What is the best AI for Excel?

It depends on the plan you already have and the job. Copilot is built into Excel for Microsoft 365 users and keeps work-account data under Microsoft's protections. ChatGPT for Excel is available on all ChatGPT plans. Claude for Excel cites the cells behind its answers. For audit and planning, tools such as DataSnipper and Vena work inside Excel with their own controls.

Is there a free AI for Excel?

OpenAI lists ChatGPT for Excel for ChatGPT Free and Go users with limited use. Microsoft lists several routes to Copilot in Excel, including Personal and Family plans with AI credits. Claude for Excel requires a Pro, Max, Team or Enterprise plan.

Copilot vs ChatGPT in Excel: what's the difference?

Copilot is Microsoft's assistant, built into Excel and licensed through Microsoft 365, and work-account data stays under Microsoft 365 permissions. ChatGPT for Excel is an add-in tied to your ChatGPT plan; OpenAI says it asks for approval before changing a workbook. Their data terms differ by plan, so compare the plan your firm uses.

Does Claude for Excel work on a Mac?

Yes. Anthropic lists Excel on Mac version 16.46 or later, Excel on Windows with a Microsoft 365 subscription, and Excel on the web. It doesn't run on Excel for iPad or Android, or on Excel 2016 and 2019 perpetual licenses.

Can AI in Excel write macros or VBA?

Anthropic lists macros and VBA as unsupported in Claude for Excel, and OpenAI says VBA and macros may not be fully supported in ChatGPT for Excel. Treat any macro an assistant suggests as code to review and test before use.

Is it safe to use AI in Excel with client data?

That depends on the plan and your firm's obligations. Microsoft, OpenAI and Anthropic each publish different data terms, and they differ between personal and business plans. Check the plan's terms, your AI policy and client agreements, and review the AI's changes before relying on the workbook.

Best AI for Excel: Copilot, ChatGPT and Claude compared for accounting work

Three general-purpose AI assistants now work inside Excel: Microsoft's built-in Copilot, and add-ins from OpenAI and Anthropic. None is best for all work. They differ in which plans include them, what they can change in a workbook, and what each company says happens to your data. Everything below comes from Microsoft's, OpenAI's and Anthropic's own documentation, read on the date shown. For audit and planning work, the accounting tools that run in Excel are a separate choice.

Guide. Updated October 22, 2026. By AI Accounting Vendors. 6-minute read.

Key points

Copilot in Excel: Built into Excel and licensed through Microsoft 365. For work accounts, Microsoft says prompts, responses and data accessed through Microsoft Graph aren't used to train foundation models.
ChatGPT for Excel: An add-in for Excel and Google Sheets. OpenAI's help center lists it for all ChatGPT plans, with limited use on Free and Go, and says it asks for approval before changing a workbook.
Claude for Excel: An add-in for Excel on the web, Windows and Mac, for Claude Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise plans. Answers cite the cells they rely on; macros, VBA and data tables aren't supported.
How to choose: Start with the plan your firm already pays for and its data terms, then test each on a copy of a real workbook. Review AI edits before anything reaches a client.

Copilot vs ChatGPT vs Claude in Excel, side by side

General-purpose AI assistants in Excel, from each company's documentation (read October 22, 2026)
	Copilot in Excel	ChatGPT for Excel	Claude for Excel
Made by	Microsoft	OpenAI	Anthropic
How you get it	Built in, with a qualifying Microsoft 365 plan. Business list prices: $30 per user per month (enterprise) or $21 (Copilot Business add-on), paid yearly (details)	Add-in for Excel and Google Sheets. Listed for ChatGPT Free, Go, Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, Edu and K-12; Free and Go include limited use	Add-in from Microsoft's marketplace, signed in with a Claude account. Generally available on Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise
Excel versions	Excel for Windows, Mac, the web and mobile	Excel desktop or web (the help article doesn't mention Mac); also Google Sheets	Excel on the web, Windows (Microsoft 365) and Mac 16.46 or later; not iPad, Android or Excel 2016/2019
What it does in a workbook	Writes formulas, builds charts and PivotTables, sorts, filters and formats, summarizes data, and pulls data from other workbooks and the web with citations	Builds, updates and explains spreadsheets: budgets and trackers, data cleanup, model updates, scenarios and sensitivity tables, formula explanations, web search	Answers questions with cell-level citations, adjusts assumptions while keeping formulas intact, traces errors, builds or fills in models, sorts, filters, edits PivotTables
Before it changes your file	Plan mode proposes steps for you to confirm; edit mode changes the workbook directly	OpenAI says it asks for approval before changing a workbook, and edits can be undone	Asks you to confirm risky operations and warns before overwriting existing data
What the company says about your data	Work and school accounts: prompts, responses and Microsoft Graph data aren't used to train foundation models; Copilot shows only data the user can already see	Some data logs may be kept 30 days for safety and integrity; for Enterprise, OpenAI says data isn't used to train its models by default. The help article doesn't address training on other plans	Inputs and outputs deleted within 30 days, with exceptions in Anthropic's retention policy; chat history kept in your browser; doesn't follow an organization's custom retention settings
Not supported or not advised	The COPILOT worksheet function was retired on September 14, 2026	VBA and macros may not be fully supported	Data tables, macros and VBA. Anthropic advises against final client deliverables without human review

More on Copilot's modes, licensing routes and data terms is in Copilot in Excel. OpenAI's data terms by ChatGPT plan are in ChatGPT for accounting.

Which AI for Excel fits which situation

Your firm runs on Microsoft 365 business plans: Copilot keeps the work inside the Microsoft 365 controls you already manage, including permissions: Microsoft says Copilot shows only data a user already has access to. Check which Copilot license each user holds before you plan around it.
Your firm already pays for ChatGPT Business or Enterprise: ChatGPT for Excel is part of those plans. Admins can turn it on through workspace roles and deploy it through the Microsoft 365 admin center. OpenAI says Enterprise prompts and responses are available through its Compliance API.
Model-heavy finance work where you need to see the source cell: Claude for Excel cites the cells behind each answer and keeps formula links when it changes assumptions. Both add-ins name financial data connectors, such as S&P Global, LSEG and Daloopa.
Audit workpapers, close and planning on governed data: A general assistant works on whatever is in the workbook. The accounting tools below connect Excel to evidence, ledgers and planning models, with their own controls.

Before you use any of them on client data

AI in Excel: checks before client work

Confirm which plan each person is on, and read that plan's data terms (training, retention, where data is processed).
Check your firm's AI policy and any client engagement terms that limit where client data can go.
Work on a copy of the workbook until you trust the tool on that kind of file.
Treat workbooks from outside the firm with care: Anthropic warns that files from external sources can carry hidden instructions that steer an AI add-in.
Review each formula, value and link the AI changed before the workbook is used, and note who reviewed it.
Don't rely on an assistant for macros or VBA, which the add-ins say they don't fully support.

For a written policy to adapt, see the AI acceptable use policy template.

Accounting, audit and FP&A tools that work in Excel

These directory tools document Excel as part of how they work. Their SOC 2 status, data-use terms and review defaults below come from each listing's sources.

Excel-based accounting tools in the directory
Tool	SOC 2	Trains on customer data	Review	Starting price
DataSnipperAudit	Type II	No	Human review	Not published
VenaFP&A	Type II	Unconfirmed	Unconfirmed	Not published
DatarailsFP&A	Type II	No	Human review	Not published
CubeFP&A	Type II	Unconfirmed	Configurable	Not published
DrivetrainFP&A	Type II	No	Human review	Not published
ValidisAudit	Type II	No	Unconfirmed	Not published

What each one does in Excel is described in Copilot in Excel. More planning tools are in AI FP&A software and audit tools in AI audit software.

Best AI for Excel: questions

What is the best AI for Excel?: It depends on the plan you already have and the job. Copilot is built into Excel for Microsoft 365 users and keeps work-account data under Microsoft's protections. ChatGPT for Excel is available on all ChatGPT plans. Claude for Excel cites the cells behind its answers. For audit and planning, tools such as DataSnipper and Vena work inside Excel with their own controls.
Is there a free AI for Excel?: OpenAI lists ChatGPT for Excel for ChatGPT Free and Go users with limited use. Microsoft lists several routes to Copilot in Excel, including Personal and Family plans with AI credits. Claude for Excel requires a Pro, Max, Team or Enterprise plan.
Copilot vs ChatGPT in Excel: what's the difference?: Copilot is Microsoft's assistant, built into Excel and licensed through Microsoft 365, and work-account data stays under Microsoft 365 permissions. ChatGPT for Excel is an add-in tied to your ChatGPT plan; OpenAI says it asks for approval before changing a workbook. Their data terms differ by plan, so compare the plan your firm uses.
Does Claude for Excel work on a Mac?: Yes. Anthropic lists Excel on Mac version 16.46 or later, Excel on Windows with a Microsoft 365 subscription, and Excel on the web. It doesn't run on Excel for iPad or Android, or on Excel 2016 and 2019 perpetual licenses.
Can AI in Excel write macros or VBA?: Anthropic lists macros and VBA as unsupported in Claude for Excel, and OpenAI says VBA and macros may not be fully supported in ChatGPT for Excel. Treat any macro an assistant suggests as code to review and test before use.
Is it safe to use AI in Excel with client data?: That depends on the plan and your firm's obligations. Microsoft, OpenAI and Anthropic each publish different data terms, and they differ between personal and business plans. Check the plan's terms, your AI policy and client agreements, and review the AI's changes before relying on the workbook.

Sources

Official documents read on October 22, 2026. Vendor facts are sourced on each listing.