Why Runbook is a great LiveFlow alternative
LiveFlow started as an FP&A platform to automate spreadsheet-based financial reporting and multi-entity consolidations, and in 2026 they launched an “AI-native ERP” aimed at replacing QuickBooks Online.
Runbook is built for finance and accounting teams who build custom QuickBooks reports in Google Sheets. It syncs QuickBooks data to Google Sheets and lets you build custom reports and analyses by describing them in plain English.
What is LiveFlow?
It’s slightly confusing, but LiveFlow actually sells two very different products.
LiveFlow FP&A automation (their original product): LiveFlow launched in 2021 with an initial focus on syncing accounting data (from QuickBooks and Xero) to spreadsheets (Google Sheets and Excel). They’ve since evolved into a broader platform that handles multi-entity consolidation, collaborative budgeting, and live web dashboards.
Flow ERP (their new product): In 2026, LiveFlow launched Flow, a new AI-native ERP with the goal of replacing QuickBooks. Flow is meant to be a full-featured accounting system that automates parts of month-end close—categorizations, reconciliations, AR, and reporting.
Runbook is not an ERP, so the below comparison will focus on LiveFlow’s FP&A automation tool.
Direct Comparison
| Capability | Runbook | LiveFlow |
|---|---|---|
| Core experience | Sync QuickBooks to Google Sheets, build any custom report by describing it, automated report refresh | Sync QuickBooks/Xero to Google Sheets/Excel, automated report refresh, multi-entity consolidation, web dashboards |
| Free trial | 2-week free trial with hands-on support | No free trial. Requires booking a demo |
| Starting price | Starting at $99/mo | No public pricing. Requires booking a demo |
| Custom reporting | Build any report by describing it in plain English | Limited by QuickBooks API. Often requires manual data assembly in spreadsheets |
| Variance analysis | AI analysis of underlying transaction data to explain variances | Not supported. Requires manual analysis and build |
| Accounting systems | QuickBooks Online only | QuickBooks and Xero |
How is LiveFlow different from Runbook?
LiveFlow has limits on the QuickBooks reports and data you can access
LiveFlow lets you choose from a list of reports to sync to your spreadsheet, including some (but not all) of the reports you see in QuickBooks. Essentially, they allow you to pull reports that QuickBooks itself exposes via its API. However, if a report you need is not supported by the QuickBooks API, like Estimates vs. Actuals reports, it won’t be available in LiveFlow.
Runbook is not limited by the QuickBooks API, and we support a wide range of custom reports. In fact, you can pull any report or slice of data from QuickBooks into Google Sheets, even reports that don’t exist natively in QuickBooks. You can configure reports manually, or ask Runbook’s AI to build a custom report directly in Google Sheets. We use a proprietary data model to represent QuickBooks data in a way that’s easy for AI to understand and query.
LiveFlow doesn’t help with custom reporting or analysis in Google Sheets
In terms of spreadsheet reporting automation, LiveFlow syncs QuickBooks reports to Google Sheets, keeps those reports updated, and lets you drill down into the transaction detail within reports. If you want to reassemble that data into a custom report, build an analysis, or ask questions about your data, you need to do that work manually in Google Sheets.
Runbook offers the same sync, refresh, and drill down functionality, and it can also build new reports and analyses directly in Google Sheets. For example, you can sync historical P&L data from QuickBooks to Google Sheets, then ask Runbook to build a budget for next year based on the historical data. Or you can ask questions like “Why did expenses increase last month?” and Runbook will analyze the data for you.
LiveFlow doesn’t have a free trial or public pricing
The only way to get started with LiveFlow is to book a demo on their website.
Runbook offers a 2-week free trial (no credit card required), and transparent pricing starting at $99 per month for up to 3 QuickBooks companies.
LiveFlow is a broader platform
LiveFlow integrates with both QuickBooks and Xero, as well as Google Sheets and Excel. They also have additional features in a separate web UI (outside of your spreadsheets), including tools for consolidations, budgeting, and building web dashboards.
Runbook is laser focused on being the best QuickBooks reporting tool for people who use Google Sheets. We also support multi-entity consolidations, budgeting, and dashboards directly in your spreadsheet; we just don’t think you need a separate UI for that. Runbook is designed to feel like part of your spreadsheet, so you don’t need to learn a new tool or navigate between different interfaces.
LiveFlow’s attention is split between two competing products
Since launching Flow in 2026, LiveFlow has been supporting two competing products—Flow (a QuickBooks competitor) and their FP&A automation platform (which integrates with QuickBooks). This creates a natural tension between investing in their FP&A platform (improving the experience for QuickBooks users) and investing in Flow (convincing users to switch from QuickBooks).
Runbook only works with QuickBooks, and every decision on our roadmap is about making QuickBooks reporting better for our customers.
We’ll migrate your reports over from LiveFlow for free
If you’ve already built monthly reporting packages in Google Sheets using LiveFlow, switching might sound like a lot of work. It isn’t. We’ll migrate your existing reports to Runbook for free.
“The Runbook team made the migration from our previous reporting platform incredibly smooth by helping us recreate our existing reports and optimize them for the new system. Their support throughout the onboarding process was outstanding.”
Alan Egan
Blue Collar Back Office
Bottom Line
Choose Runbook if you build custom QuickBooks reports in Google Sheets. You get the same QuickBooks-to-Google Sheets sync, plus AI that builds custom reports and analyses for you — including reports that don’t exist in QuickBooks.
Choose LiveFlow if you want a standalone platform with its own web interface — for dashboards that can be viewed outside a spreadsheet — or if you need Xero or Excel support.
