Comparison

Fitness Tests vs Google Sheets

Free spreadsheet vs purpose-built PE platform

Google Sheets is the default fitness-testing tool for most PE departments — a free, familiar spreadsheet where teachers manually type scores, write VLOOKUP formulas for ratings, and wrestle with per-class tabs. It works, but it breaks down once you have more than a handful of classes or more than one teacher capturing on the same day.

Where Google Sheets is strong

Free and familiar — every PE teacher already has a Google account
Infinite customisation — you can build whatever structure you want
No lock-in: data is yours, in a format every other tool can read

Where Fitness Tests has an edge

Age- and gender-specific norms are built in — no VLOOKUP maintenance
Multiple teachers can capture simultaneously without overwriting each other
Mobile-first capture (iOS/Android) with offline support on the oval
Per-student PDF reports generated in one click
Real-time school dashboard showing live results as tests are run

Feature-by-feature

Feature	Fitness Tests	Google Sheets	Winner
Cost	$99-$299/yr school plans, free for individuals	Free	Theirs
Setup time for a new testing day	Seconds (teams persist, templates pre-built)	30-60 min (copy template, update formulas, share)	FT
Automatic age/gender-specific ratings	Built in, no configuration	Requires manual VLOOKUP tables	FT
Multiple teachers capturing at once	Native real-time sync, no conflicts	Possible but prone to accidental overwrites	FT
Mobile test capture	Native iOS + Android apps, offline support	Sheets mobile works but is slow for rapid score entry	FT
Student-facing PDF reports	One-click branded PDFs	Manual — build a template, copy each student's data	FT
Data ownership / export	CSV / PDF export; your data any time	Fully owned by you in Sheets	Tie
Works with no internet	Yes (iOS/Android apps) — syncs when back online	Sheets offline mode works with setup	Tie
Custom tests	Add on Growth plan and above	Infinite (it's just a spreadsheet)	Theirs

Bottom line

Sheets is the right call if you're a single teacher testing one class once a year and don't mind the setup. FitnessTests pays for itself the first time you run tests across multiple classes in a week, or the first time you want to hand a student a branded PDF of their results without rebuilding a template from scratch.

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This comparison reflects a best-effort, publicly-documented view of Google Sheets as of writing. For their latest features and pricing visit sheets.google.com.