13 categories · RankedMicrosoft Excel
Strongest at small business, contested with Google Sheets. Thin evidence at enterprise: three labels.
The standing depends on who is buying. Every model is asked the same questions for each company size.
Tied for first with Google Sheets.
Ranked first, contested: Datarails has 16%. 0 of 14 models made it the first choice when asked directly.
Anaplan is first at 59%.
Why models recommend it
“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-constrained question · first choice
“Looker Studio (formerly Data Studio) or Microsoft Excel/Power Query (if data volume allows) are often safer bets”Qwen 3.7 Flash · Negative question · first choice
“Microsoft Excel is widely regarded as the best financial modeling software for companies with a limited budget.”Grok 4.20 · Budget-constrained question · first choice
“The most cost-effective starting point. Many successful companies use Excel through their early stages.”Kimi K2 · Budget-constrained question · first choice
What gives them pause
“Bare Manual Spreadsheets (Excel / Google Sheets) *for Mid-Market & Enterprise* ... relying solely on static spreadsheets for complex, multi-entity, or fast-growing businesses is a major trap.”Gemini 3.5 Flash · Negative question · warning
“Spreadsheets (e.g., Microsoft Excel) ... Why avoid or be cautious? They are prone to human error, version control issues, unauthorized changes, formula errors, and lack of audit trails.”Grok 4.20 · Negative question · warning
“Basic Spreadsheets (Excel/Google Sheets) for Complex Businesses ... When to avoid: If you have high transaction volume, multiple entities, or need real-time visibility.”MiniMax M2.5 · Negative question · warning
“relying on a spreadsheet is the single most dangerous practice for a growing startup. You should avoid staying on spreadsheets past your first external investment round”Qwen 3.7 Flash · Negative question · warning
Also on the shortlist
The products named in the same answers as Microsoft Excel, over the 172 answers that named it, and how often each was the first choice instead.
| Product | Named together | Picked instead | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 85 | 4 | Compare → | |
| 28 | 2 | View → | |
| 23 | 0 | View → | |
| 22 | 1 | View → | |
| 21 | 6 | View → | |
| 20 | 2 | Compare → | |
| 20 | 1 | Compare → | |
| 19 | 3 | View → | |
| 17 | 3 | Compare → | |
| 17 | 2 | View → |
What the models named instead of Microsoft Excel →
A side-by-side page exists where both products are among a category's top eight.
At a glance
Stated on Microsoft Excel's own site, not checked by Gane.
- Customers named
- Lenovo, VIVID, G&J Pepsi-Cola Bottlers, Virgin Money, E.ON, Milpark Education
How this is measured
Fourteen AI models from 12 labs are asked the same buying questions six ways, for three company sizes. Standings refresh every edition.
Gane sells AI visibility software. No company can pay to change a result.
Read the method →Sources returned with these answers
Fourteen of the fourteen models returned a source list in this edition: five return the pages they cited and nine the search results they consulted. These counts come from 148 of the 172 answers that named Microsoft Excel and are not a share of its labels.
Domains cited
207 of the 238 domain citations in answers naming Microsoft Excel came from a third party's page. Thirty-one were to the publisher's own pages (the Gane Index), which the models cite like any other source; they are not counted as a third party.
Pages cited
Pages are listed as the models cited them.
By model
| Model | First choice | Alternative | Mention | Warning | Labels |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Haiku 4.5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| GPT-5.4 mini | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Gemini 3.5 Flash | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 8 |
| Perplexity Sonar | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 5 |
| Grok 4.20 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 8 |
| Mistral Small | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| DeepSeek V4 Flash | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Llama 4 Maverick | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Qwen 3.7 Flash | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 10 |
| Kimi K2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| GLM 4.7 FlashX | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| MiniMax M2.5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| GPT-6 Luna | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Muse Glimmer 30B | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
What it publishes
| Kind | Pages | Last 90 days | 2025-10 to 2026-09 | Latest | Categories named |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glossary or explainer | 44 | undated | |||
| Comparison | 30 | undated | |||
| News or press | 27 | 10 | 2026-09-28 | ||
| Blog | 25 | 4 | 2026-09-24 | ||
| Case study | 12 | undated | |||
| Conference or event | 5 | undated | |||
| Template or tool | 2 | undated | |||
| Report or ebook | 1 | 0 | 2025-12-02 |
Most recent
- 2026-09-28At nasa ai is helping scientists unlock discoveries hidden in decades of data news or press
- 2026-09-24Rockwell automation pairs ai with decades of shop floor know how so workers can solve glitches faster news or press
- 2026-09-24Run assert eval responsible ai agent risk discovery at runtime blog
- 2026-09-23On the issues blog
- 2026-09-22When disaster strikes ai helps responders reach people more quickly news or press
- 2026-09-21Microsoft datacenter academy helps launch tech careers news or press
How it is countedHide how it is counted
Every page microsoft.com exposes, subdomains included. Kind is read from the address and title. The last 90 days, the latest date and the twelve months count pages by when they were published, from the site's feeds, a date in the address, or the page's own publication date, read from up to a hundred of its most recently changed pages; a page that says only when it last changed is counted in its kind but not in when, so the recent counts are a floor, and a kind none of whose pages gives a publication date reads undated. An event counts as online when its address or title says so (webinar, on demand, virtual or online summit); a conference, summit, trade show, expo or roadshow that does not say so is counted as a conference or event, which on a vendor's site is mostly in person. Read September 29, 2026.