Audit log and edit history for Google Sheets: every option compared (2026)

By Caner Kaya, Kayabyte

Disclosure: I make Kayabyte Sheet Guard, one of the options below. I’ve tried to describe every option fairly, including where mine is not the best choice. Ratings, user counts, prices and features are copied from each add-on’s Google Workspace Marketplace listing and, where linked, its own pricing page, on 24 October 2026. Where a page doesn’t say something, the table says “not stated”. The add-on may still do it, so ask the developer.

The short answer

• Who changed one cell, recently: use what Google gives you. Right-click the cell and choose Show edit history, or open File > Version history. My guide covers both and what they miss (deleted rows, formula changes, merged versions).
• An email when something changes: Google’s own notification rules (Tools > Notification settings), or Magic Cell Notifications for alerts on specific conditions.
• A permanent, searchable log of every edit, with old and new values: you need an add-on. AuditMySheet and Sheet Guard both log who, old value and new value into the spreadsheet itself.
• Google Forms responses that go missing: Sheet Guard is the only listing I found that backs up each form response and checks the form against the sheet.
• Values on a schedule rather than every edit: CellArchiver takes snapshots from every 30 minutes to weekly.

Comparison table

User counts are what each listing shows; three listings show only a number on the search card.

The options one by one

Google’s built-in tools

Show edit history on a cell shows who changed it, when, and the old value, but not changes made by formulas, and not rows that were deleted. Version history shows the whole file at earlier points, and you can restore or copy a version; old versions get merged over time, so name important ones. Notification rules email you about changes, but they don’t say what the old value was. For most “who did this?” questions, start here.

Magic Cell Notifications

The most installed option (518K+ users). It’s built for alerts: watch a cell or range for a condition and get an email, a Slack message or a webhook. The listing doesn’t describe a history of old and new values. Free for 5 rules, then £9.99 a year. Rated 3.9 from 132.

Sheets Notifications & Reminders

A free alternative for condition-based email alerts and reminders, including alerts on form submissions. Like Magic Cell Notifications, it’s about alerts rather than a log. Rated 3.7 from 33.

AuditMySheet

The closest to Sheet Guard as an audit log: it records who changed a cell, the old value and the new value in a hidden tab, logs row and column deletes, and Pro adds recovery tabs. The free preview shows 1,000 entries and Pro keeps a rolling 5,000, for $9 a month with a 60-day trial. Its listing is honest about limits I share: edits made by scripts, Zapier or the API aren’t logged, on Gmail accounts the editor may show as the owner, and it isn’t meant for compliance. It has no form backup or alerts.

Data Steward

Logs who changed what and when once you turn tracking on, and the paid plan adds rolling back thousands of recent cell edits, plus tab management and protection. From $4.92 a month after a 14-day trial.

SheetsWatch and CellArchiver

Two small tools that check values rather than logging each edit. SheetsWatch polls a range you choose (every 5 minutes to hourly) and emails you when it changes, for $9 once. CellArchiver copies values to a history sheet on a schedule, from every 30 minutes to weekly.

Kayabyte Sheet Guard (mine)

A log of every manual edit in the tabs you choose: time, who, cell, old value and new value, including pasted ranges and the contents of deleted rows, plus tabs added, renamed or deleted, rows and columns inserted or removed, and sorts. It also copies each Google Forms response to a backup tab as it arrives and checks regularly that the form and the sheet still match, so you hear when responses never reached the sheet; Pro recovers the missing ones. Row rules move or copy rows (“when Status is Done, move the row to Done”) and stamp dates. One person turns it on, and it covers everyone who edits the file.

The same limits as other Apps Script tools apply: changes made by formulas, scripts or other add-ons aren’t logged, and Google only shows other editors’ names within the same organisation. It isn’t a certified compliance system. Free covers 1 tab (last 1,000 changes), 2 rules and 1 form with a daily check. Pro is $6 per user a month or $60 a year with a 14-day trial, or $490 a year for a domain. It’s new, so it has no reviews yet. More about it, or install it from the Marketplace.

How to choose

1. Try Google’s tools first. If cell edit history and version history answer your question, you don’t need anything else.
2. Decide between a log and alerts. A log tells you afterwards exactly what changed; alerts tell you as it happens, but usually not the old value.
3. Check where the log lives. A log inside the spreadsheet is easy to search and share, but anyone who can edit the file could edit the log too. Some tools, mine included, can check whether log rows were changed by hand.

Google Sheets™, Google Forms™ and Google Workspace™ are trademarks of Google LLC. Kayabyte is not affiliated with or endorsed by Google LLC. Other product names belong to their owners.