Compare · checked 2 Nov 2026
AI in spreadsheets compared
The AI built into or added to spreadsheets: what each can do, whether it edits your sheet or suggests changes, who can use it and what it costs.
Facts come from each company's own pages, with the date we checked. We don't rank them, and we don't claim to have tested them. Check any formula or figure an AI writes before you rely on it.
Side by side
| AnthropicClaude for Excel | GoogleGemini in Google Sheets | MicrosoftCopilot in Excel | OpenAIChatGPT for Excel and Google Sheets | ZohoZia in Zoho Sheet | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Status | Generally available to Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise plans. source ↗ | Live in eligible plans; the build-and-edit upgrade rolled out from 22 April 2026 (Rapid Release) and 6 May 2026 (Scheduled Release). source ↗ | Generally available; Agent Mode reached general availability on Excel for the web in December 2025 and on Windows and Mac in January 2026. source ↗ | Generally available across all plans since 5 May 2026. source ↗ | Not stated |
| Who can use it | Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise plans, not Free. Admins can also deploy it via Amazon Bedrock, Vertex AI, Azure AI Foundry or a gateway. source ↗ | Workspace Business and Enterprise Standard or Plus, AI Expanded or Ultra Access add-ons, Google AI Pro for Education; personal Google AI Pro and Ultra. source ↗ | Microsoft 365 Personal or Family with AI credits, Microsoft 365 Premium, a commercial Copilot subscription, or a Copilot Chat-eligible business or enterprise plan. source ↗ | Free, Go, Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, Edu and K-12, worldwide. Workspace admins may need to enable it. source ↗ | Not stated |
| Price | Included in paid Claude plans (Pro from US$20 a month billed monthly) and counts against the plan's usage limits; not on Free. source ↗ | Included in Workspace Business Standard and Plus, not Business Starter; no separate charge listed. source ↗ | Included in those plans; the paid Microsoft 365 Copilot add-on gives priority access, other eligible plans get standard access. source ↗ | Included. Free and Go get limited use; Plus and Pro use the plan's agentic usage limit; Business and Enterprise use credits after 2 June 2026. source ↗ | Zoho Sheet is offered free for team collaboration; the vendor does not say whether Zia features are included. source ↗ |
| Works in | Excel on the web, Windows (Microsoft 365) and Mac. Not Excel on iPad or Android, or Excel 2016/2019 perpetual licences. source ↗ | Google Sheets on the web. Android (since September 2026) for analysis, insights and charts only; edits, formatting and formulas need the web. source ↗ | Edit, plan and chat on Excel for Windows, Mac and web; chat and plan on iPad; chat only on iPhone and Android (edit rolling out). source ↗ | Excel desktop and web (Microsoft Marketplace add-in) and Google Sheets (Workspace Marketplace). Codex control from the ChatGPT desktop app works with Excel only. source ↗ | Zoho Sheet on the web and apps for Windows, macOS, Android, iOS and Chromebook. source ↗ |
| What it can do | Answers with cell citations, changes inputs keeping formulas intact, debugs errors, builds models, edits pivot tables, sorts, filters; connectors (S&P Global, LSEG, Daloopa). source ↗ | Creates tables, formulas, charts and pivot tables; analyses and summarises data; formats, sorts, filters; reads Drive, Gmail and BigQuery (read-only); imports via connectors; multi-step tasks. source ↗ | Edits sheets and cells, writes formulas, builds charts, PivotTables and dashboards, finds insights, sorts, filters, searches the web with citations, imports workbooks, runs skills. source ↗ | Builds trackers and models, fixes formulas, cleans data, runs scenarios and sensitivity tables, summarises tabs, searches the web, uses connected apps and Skills. source ↗ | Plain-language questions, formulas and summaries, chart suggestions (35+ types), pivot tables, duplicate and missing-value detection, image-to-table entry, pattern fill, translation into 74 languages. source ↗ |
| How it changes your sheet | Edits the workbook directly; warns before overwriting existing data and asks you to confirm risky operations. No undo feature described. source ↗ | Suggests first: you click Insert for tables and formulas, or Apply on an action preview card. Undo works until you make further changes. source ↗ | Edit mode (default) changes the workbook directly as you watch; plan mode asks you to confirm first. Stop button; undo or prior versions to revert. source ↗ | Asks permission before changing a workbook, so you can review each step and undo edits. source ↗ | Not stated |
| Models | A curated subset of Claude models, limited by your organisation's model access settings (or by the third-party platform used). source ↗ | Not stated | Anthropic Claude and OpenAI GPT models, or Auto. Switcher needs commercial Copilot or Microsoft 365 Premium; enterprise admins must enable Anthropic. source ↗ | GPT-5.4 at beta launch; GPT-5.5 since general availability. source ↗ | Formula, table and VBA generation is described as powered by ChatGPT; no model version named. source ↗ |
| Your data and training | Pro and Max: used for training only if you opt in to model improvement. Team and Enterprise (commercial): not used for training by default. source ↗ | Workspace data is not used to train generative AI models without permission; for Google AI plan users, Gemini does not train on your content. source ↗ | Work accounts: prompts, responses and Graph data not used to train foundation models. Home accounts: prompts, responses and file contents also not used. source ↗ | Free, Plus and Pro content may train models unless you opt out; Business, Enterprise and Edu not by default. Some logs kept 30 days. source ↗ | Not stated |
| Limits | No data tables, macros or VBA. Not recommended for audit-critical or regulated data without controls. Ignores custom organisational retention settings. source ↗ | April 2026 build-and-edit upgrade launched in the US, in English only; per-user usage limits apply after 15 July 2026. source ↗ | Editing needs calculation set to Automatic; Strict Open XML files unsupported; desktop fails on checked-out SharePoint files; Anthropic models outside EU Data Boundary. source ↗ | VBA and macros may not be fully supported; chats are separate from ChatGPT history and memory; larger workbooks use more of the usage limit. source ↗ | Questions to Zia are described in plain English; no file-size or row limits stated. source ↗ |
| Launched | Research-preview beta announced 27 October 2025; beta opened to all Max, Team and Enterprise users on 24 November 2025. source ↗ | Build-and-edit-whole-spreadsheets upgrade announced 22 April 2026; original side panel launch date not stated on the pages checked. source ↗ | Agent Mode generally available on desktop 27 January 2026, after Excel for the web in December 2025. source ↗ | Excel beta 5 March 2026; Google Sheets beta 22 April 2026; general availability 5 May 2026. source ↗ | ChatGPT-powered features added October 2023; chart and pivot summaries June 2024; Zoho MCP access for AI assistants May 2026. source ↗ |
Scroll sideways on small screens. Every fact links to the company page that states it.
Each one in detail
Claude for Excel
An Excel add-in that reads, explains, edits and builds workbooks through a Claude chat sidebar, with cell-level citations and connectors to financial data providers.
- Status
- Generally available to Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise plans. source ↗
- Who can use it
- Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise plans, not Free. Admins can also deploy it via Amazon Bedrock, Vertex AI, Azure AI Foundry or a gateway. source ↗
- Price
- Included in paid Claude plans (Pro from US$20 a month billed monthly) and counts against the plan's usage limits; not on Free. source ↗
- Works in
- Excel on the web, Windows (Microsoft 365) and Mac. Not Excel on iPad or Android, or Excel 2016/2019 perpetual licences. source ↗
- What it can do
- Answers with cell citations, changes inputs keeping formulas intact, debugs errors, builds models, edits pivot tables, sorts, filters; connectors (S&P Global, LSEG, Daloopa). source ↗
- How it changes your sheet
- Edits the workbook directly; warns before overwriting existing data and asks you to confirm risky operations. No undo feature described. source ↗
- Models
- A curated subset of Claude models, limited by your organisation's model access settings (or by the third-party platform used). source ↗
- Your data and training
- Pro and Max: used for training only if you opt in to model improvement. Team and Enterprise (commercial): not used for training by default. source ↗
- Limits
- No data tables, macros or VBA. Not recommended for audit-critical or regulated data without controls. Ignores custom organisational retention settings. source ↗
- Launched
- Research-preview beta announced 27 October 2025; beta opened to all Max, Team and Enterprise users on 24 November 2025. source ↗
Gemini in Google Sheets
Gemini in a Google Sheets side panel that creates tables, formulas, charts and pivot tables, analyses data and makes multi-step edits you approve before they apply.
- Status
- Live in eligible plans; the build-and-edit upgrade rolled out from 22 April 2026 (Rapid Release) and 6 May 2026 (Scheduled Release). source ↗
- Who can use it
- Workspace Business and Enterprise Standard or Plus, AI Expanded or Ultra Access add-ons, Google AI Pro for Education; personal Google AI Pro and Ultra. source ↗
- Price
- Included in Workspace Business Standard and Plus, not Business Starter; no separate charge listed. source ↗
- Works in
- Google Sheets on the web. Android (since September 2026) for analysis, insights and charts only; edits, formatting and formulas need the web. source ↗
- What it can do
- Creates tables, formulas, charts and pivot tables; analyses and summarises data; formats, sorts, filters; reads Drive, Gmail and BigQuery (read-only); imports via connectors; multi-step tasks. source ↗
- How it changes your sheet
- Suggests first: you click Insert for tables and formulas, or Apply on an action preview card. Undo works until you make further changes. source ↗
- Models
- Not stated
- Your data and training
- Workspace data is not used to train generative AI models without permission; for Google AI plan users, Gemini does not train on your content. source ↗
- Limits
- April 2026 build-and-edit upgrade launched in the US, in English only; per-user usage limits apply after 15 July 2026. source ↗
- Launched
- Build-and-edit-whole-spreadsheets upgrade announced 22 April 2026; original side panel launch date not stated on the pages checked. source ↗
Copilot in Excel
Copilot built into Excel with edit, plan and chat modes; in edit mode it plans, changes and checks the workbook directly using tables, charts, PivotTables and formulas.
- Status
- Generally available; Agent Mode reached general availability on Excel for the web in December 2025 and on Windows and Mac in January 2026. source ↗
- Who can use it
- Microsoft 365 Personal or Family with AI credits, Microsoft 365 Premium, a commercial Copilot subscription, or a Copilot Chat-eligible business or enterprise plan. source ↗
- Price
- Included in those plans; the paid Microsoft 365 Copilot add-on gives priority access, other eligible plans get standard access. source ↗
- Works in
- Edit, plan and chat on Excel for Windows, Mac and web; chat and plan on iPad; chat only on iPhone and Android (edit rolling out). source ↗
- What it can do
- Edits sheets and cells, writes formulas, builds charts, PivotTables and dashboards, finds insights, sorts, filters, searches the web with citations, imports workbooks, runs skills. source ↗
- How it changes your sheet
- Edit mode (default) changes the workbook directly as you watch; plan mode asks you to confirm first. Stop button; undo or prior versions to revert. source ↗
- Models
- Anthropic Claude and OpenAI GPT models, or Auto. Switcher needs commercial Copilot or Microsoft 365 Premium; enterprise admins must enable Anthropic. source ↗
- Your data and training
- Work accounts: prompts, responses and Graph data not used to train foundation models. Home accounts: prompts, responses and file contents also not used. source ↗
- Limits
- Editing needs calculation set to Automatic; Strict Open XML files unsupported; desktop fails on checked-out SharePoint files; Anthropic models outside EU Data Boundary. source ↗
- Launched
- Agent Mode generally available on desktop 27 January 2026, after Excel for the web in December 2025. source ↗
ChatGPT for Excel and Google Sheets
A ChatGPT sidebar add-in for Excel and Google Sheets that builds, updates and explains spreadsheets, including multi-tab models, and can also be driven by Codex in the ChatGPT desktop app.
- Status
- Generally available across all plans since 5 May 2026. source ↗
- Who can use it
- Free, Go, Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, Edu and K-12, worldwide. Workspace admins may need to enable it. source ↗
- Price
- Included. Free and Go get limited use; Plus and Pro use the plan's agentic usage limit; Business and Enterprise use credits after 2 June 2026. source ↗
- Works in
- Excel desktop and web (Microsoft Marketplace add-in) and Google Sheets (Workspace Marketplace). Codex control from the ChatGPT desktop app works with Excel only. source ↗
- What it can do
- Builds trackers and models, fixes formulas, cleans data, runs scenarios and sensitivity tables, summarises tabs, searches the web, uses connected apps and Skills. source ↗
- How it changes your sheet
- Asks permission before changing a workbook, so you can review each step and undo edits. source ↗
- Models
- GPT-5.4 at beta launch; GPT-5.5 since general availability. source ↗
- Your data and training
- Free, Plus and Pro content may train models unless you opt out; Business, Enterprise and Edu not by default. Some logs kept 30 days. source ↗
- Limits
- VBA and macros may not be fully supported; chats are separate from ChatGPT history and memory; larger workbooks use more of the usage limit. source ↗
- Launched
- Excel beta 5 March 2026; Google Sheets beta 22 April 2026; general availability 5 May 2026. source ↗
Zia in Zoho Sheet
Zoho Sheet's built-in assistant Zia answers questions about data, suggests charts and pivot tables, cleans data and, through a ChatGPT integration, writes formulas, tables and VBA code.
- Status
- Not stated
- Who can use it
- Not stated
- Price
- Zoho Sheet is offered free for team collaboration; the vendor does not say whether Zia features are included. source ↗
- Works in
- Zoho Sheet on the web and apps for Windows, macOS, Android, iOS and Chromebook. source ↗
- What it can do
- Plain-language questions, formulas and summaries, chart suggestions (35+ types), pivot tables, duplicate and missing-value detection, image-to-table entry, pattern fill, translation into 74 languages. source ↗
- How it changes your sheet
- Not stated
- Models
- Formula, table and VBA generation is described as powered by ChatGPT; no model version named. source ↗
- Your data and training
- Not stated
- Limits
- Questions to Zia are described in plain English; no file-size or row limits stated. source ↗
- Launched
- ChatGPT-powered features added October 2023; chart and pivot summaries June 2024; Zoho MCP access for AI assistants May 2026. source ↗
How we compare
Editorial standards →- The companies' own wordsEach fact comes from the company's product, pricing, help or release-notes pages, checked on 2 Nov 2026. What a company doesn't state, we mark as not stated.
- Same rows for everyoneProducts are in alphabetical order by company, with the same questions answered for each. Nobody pays to be listed.
- Facts, not a verdictThis page says what each product is and does. Whether it helps your work is a question for evidence and for your own pilot.
Products change fast: check the release notes before you decide. Want to learn first? Free courses. Disclosure: AI Adoption uses AI tools in its research and editorial work, including Claude from Anthropic, which makes one of the products compared here. No company has any say in this page.