DeFi Orbit vs. spreadsheets
Most LPs start in a spreadsheet, and most of us at DeFi Orbit did too. It works until the second chain, the fifth position or the first number that is wrong when it matters. This page sets out what the spreadsheet is doing for you, what it costs, and when it is still the right tool.
What you get from each
Every tab is a job you do by hand
A tracking spreadsheet looks like one file. It is a set of jobs that run only when you sit down and do them, and each one is a place for a mistake to live.
- 01Enter every positionPool, range, amounts and entry prices, copied from each protocol by hand.
- 02Update the pricesEvery token, every time you open the sheet, or the values are stale.
- 03Read the feesOpen each position in each protocol to see what it has earned, then type it in.
- 04Record every changeDeposits, withdrawals, collections and rebalances, or the history stops being true.
- 05Maintain the formulasPnL, impermanent loss and APR, kept correct as positions change shape.
- 06Check what you cannot seeRange status and health factor, which the sheet cannot know without you looking.
- 07Start again on the next chainA new tab, new price sources and the same work twice.
Six things a spreadsheet costs you that never show up as a number
A spreadsheet is free to open. These are the costs that come after.
The hours
Of 30 liquidity providers we interviewed before building DeFi Orbit, most tracked positions in a spreadsheet, and several described 30 to 60 minutes a day keeping it current.
The error you do not catch
One wrong cell in a tracking sheet can hide a position that is out of range or a loan that is close to liquidation. The founder of DeFi Orbit was liquidated because of one.
The days you missed
A spreadsheet only knows the days you updated it. Skip a week and those values are gone. DeFi Orbit takes a snapshot of every position each day on its own.
The stale number
Between updates the sheet shows yesterday’s prices and yesterday’s fees. Decisions get made on them anyway.
The report you cannot defend
When a partner, client or accountant asks how a figure was reached, the answer is a cell reference and your memory.
The ceiling
Every new position adds work, so the spreadsheet quietly limits how many positions you are willing to run.
When a spreadsheet is the better choice
A spreadsheet is the right tool more often than vendors admit. If one of these is your case, keep it.
One or two positions
If you hold a couple of positions on one chain and check them weekly, a spreadsheet is fine and costs nothing.
A layout nobody offers
Tax lots, treasury views or a model that is yours. Export from DeFi Orbit into the sheet and keep the layout.
Protocols we do not cover
If your positions are somewhere we are not yet, the sheet is the only option until we are. Tell us which protocol.
You want to learn the maths
Building impermanent loss and APR by hand once is the best way to understand them. Then let the tool do it.
Questions teams ask before deciding
Yes, and many people do for a while. Run DeFi Orbit next to it for a week, compare the numbers, and keep whatever the sheet still does that the app does not. CSV export means the data can flow from us into your layout rather than the other way round.
Where they differ, it is usually a historical price or how fees were attributed after a rebalance. Our methods for PnL, impermanent loss, fees and APR are documented, so you can see exactly which rule explains any gap.
Add a wallet address and your positions appear. There is nothing to enter by hand, so the first view usually takes less time than one spreadsheet update.
Individual is $69 a month, or $690 a year, which works out to $57.50 a month, with a 7-day free trial. If your spreadsheet takes you 30 minutes a day, the question is what that time is worth to you.
No. You sign a short message to prove you own a wallet when you create your account, and after that we only read public on-chain data. Nothing can move your funds.
You will still see balances and value across +500 protocols. The detailed figures cover a growing list, and we add protocols as users ask. Tell us which one you need.
The interview figures on this page come from 30 conversations DeFi Orbit held with liquidity providers before building the product.
Put your spreadsheet next to the app for a week
Add the wallets you track today and compare the numbers. The first 7 days are free, and nothing changes in your spreadsheet.