Best AI Tools for Excel in 2026: Work Smarter with Spreadsheets

Spreadsheets still run the world. From quarterly budgets to marketing dashboards, Excel remains the backbone of business data — but writing VLOOKUP formulas and cleaning messy datasets by hand feels like it belongs in 2015.

The best AI for Excel tools in 2026 can write formulas from plain English, analyze thousands of rows in seconds, build charts automatically, and automate repetitive grunt work. Whether you need a copilot embedded in your spreadsheet or a lightweight add-on that generates formulas on demand, there’s an option that fits. We also cover this in our roundup of AI productivity tools.

I’ve tested ten popular AI tools for spreadsheets and put together this guide so you can pick the right one without wasting hours on free trials. For related options, check out our guide to AI for accounting.

AI Tools for Excel: Quick Comparison Table

Now let’s dig into each tool. If you’re also exploring AI assistants beyond spreadsheets, our ranking of the best AI chatbots covers the broader landscape.

Detailed Reviews: 10 Best AI Tools for Excel in 2026

1. Microsoft Copilot for Excel

Microsoft Copilot is built directly into Excel — nothing to install if you’re already on Microsoft 365. The free Copilot Chat tier handles basic questions and formula help, while the full $30/user/month license unlocks Agent Mode, which rolled out on desktop and Mac in January 2026.

Agent Mode is the headline act. Ask it to “build an executive summary dashboard from this sales data” and it creates pivot tables, charts, and formatted summaries without you touching a cell. It also works with locally stored files now, removing the old OneDrive requirement.

The downside? That $30/month add-on sits on top of your Microsoft 365 subscription, and suite prices climb to $39–$60/user/month starting July 2026. For enterprises in the Microsoft stack, it’s a no-brainer. For freelancers, it adds up fast.

Pros: Native Excel integration, Agent Mode for dashboard creation, works with local files, inherits your security and permissions.
Cons: Expensive at $30/month on top of Microsoft 365, best features require a full Copilot license, price increases coming mid-2026.

2. ChatGPT (with Code Interpreter)

ChatGPT’s Code Interpreter — officially called Advanced Data Analysis — remains one of the most powerful ways to analyze Excel data. Drag and drop an .xlsx or .csv file into the chat, describe what you want, and ChatGPT writes and runs Python code behind the scenes using Pandas and Matplotlib.

It excels at exploratory analysis: finding trends, generating statistical summaries, creating visualizations, and cleaning messy data. Click “View Analysis” to see the exact Python code, which is great for learning or verification. The free tier uses GPT-4o mini, while the $20/month Plus plan unlocks GPT-4o and unlimited file uploads.

The catch: ChatGPT doesn’t work inside Excel. You upload files to a separate interface, which breaks the workflow for people who live in their spreadsheets. It also can’t run VBA macros or modify your Excel file in place.

Pros: Excellent data analysis and visualization, transparent Python code, handles large datasets, generous free tier.
Cons: Runs outside Excel, static chart exports, no VBA or macro support, requires re-uploading files for each session.

For a head-to-head look at how ChatGPT stacks up against other leading AI assistants, see our ChatGPT vs. Claude vs. Gemini comparison.

3. Claude (for Formula Writing)

Anthropic’s Claude has carved out a strong niche for spreadsheet formula writing, and the Claude in Excel add-in — which rolled out to all Pro subscribers in January 2026 — makes it genuinely useful inside your workbook. What sets Claude apart is workbook comprehension: it understands nested formulas, multi-tab dependencies, and cell relationships, then provides explanations with cell-level citations.

For financial modeling, Claude is particularly impressive. It can build multi-tab models with sensitivity analyses in minutes, and its MCP connectors let it pull data from external sources like S&P Global and FactSet without leaving Excel. It also supports pivot table editing, chart adjustments, conditional formatting, and data validation natively.

The Pro plan costs $20/month. Free accounts don’t get access to the Excel add-in, and the tool currently doesn’t support macros, VBA, Power Query, or Power Pivot. If your workflow depends heavily on those features, you’ll need to look elsewhere for that specific functionality.

Pros: Deep formula understanding with debugging, financial modeling capabilities, MCP connectors for external data, transparent change tracking.
Cons: No VBA or macro support, requires Pro plan ($20/month) for Excel add-in, file size limits apply.

4. Google Sheets AI (Gemini)

If your team runs on Google Workspace, Gemini in Sheets is now baked into every plan — no separate add-on needed (though prices went up $2–$4/user/month to reflect that). Starting at $7/user/month on the Business Starter plan, you get basic AI assistance. The $14/user/month Standard plan unlocks the full Gemini experience across Sheets, Docs, and Meet.

The standout feature is the =AI() function, which lets you run AI operations directly from any cell — summarize text, categorize data, or generate content at scale without leaving the spreadsheet. Smart Fill has also gotten smarter, automatically detecting patterns and filling in text-based fields. For chart creation, you describe what you want in plain English and Gemini builds it.

The obvious limitation is that this only works in Google Sheets, not Excel. If you need to collaborate with people who use .xlsx files, you’ll be dealing with constant format conversions.

Pros: Bundled into Google Workspace (no extra cost), in-cell AI function, solid formula generation, enterprise-grade security.
Cons: Google Sheets only — no Excel support, recent price increases, advanced features need the Standard plan or higher.

5. SheetAI

SheetAI is a Google Sheets add-on that packs a surprising amount of functionality into an $8/month subscription. It gives you a library of custom functions — SHEETAI(), SHEETAI_LIST(), SHEETAI_TABLE(), SHEETAI_EXTRACT(), SHEETAI_TRANSLATE(), and more — that handle everything from content generation to sentiment analysis to image creation directly in your cells.

The free tier is limited to 5 formula generations and 50 function calls, which is enough to test whether it fits your workflow. Power users will want the unlimited plan. One nice touch: SheetAI supports multiple AI models including GPT-4, Claude, and Gemini, so you can pick the engine that works best for each task.

It does require an OpenAI API key to function, and it’s limited to Google Sheets with no Excel support. Desktop or laptop only — no mobile.

Pros: Affordable at $8/month, multiple AI model support, rich library of custom functions, 90+ language support.
Cons: Google Sheets only, requires an OpenAI API key, no mobile support, free tier is very limited.

6. Numerous.ai

Numerous.ai is one of the few tools on this list that works with both Excel and Google Sheets out of the box, with zero setup required — no API keys, no complex configuration. It embeds conversational AI directly into your spreadsheet, letting you query data, generate formulas, classify text, and automate repetitive tasks using natural language.

The tool shines for marketing teams and content creators who need to process text at scale: generating ad copy, categorizing feedback, extracting keywords, and building campaign structures directly in their spreadsheets. Its caching system avoids re-processing identical prompts, which keeps costs down for repetitive workflows.

Pricing starts with a $1 seven-day trial, then roughly $8/month for the Personal plan (1 million characters). There’s no permanent free plan, and the character-based limits can run out quickly if you’re processing large datasets.

Pros: Works with both Excel and Google Sheets, no API key needed, smart caching for cost savings, easy setup.
Cons: No permanent free plan, character-based limits can run out fast, no chart or dashboard generation.

7. Formulabot

Formulabot does exactly what the name suggests — and does it well. Trusted by over a million users, it converts plain English descriptions into Excel formulas, Google Sheets formulas, VBA scripts, and even SQL queries. If you’ve ever spent 20 minutes trying to nest IF statements or debug a VLOOKUP that returns #REF!, this tool pays for itself immediately.

Beyond formulas, it also handles data analysis through a conversational interface, creates charts, and can convert PDFs to Excel — a surprisingly useful feature for anyone who regularly receives data in PDF format. The free plan covers basic formula generation and limited file uploads, while the $15/month Unlimited plan removes all restrictions.

The main limitation is that Formulabot assumes your data is already in the spreadsheet. It doesn’t help with data ingestion or integration from external sources.

Pros: Excellent formula generation with VBA and SQL support, PDF to Excel conversion, generous free tier, million-plus user base.
Cons: No data ingestion capabilities, limited to formula and analysis tasks, more expensive than some alternatives at $15/month.

Formulabot is one of several free-tier tools worth considering — you can find more in our roundup of the best free AI tools in 2026.

8. Ajelix

Ajelix positions itself as more than a formula generator — it’s a full AI toolkit for spreadsheet professionals. The standout feature is its AI-powered BI dashboard builder, which turns your spreadsheet data into interactive visualizations without requiring a separate business intelligence tool. It also generates VBA scripts, cleans data, detects errors, and translates entire spreadsheets into 28+ languages. We also cover this topic in our guide to AI tools for business.

At $5.95/month for the Personal plan, it’s the most affordable paid option on this list. The free tier gives you 3 messages per day and 5 AI tool requests, which is enough to evaluate whether it fits your workflow. The Excel add-in provides a chat-based assistant right in the sidebar, while the web tools offer templates and additional generators.

The downside is feature overload. With 20+ AI tools packed into one platform, new users often struggle to find the right feature for their task. Enterprise users may also find the BI dashboard customization options too limited for complex requirements.

Pros: Very affordable at $5.95/month, BI dashboard builder, VBA script generation, spreadsheet translation, works with both Excel and Sheets.
Cons: Overwhelming number of features, limited BI customization for enterprise needs, small free tier.

9. Rows.com

Rows.com takes a different approach: instead of adding AI to Excel, it replaces Excel with its own AI-native spreadsheet platform. AI isn’t bolted on — it’s woven into every part of the experience, from data ingestion to analysis to visualization.

The killer feature is 50+ built-in data integrations. Pull data from Google Analytics 4, Google Ads, social media platforms, and other tools directly into your spreadsheet without code. The AI analyst answers plain-English questions with charts, summaries, and predictions. There’s even an ASK_OPENAI formula for sending custom prompts to GPT models from within cells.

The free plan includes unlimited spreadsheets, up to 10,000 integration tasks, and limited AI prompts. The Plus plan starts at $8/user/month. The tradeoff: this isn’t Excel. If your organization requires .xlsx files, you’ll need to export, and some Excel features won’t translate.

Pros: 50+ native data integrations, AI built into the platform, generous free plan, strong for marketing and analytics teams.
Cons: Not Excel — it’s a separate platform, export limitations, Pro plan gets expensive with the $59–$79 base cost plus per-user fees.

10. Arcwise AI

Arcwise is a Chrome extension that adds an AI copilot to Google Sheets. It’s particularly strong for data analysis: you can ask questions about your data and get pivot tables, charts, and auto-generated insights without writing formulas. The custom AI functions — $AI.TRANSFORM, $AI.CLASSIFY, and $AI.EXTRACT — are handy for processing text data at scale. For more recommendations, see our list of AI for data analysis.

Two features set Arcwise apart from similar tools. First, its web scraping capability lets you extract data from websites (including LinkedIn contacts and Amazon product listings) directly into your spreadsheet. Second, it connects to data warehouses like Snowflake, BigQuery, and Databricks, bridging the gap between your sheets and your company’s data infrastructure.

The free tier covers basic features, while the Pro plan at $29.99/month unlocks everything. At that price point, it’s one of the pricier add-on options, and it only works with Google Sheets. Users also report sluggish performance on very large datasets.

Pros: Web scraping built in, data warehouse integration, strong analysis and visualization, custom AI functions.
Cons: Google Sheets only, expensive Pro tier at $29.99/month, slow on large datasets, 4.4-star rating suggests occasional reliability issues.

What Can AI Actually Do in Excel? Key Use Cases

Formula Generation

Instead of memorizing syntax for INDEX/MATCH, nested IFs, or array formulas, you describe what you want in plain English and AI writes it. Every tool on this list handles basic formula generation, but quality varies.

Claude stands out for complex, multi-step formulas because it understands your entire workbook context — including other tabs and cell relationships. Formulabot is the specialist, handling Excel formulas plus VBA scripts and SQL queries. Microsoft Copilot benefits from native integration, writing and inserting formulas directly into the right cell. If you’re exploring options, check out our guide to AI for SQL.

For debugging, Claude and Copilot are your best bets. Both identify error sources like #REF!, #VALUE!, and circular references, then suggest fixes that maintain spreadsheet integrity.

Data Analysis

ChatGPT’s Code Interpreter leads here — it runs actual Python code, handling statistical tests, regression analysis, and transformations that spreadsheet-native tools can’t match. For a deeper look, our guide to the best AI tools for data analysis covers this extensively.

Rows.com takes second place thanks to native data integrations — instead of downloading CSV exports, Rows pulls data in automatically and analyzes it with AI. Arcwise performs well if your data lives in Google Sheets and you need data warehouse connections.

For simpler analysis — summaries, trend identification, and basic statistics — Copilot and Gemini handle the job capably within their respective platforms.

Chart Creation and Visualization

Creating charts manually in Excel is tedious. AI tools speed this up dramatically.

Microsoft Copilot’s Agent Mode wins here. It creates and formats charts directly in your workbook — ask for “a bar chart comparing Q1 revenue by region” and you get a native Excel chart object, not a static image.

ChatGPT generates beautiful visualizations via Matplotlib, but they’re exported images. Ajelix takes a different approach with its BI dashboard builder, turning spreadsheet data into interactive visualizations. Gemini in Google Sheets creates native charts from natural language descriptions.

Automation and Repetitive Tasks

The real time savings come from automating tasks you do repeatedly. Cleaning data, categorizing text, formatting cells, generating reports — these are the tedious jobs that AI handles well.

Numerous.ai and SheetAI specialize in bulk text processing: classifying hundreds of customer reviews, generating ad copy variations, or extracting entities from unstructured text. Their in-cell functions let you drag a formula across thousands of rows, processing each one with AI.

Microsoft Copilot handles broader automation within Excel, including conditional formatting, data validation, sorting, and filtering. Claude in Excel tracks every change it makes and maintains formula dependencies when modifying values, which is critical for financial models where one wrong edit can cascade through the entire workbook.

Rows.com offers scheduled automation — you can set up workflows that pull fresh data from external sources and process it with AI on a daily or even minute-level basis on the Pro plan.

How to Choose the Right AI Tool for Your Spreadsheet Workflow

With ten tools to pick from, here’s a simple decision framework:

• You live in Excel and want native AI: Microsoft Copilot. No contest. The Agent Mode and local file support make it the most seamless experience.
• You need serious data analysis: ChatGPT with Code Interpreter. The Python execution environment handles things no spreadsheet tool can.
• You write complex formulas or build financial models: Claude. The workbook comprehension and debugging capabilities are unmatched.
• You’re a Google Workspace team: Gemini in Sheets. It’s already included in your plan.
• You need AI for bulk text processing in spreadsheets: Numerous.ai or SheetAI, depending on whether you use Excel (Numerous) or only Google Sheets (either).
• You want the cheapest paid option: Ajelix at $5.95/month.
• You need data integrations from external platforms: Rows.com with its 50+ connectors.
• You’re on a tight budget: Formulabot’s free tier covers basic formula generation, and Ajelix’s free tier gives you enough to get started. Also check our list of the best free AI tools for more options.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best free AI tool for Excel?

Microsoft Copilot Chat offers the best free AI experience directly inside Excel, as it’s included with any eligible Microsoft 365 subscription. For users without Microsoft 365, Formulabot provides a solid free tier for formula generation and basic data analysis, and ChatGPT’s free plan lets you upload Excel files for analysis using GPT-4o mini.

Can ChatGPT analyze Excel spreadsheets?

Yes. ChatGPT’s Advanced Data Analysis feature (formerly Code Interpreter) lets you upload .xlsx and .csv files directly into the chat. It uses Python libraries like Pandas to parse your data, perform statistical analysis, create charts, clean datasets, and generate insights. The feature is available on the free tier with GPT-4o mini and on ChatGPT Plus ($20/month) with the full GPT-4o model.

Is Microsoft Copilot for Excel worth the $30 per month?

It depends on your usage. For enterprise users and teams already on Microsoft 365, Copilot’s Agent Mode — which can build dashboards, generate executive summaries, and automate complex tasks from a single prompt — can save hours of manual work each week. For casual Excel users or freelancers, the free Copilot Chat tier may be sufficient, and third-party tools like Formulabot or Ajelix offer cheaper alternatives for formula generation.

Which AI tool is best for writing Excel formulas?

Claude is the top choice for complex formula writing because its Excel add-in understands your entire workbook, including multi-tab dependencies and nested formulas. It provides explanations with cell-level citations and can debug errors like #REF! and #VALUE!. For simpler formula needs, Formulabot is a strong free alternative that also supports VBA scripts and SQL queries.

Do AI Excel tools keep my data private and secure?

Most reputable AI Excel tools have clear data privacy policies. Microsoft Copilot inherits your organization’s existing Microsoft 365 security controls, permissions, and sensitivity labels. Google Gemini applies your Workspace data handling practices and doesn’t use your content to train AI models. Claude, Rows.com, and Ajelix all state that user data is not used for model training. However, you should always review each tool’s privacy policy before uploading sensitive financial or personal data, and avoid using free-tier tools for highly confidential information.

Final Verdict

The best AI for Excel in 2026 depends entirely on where you work and what you need. Microsoft Copilot is the safest bet for Excel-native users who want everything in one place. ChatGPT is unbeatable for deep data analysis. Claude wins on formula writing and financial modeling. And if you’re budget-conscious, Formulabot and Ajelix prove you don’t need to spend $30/month to get meaningful AI help with your spreadsheets.

The landscape is moving fast — Agent Mode in Excel barely existed six months ago, and Claude’s Excel add-in only reached general availability in January. If you haven’t tried AI in your spreadsheet workflow yet, start with the free tiers. Most of these tools let you test the waters without pulling out a credit card, and even basic formula generation will save you more time than you expect.

Looking beyond spreadsheets? Check out how these AI assistants compare across all tasks in our ChatGPT vs. Claude vs. Gemini breakdown, or explore Notion AI vs. ChatGPT if you also need help with documents and project management.