to share | Interactive, sharable models |
So, what's the takeaway?
Excel isn't going away, just like typewriters didn't vanish the moment word processors arrived. The most detailed models will still require Excel. But for the other 95% of them, where speed, clarity, and buy-in matter, clinging to spreadsheets as your main way to build a business case is really slowing yourself down.
AI-powered tools like Reschematic aren't just "nice to have" anymore. They're what teams reach for when the stakes are high and time is short. It's not about replacing humans. It's about removing the drudgery that keeps us from thinking clearly - particuarly in the early stages of a project.
If your team is still spending hours crafting ROI models by hand, the question isn't whether AI can help. It's how much opportunity is being left on the table by not using it.
Final word: If it uses AI, how do I know I can trust it?
Trust doesn't come from hiding the AI. It comes from showing exactly what it's doing. That's why Reschematic reveals every assumption, lets you trace how each number was calculated, and gives you full control to make changes. It works like a spreadsheet in terms of transparency, but without the complexity. You get speed and credibility, together.
Note: Max tier subscribers see the sources of assumptions, further enhancing confidence.
Aaron Kosovich
Founder, Reschematic
Aaron builds tools that help teams stop puzzling over spreadsheets and start making real decisions. He previously led economic analysis on over $1 billion in infrastructure funding, yet still believes clarity is more powerful than complexity.
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