Skip to content
CairnCompare
Start a model

Compare Cairn vs spreadsheets

Tables, or a model with links

A spreadsheet is the fastest way to list things. A systems model is mostly the links between things: which part satisfies which requirement, which interface carries which signal, which test verifies what. Cairn keeps those links as part of the model.

As of October 2026.

Try the demoStart a model
The traceability matrix in Cairn: each requirement with its node, what satisfies it, what verifies it and its status.The traceability matrix in Cairn: each requirement with its node, what satisfies it, what verifies it and its status.

Links, kept

In Cairn a requirement belongs to a node, names the requirement it derives from, and is linked to what satisfies and verifies it. Rename a part and every link still points at it. Delete one and Cairn shows what goes with it before you confirm.

Gaps that show themselves

Untraced and unverified requirements, parts no interface reaches and states nothing leads to are found by the model's checks, in the Requirements and Completeness lenses and the Quality tool.

Still a table when you want one

The Model Explorer shows every kind of record as a table you can sort, search and edit in place, and Cairn exports the requirements as CSV and the whole model as JSON.

The Requirements lens in Cairn: the rover's requirements with their types, owners and what satisfies them.The Requirements lens in Cairn: the rover's requirements with their types, owners and what satisfies them.

Which fits

Cairn fits when

  • Requirements, interfaces and verification need to stay linked as the design changes
  • You want to see what a change affects before you make it
  • You want every change kept, with undo

Something else fits when

  • You need calculations, charts or a quick list
  • The data has no structure beyond rows and columns
  • Several people need to edit the same file at once

What Cairn doesn't do

  • Cairn has no shared workspace: one person keeps a model, and can export it as a file
  • Cairn does not import spreadsheets of requirements yet
  • Cairn is pre-launch, in early access

Questions

Can I get my data out of Cairn into a spreadsheet?
Yes. Settings exports the requirements as a CSV table, and the full project export holds every record as JSON.
Is Cairn better than a spreadsheet for everything?
No. Use a spreadsheet for calculations and simple lists. Cairn is for when the links between the parts of a system matter.

Checked against Cairn in October 2026. This page describes Cairn only.

See it on your own system.

Describe what you are building and Cairn interviews you, then builds the first model with you.

Start a modelTry the demo