# Google Sheets or Excel: how AI models rank it, November 2026

Gane Index, November 2026 Edition. Named in 4 judge labels across 2 categories by 3 of 14 models. Page: https://www.gane.ai/index/finance/vendors/google-sheets-or-excel

## Standing by category

| Category | Share | Rank | Negative rate | Labels |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Cash flow forecasting](https://www.gane.ai/index/finance/treasury/cash-flow-forecasting/index.md) | 2% | 17 | 0% | 1 |
| [FP&A platforms](https://www.gane.ai/index/finance/planning/fpa-platforms/index.md) | 2% | 15 | 0% | 3 |

## What the models said for it

- "Tightest budget: Stick with Google Sheets/Excel + Looker Studio." (Kimi K2, FP&A platforms)
- "| $0 | Google Sheets/Excel templates | No cost, customizable |" (Kimi K2, Cash flow forecasting)
- "For solopreneurs, early-stage startups, or teams under ~20 people, you can run surprisingly effective FP&A for $0" (DeepSeek V4 Flash, FP&A platforms)
- "This can handle 80% of FP&A needs for businesses under ~20 employees at $0 cost" (Grok 4.20, FP&A platforms)

## By model

| Model | First choice | Alternative | Mention | Warning | Labels |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Haiku 4.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| GPT-5.4 mini | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gemini 3.5 Flash | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Perplexity Sonar | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Grok 4.20 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Mistral Small | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| DeepSeek V4 Flash | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Llama 4 Maverick | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Qwen 3.7 Flash | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kimi K2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| GLM 4.7 FlashX | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| MiniMax M2.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| GPT-6 Luna | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Muse Glimmer 30B | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

## Sources returned with these answers

The sites and pages cited by the answers that named Google Sheets or Excel, from 4 of the 4 answers that named it (only the models that return a source list).

### Domains cited

- capterra.com: 3
- dev.to: 3
- g2.com: 3
- getaleph.com: 3
- golimelight.com: 3
- corporatefinanceinstitute.com: 2
- costbench.com: 2
- kurums.com: 2
- rowzero.com: 2
- softwareadvice.com: 2

### Pages cited

- https://dev.to/superdots/ai-fpa-software-for-small-business-beyond-excel-and-guesswork-54h7: 3
- https://getaleph.com/answers/fpa-software-pricing-guide-2026: 3
- https://golimelight.com/blog/fpa-software-for-small-business: 3
- https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/fpa/fp-a-tools: 2
- https://rowzero.com/blog/best-financial-planning-and-analysis-tools: 2
- https://softwareadvice.com/accounting/budgeting-forecasting-software-comparison/small-business: 2
- https://wise.com/us/blog/best-fpa-software-tools: 2
- https://banktrack.com/en/blog/cash-flow-forecast-generators: 1

## Record

- Method: https://www.gane.ai/index/finance/methodology
- License: CC BY 4.0. Cite as Gane Index, November 2026 Edition, www.gane.ai/index/finance.