Financial modeling and scenario planning · November 2026 Edition
Microsoft Excel vs Cube
Zero of fourteen models named Microsoft Excel first on the direct prompt; one named Cube. Microsoft Excel was named by thirteen of the fourteen models and Cube by eleven and Microsoft Excel carries 19 labels and Cube 26, so the shares are not directly comparable.
Named in thirteen categories this edition.
Named in nine categories this edition.
First-choice share19%5%Of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts, 0 to 100.
Negative rate16%0%Negative labels as a share of the product's labels, 0 to 100.
Rank in category#1#7A position in a field of 11; printed, not drawn.
Labels1926A count; the two differ.
The two percentage rows are drawn on one 0 to 100 track, Microsoft Excel reading right to left. Rank and label count are printed, not drawn.Datarails was named alongside these two in eleven of the fourteen direct answers. Microsoft Excel vs Datarails · Microsoft Excel vs Google Sheets · Microsoft Excel vs Pigment
Share is the count of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts over all fourteen models, for a mid-market B2B company; rank is within the category; every quote names the model and the prompt it came from. Both figures come from the financial modeling and scenario planning page.
By framing
How many of the fourteen models made each the first choice, per way of asking, and how many argued against it.
Microsoft ExcelFirst choices, of fourteen modelsCube
Direct011 against Microsoft Excel
Paraphrase021 against Microsoft Excel
Comparative00
Budget-constrained110
Scale-constrained00
Negative001 against Microsoft Excel
Bars are first choices, 0 to 14 each sideModels that argued againstA model can name both, so the two sides of a row do not sum to fourteen.
Every model, every framing
The eighty-four answers behind the chart above, one cell each: where Microsoft Excel and Cube stood in it.
| Model | Direct | Paraphrase | Comparative | Budget-constrained | Scale-constrained | Negative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Haiku 4.5 | | | | |||
| GPT-5.4 mini | | | ||||
| Gemini 3.5 Flash | | | | | ||
| Perplexity Sonar | | | ||||
| Grok 4.20 | | | | |||
| Mistral Small | | | | |||
| DeepSeek V4 Flash | | | ||||
| Llama 4 Maverick | ||||||
| Qwen 3.7 Flash | | | | |||
| Kimi K2 | | | | | ||
| GLM 4.7 FlashX | | |||||
| MiniMax M2.5 | | | ||||
| GPT-6 Luna | | |||||
| Muse Glimmer 30B | | | |
Microsoft Excel Cube first choice named as an alternative argued againstblank: not namedEach cell is one answer, Microsoft Excel on the left and Cube on the right.The direct prompt
The plain question, one answer per model, grouped by where Microsoft Excel and Cube stood in it.
Cube first, Microsoft Excel not the choice
1 of 14 modelsMicrosoft Excel was named in the answer but not as the choice, or not at all.Kimi K2Cube, Datarails alternatives: Drivetrain, Jirav
Neither was the first choice, one was named
8 of 14 modelsThe answer put something else first and named one of the two as an alternative.Claude Haiku 4.5Datarails alternatives: Cube, Drivetrain, Pigment, Planful
Gemini 3.5 FlashMosaic alternatives: Cube, Datarails, Pigment, Vena, Workday Adaptive Planning
Grok 4.20Datarails alternatives: Cube, Jirav, Quantrix Modeler
Mistral SmallDatarails alternatives: Cube, Limelight, Vena
DeepSeek V4 FlashPigment alternatives: Aleph, Cube, Datarails, Prophix One
Qwen 3.7 FlashDatarails, Limelight alternatives: Aleph, Cube, Jedox, Vena
MiniMax M2.5Workday Adaptive Planning alternatives: Cube, Vena
Muse Glimmer 30BDatarails alternatives: Aleph, Cube, Limelight, Planful, Prophix One, Vena
Neither was named
5 of 14 modelsThe answer made no first choice from these two in this category.GPT-5.4 miniPigment, Workday Adaptive Planning alternatives: Anaplan, Vena
Perplexity SonarDrivetrain alternatives: Abacum, Datarails, Limelight, Vena
Llama 4 MaverickAleph, Datarails, Limelight
GLM 4.7 FlashXDatarails alternatives: OneStream, Pigment, Planful, Vena
GPT-6 LunaWorkday Adaptive Planning alternatives: Planful, Vena
Bold names in an answer are the products the judge labeled a first choice; a model naming several gives each of them that label. The full answer text for every row is in the record.
By buyer segment
The same question asked on behalf of a different buyer. Each standing is computed within its segment and they are never added together. The figures above are the mid-market standing, which is the one the category orders by.
Small business
Microsoft Excel leads by eighteen points.
Microsoft Excel22%#1 of 16Cube3%#7 of 16Mid-marketThe figures above
Microsoft Excel leads by fourteen points.
Microsoft Excel19%#1 of 11Cube5%#7 of 11Enterprise
Level: the same share of first choices.
Microsoft Excel0%#– of 11Cube0%#9 of 11What the models said about Microsoft Excel
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Three of three in this category shown.
“For the absolute best value, Microsoft Excel is the top choice due to its low cost (or free if already owned) and unmatched flexibility.” Mistral Small · budget prompt · first choice
“Microsoft Excel is widely regarded as the best financial modeling software for companies with a limited budget.” Grok 4.20 · budget prompt · first choice
“The most cost-effective starting point. Many successful companies use Excel through their early stages.” Kimi K2 · budget prompt · first choice
What the models said about Cube
No label in this category carried a quote.
Also compared
Microsoft Excel vs DatarailsMicrosoft Excel vs Google SheetsMicrosoft Excel vs PigmentMicrosoft Excel vs Workday Adaptive PlanningMicrosoft Excel vs Prophix OneMicrosoft Excel vs VenaDatarails vs CubeGoogle Sheets vs CubePigment vs CubeWorkday Adaptive Planning vs CubeProphix One vs CubeCube vs VenaAll twenty-eight head-to-head pages and the full financial modeling standing
Comparisons are drawn for the top eight products in each category, each against each. The output is the models' output; nothing here is a recommendation by the index.