5 best AI tools for Excel in 2026

Microsoft, Anthropic, and Google each ship an AI tool for spreadsheets, and they do not work the same way. Some run inside Excel, and some want the file moved somewhere else. Some change cells directly, and some ask first.

What to look for in an AI tool for Excel

• Does it edit the workbook or only answer questions?
• How do you check its work? A wrong number in a model is expensive. Look for citations to cells, warnings before overwriting, or a review step.
• Does the file stay an .xlsx? Converting to another format and back loses things.
• Which model does it run? If you already pay for one, a tool that uses that plan costs nothing extra.
• What does it not support? Macros, pivot tables, and data tables are the usual gaps.

The 5 best AI tools for Excel

1. Mimzie
2. Microsoft Copilot in Excel
3. Claude for Excel
4. Gemini in Google Sheets
5. Shortcut

1. Mimzie

• Best for: Spreadsheets that feed a report or a deck
• Pricing: Free
• What we like: The agent builds the sheet, then uses it in the document and the slides

Mimzie is a desktop app for macOS, Windows, and Linux. It opens .xlsx files in its own spreadsheet editor, and it runs Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, and Grok on your computer with your own plan.

Its strength is the work around the spreadsheet. A Mimzie project is a folder, so one request can pull figures from a PDF, build the workbook with live formulas, and update the numbers in the Word report that cites them. By default, you review the agent's changes before they are kept.

Pros and cons of Mimzie

What we like:

• You choose the agent and the model for each chat.
• Formulas stay live, across sheets.
• Files stay .xlsx and open in Excel.
• No Excel licence needed.

What could be better:

• It is in beta.
• Workbooks with Excel tables, pivot tables, named ranges, conditional formatting, or data validation open as preview only for now.
• Newer functions such as XLOOKUP and LET are not supported yet.
• It draws bar, column, line, and pie charts. Other chart types are kept in the file and not shown.
• No macros.

Mimzie pricing

Free. You bring the Claude, ChatGPT, Google, or Grok plan you already have.

2. Microsoft Copilot in Excel

• Best for: People who work in Excel all day on a Microsoft 365 plan
• Pricing: From $9.99 a month with Microsoft 365 Personal. $30 per user a month for work accounts
• What we like: It is in Excel already

Copilot edits the open workbook from a prompt. Microsoft's FAQ says it "supports Claude models from Anthropic and GPT models from OpenAI for editing your workbooks."

It changes the workbook directly. Microsoft's advice is to "review, edit, and verify anything Copilot creates before you rely on it", and to undo or open a prior version if you need to revert.

Pros and cons of Copilot in Excel

What we like:

• Nothing to install.
• You can fix its work with Excel's own tools.
• Edit mode works on Windows, Mac, and the web.

What could be better:

• Switching models needs Microsoft 365 Premium or a commercial Copilot subscription.
• "Copilot editing is only supported when Calculation Options are set to Automatic."
• On iPad you get chat and plans only, and on phones chat only.
• Files on a SharePoint site that requires check-out do not work on Windows or Mac.

Copilot in Excel pricing

Microsoft 365 Personal is $9.99 a month, Family $12.99, and Premium $19.99. Microsoft 365 Copilot for work is $30 per user a month, paid yearly. Source: Copilot pricing and the Copilot in Excel FAQ.

3. Claude for Excel

• Best for: Financial models you need to understand before you change
• Pricing: Included with Claude Pro ($20 a month) and higher plans
• What we like: Answers cite the cells they came from

Claude for Excel is Anthropic's add-in. It answers questions about a workbook with cell citations, changes values while keeping formulas intact, finds the cause of errors, and builds models. Anthropic's docs say it can "sort, filter, edit pivot tables, apply conditional formatting, and create data validation dropdowns."

Anthropic's docs say "Claude warns you before overwriting existing data to avoid accidental data loss."

Pros and cons of Claude for Excel

What we like:

• Cell citations make answers checkable.
• It edits pivot tables and conditional formatting.
• Runs in Excel on the web, Windows, and Mac.

What could be better:

• No macros, VBA, or data tables.
• No iPad or Android, and no Excel 2016 or 2019.

Claude for Excel pricing

Included with Claude Pro, Max, Team, and Enterprise. Source: Claude for Excel docs.

4. Gemini in Google Sheets

• Best for: Teams whose spreadsheets already live in Google Sheets
• Pricing: Included in Google Workspace Standard ($14 per user a month) and Google AI Pro ($19.99 a month)
• What we like: Shared editing, with AI in the side panel

Gemini in Sheets creates tables, formulas, and charts, and edits from a prompt, with conditional formatting, pivot tables, sorting, and filtering.

It is a weaker choice for Excel files. Google's help page says Gemini "works best with native Google Sheets files." To use it on an .xlsx, you choose File, then Save as Google Sheets.

Pros and cons of Gemini in Sheets

What we like:

• Nothing to install.
• Several people can work in the sheet at once.

What could be better:

• Excel files need converting first.
• It runs Google's models only.

Gemini in Sheets pricing

Workspace Standard is $14 per user a month, and Google AI Pro is $19.99 a month. Source: Google Workspace pricing and Google AI plans.

5. Shortcut

• Best for: Finance teams building models
• Pricing: Free with 20 credits a week. Pro is $100 a month, billed yearly
• What we like: Built for finance, and it runs as an Excel add-in, a web app, or a command-line tool

Shortcut is an AI agent for finance work. It runs as an Excel add-in, a Windows desktop app, a web app, and a command-line tool. The web app takes .xlsx and CSV uploads and gives results back as .xlsx.

Pros and cons of Shortcut

What we like:

• It runs as an Excel add-in, a web app, a Windows app, or a command-line tool.
• It can run on your own servers.

What could be better:

• Pro costs $100 a month.
• The web app does not run VBA or macros.
• Usage is metered in credits.

Shortcut pricing

• Free: $0, with 20 credits a week
• Pro: $100 a month, billed yearly
• Teams: $320 a month, plus $100 per seat a month

Source: Shortcut pricing.

Which AI tool for Excel should you choose?

• The spreadsheet is part of a larger piece of work, and you want to choose the model. Choose Mimzie.
• You live in Excel and your company pays for Microsoft 365. Choose Copilot.
• You need to understand and audit a model. Choose Claude for Excel.
• Your sheets are in Google Sheets. Choose Gemini.
• You want an agent built for finance work. Choose Shortcut.