App inventory spreadsheet template
By Tom Hunt · Updated October 2026
Most firms can't say how many apps they pay for, let alone where their people copy data from one to the next. This spreadsheet puts every tool on one page - owner, cost, users, connections - so you can see the gaps where the hours go. It's the first thing we fill in on an ops audit.
APP INVENTORY - [Firm name] Last updated: [date] App | Used for | Owner | Users | Monthly cost | Renewal date | Connects to | Data typed in twice? | Keep / replace / connect ----|----------|-------|-------|--------------|--------------|-------------|----------------------|------------------------- [App name] | [what the team uses it for] | [person] | [#] | [amount] | [date] | [other apps, or "nothing"] | [yes - what, and where] | [decision] [App name] | | | | | | | | [App name] | | | | | | | | TOTALS Number of apps: [#] Total monthly cost: [amount] Apps with no clear owner: [#] Apps where data is typed in twice: [#] TOP THREE GAPS (where the most time is lost between apps) 1. [App A] -> [App B]: [what gets copied across, by whom, how often] 2. 3.
pick a version, copy it, or download as .docx or .pdf - then make it yours.
How to fill it in
List everything
Pull the list from your card statements and accounting software, not from memory - the forgotten apps are often the ones nobody owns.
Name an owner
Every app needs one person who decides whether it stays. 'Everyone' means no one.
Mark the double typing
For each app, ask the people who use it: what do you copy into here from somewhere else? That column is where the hours are.
Decide keep, replace or connect
Not every gap needs new software. Often the fix is connecting two apps you already pay for.
For example: three rows, filled in
A realistic, filled-in version - so you can see what good looks like before you start.
App | Used for | Owner | Users | Monthly cost | Connects to | Data typed in twice? | Decision Xero | invoicing, bills | Sam (ops) | 3 | $80 | bank feed | yes - client names and fees rekeyed from the CRM | connect HubSpot | pipeline, contacts | Ana (MD) | 6 | $450 | email | yes - won deals copied into the project tool | connect Trello | project tasks | team leads | 18 | $180 | nothing | yes - status copied into a weekly client email | keep, automate the update (Example figures, for illustration only.)
Common mistakes
- Building the list from memory instead of from what you actually pay for.
- Leaving the owner column blank, so nobody acts on the findings.
- Counting apps and cost but skipping the 'typed in twice' column - which is the one that finds the hours.
- Assuming every gap needs a new tool, when connecting two existing apps is often enough.
Want the whole map drawn for you?
On a two-week ops audit we map every app your firm uses, count the hours lost between them and scope the first three builds. $2,500 / £2,000, credited to your first month.
Frequently asked questions
What is an app inventory?
A single list of every app and tool your firm pays for or relies on - who owns it, what it costs, who uses it, and what it connects to. It is the first step of any ops audit.
Why does a people business need an app inventory?
Most firms run on more apps than anyone can name, and the hours are lost in the gaps between them. You cannot fix the gaps until you can see the whole map.
What columns should an app inventory have?
At minimum: app name, what it is used for, owner, number of users, monthly cost, renewal date, what it connects to, where data is typed in twice, and whether to keep, replace or connect it.