# Harmony vs spreadsheet scheduling
> When a shared spreadsheet is enough for studio classes — and when recurring series, self-serve reschedules, and calendar invites need Harmony.

## Short answer
Use a spreadsheet for a tiny roster with rare changes. Use Harmony when students move classes often, double-booking is a risk, or everyone needs their own login and synced calendars.

## Comparison
| Dimension | Spreadsheet | Harmony |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Recurring weekly classes | Manual rows; easy to drift | One series per class; expand on the fly |
| Student reschedule | Email/text the studio | Self-serve into open slots within policy |
| Double-booking risk | High without careful coordination | Blocked by availability + conflict checks |
| Calendar invites | Manual .ics or none | Automatic email + .ics on every change |
| Access control | Shared link or one account | Role-based logins per studio |
| Daylight-saving changes | Easy to get wrong | Timezone-aware recurrence stays on wall-clock time |

## FAQ
### Can a spreadsheet replace studio scheduling software?

For a very small roster with rare changes, a shared spreadsheet can work. Once students need to move classes, teachers have overlapping availability, or you must avoid double-booking, spreadsheets become the phone-tag bottleneck Harmony is designed to remove.

### Does Harmony import from spreadsheets?

Studios typically recreate recurring weekly classes and invite teachers and students by email. Harmony then expands the series, enforces policy, and sends calendar invites — it is not a general spreadsheet importer.

### What does Harmony do that a spreadsheet cannot?

Self-serve reschedule into genuinely open slots, studio policy enforcement (notice and monthly limits), conflict checks, role-scoped logins, and automatic email plus .ics calendar invites on every change.

HTML: https://harmonyscheduling.com/guides/spreadsheet-scheduling