AI for Excel, explained — and made useful.
What AI can really do with your spreadsheets in 2026: write formulas, clean data, build dashboards, forecast, and generate reports. This is the honest, visual map — the tools, the tasks, and the worked tutorials.
What AI can actually do in Excel
Six things that genuinely save time in 2026 — each links to a worked, no-signup tutorial.
Write & explain formulas
Describe what you want in plain English; get the formula and an explanation you can check.
Clean messy data
De-duplicate, fix types, split columns and standardise text without fragile macros.
Build dashboards
Turn a file into KPI cards and charts — no PivotTable wrangling, no BI setup.
Forecast the future
Auto-tuned Holt-Winters and FORECAST.ETS for trends and seasonality.
Segment customers
RFM and cohort analysis to see who's loyal, who's churning, and who to win back.
Generate reports
One-click Word/PowerPoint reports — exec summary, charts, recommendations.
The three kinds of "AI for Excel"
They're not the same — pick by the job you actually need done.
Cell-level help
- Generate & explain formulas
- Great for quick fixes
- Cheap, often free
- Don't analyse the whole file
Whole-file analysis
- Dashboards, forecasts, reports
- Auditable — shows its working
- Keep your Excel workflow
- From $14.99/mo · free tier
Big, governed platforms
- Powerful and scalable
- Needs a data model + engineer
- £600+/seat territory
- Overkill for a spreadsheet
Explore the guides
Honest rankings and step-by-step tutorials. Start anywhere.
Compare BI & analytics tools
Honest, auditable comparisons by platform and by industry — pick the right tool for the job.
Best data analytics software · Best reporting software · Best dashboard software · Best affordable BI software · Most user-friendly BI software · Best self-service BI tools · Best embedded analytics tools · Power BI vs Tableau · Power BI vs Looker · Tableau vs Looker · BI for small business · BI for startups · BI for finance teams · BI for SaaS · BI for marketing · BI for ecommerce · BI for operations · BI for retail · BI for logistics · BI for manufacturing · BI for real estate · BI for education · BI for hospitality · Power BI alternative for Mac · Geckoboard alternative · Klipfolio alternative · Databox alternative · Tableau alternative · Power BI alternative · Looker Studio alternative
See it on your own spreadsheet
Upload an Excel or CSV file and get an auditable dashboard, forecast, and report in about two minutes. Free to try.
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