# Microsoft Excel: how AI models rank it, November 2026

Gane Index, November 2026 Edition. Named in 61 judge labels across 13 categories by 14 of 14 models. Page: https://www.gane.ai/index/finance/vendors/microsoft-excel

## Standing by category

| Category | Share | Rank | Negative rate | Labels |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Financial modeling and scenario planning](https://www.gane.ai/index/finance/planning/financial-modeling-and-scenario-planning/index.md) | 19% | 1 | 16% | 19 |
| [Cash flow forecasting](https://www.gane.ai/index/finance/treasury/cash-flow-forecasting/index.md) | 2% | 21 | 88% | 8 |
| [Account reconciliation](https://www.gane.ai/index/finance/accounting/account-reconciliation/index.md) | 0% | 102 | 100% | 9 |
| [Internal controls and SOX](https://www.gane.ai/index/finance/tax/internal-controls-and-sox/index.md) | 0% | 114 | 100% | 5 |
| [Lease accounting](https://www.gane.ai/index/finance/accounting/lease-accounting/index.md) | 0% | 79 | 80% | 5 |
| [Board and investor reporting](https://www.gane.ai/index/finance/planning/board-and-investor-reporting/index.md) | 0% | 108 | 100% | 3 |
| [Entity management](https://www.gane.ai/index/finance/corporate/entity-management/index.md) | 0% | 92 | 67% | 3 |
| [Financial reporting and dashboards](https://www.gane.ai/index/finance/planning/financial-reporting-and-dashboards/index.md) | 0% | 104 | 67% | 3 |
| [Financial consolidation](https://www.gane.ai/index/finance/accounting/financial-consolidation/index.md) | 0% | 83 | 50% | 2 |
| [Cap table management](https://www.gane.ai/index/finance/corporate/cap-table-management/index.md) | 0% | 49 | 100% | 1 |
| [Corporate performance management](https://www.gane.ai/index/finance/planning/corporate-performance-management/index.md) | 0% | 44 | 0% | 1 |
| [Corporate tax provision](https://www.gane.ai/index/finance/tax/corporate-tax-provision/index.md) | 0% | 86 | 100% | 1 |
| [ESG and carbon reporting](https://www.gane.ai/index/finance/corporate/esg-and-carbon-reporting/index.md) | 0% | 99 | 0% | 1 |

## What the models said for 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, Financial modeling)
- "Looker Studio (formerly Data Studio) or Microsoft Excel/Power Query (if data volume allows) are often safer bets" (Qwen 3.7 Flash, Financial reporting)
- "Microsoft Excel is widely regarded as the best financial modeling software for companies with a limited budget." (Grok 4.20, Financial modeling)
- "The most cost-effective starting point. Many successful companies use Excel through their early stages." (Kimi K2, Financial modeling)

## And against it

- "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, Cash flow forecasting)
- "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, Internal controls)
- "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, Cash flow forecasting)
- "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, Cap table management)

## 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 |

## Sources returned with these answers

The sites and pages cited by the answers that named Microsoft Excel, from 148 of the 172 answers that named it (only the models that return a source list).

### Domains cited

- prophix.com: 32
- gane.ai/index: 31
- capterra.com: 25
- fuelfinance.me: 24
- datarails.com: 23
- sourceforge.net: 22
- fathomhq.com: 21
- softwaresuggest.com: 21
- softwareadvice.com: 20
- reddit.com: 19

### Pages cited

- https://datarails.com/blog/best-financial-modeling-software: 17
- https://softwaresuggest.com/financial-modeling-software: 16
- https://fuelfinance.me/blog/financial-modeling-software: 13
- https://www.gane.ai/index/finance/planning/financial-modeling-and-scenario-planning/smb: 12
- https://prophix.com/blog/best-cash-flow-forecasting-software: 12
- https://deloitte.com/us/en/services/consulting/articles/cash-flow-forecasting.html: 11
- https://slashdot.org/software/financial-modeling/f-small-business: 11
- https://venasolutions.com/blog/best-financial-modeling-software: 11

## In its own words

What Microsoft Excel's own pages state, read 2026-09-28. Stated by the vendor, not checked by the index.

- Customers named: Lenovo, VIVID, G&J Pepsi-Cola Bottlers, Virgin Money, E.ON, Milpark Education

## What it publishes

Every page microsoft.com exposes, read 2026-09-29: 10448 addresses. By kind, pages and the last 90 days:

- blog: 25 pages, 4 in the last 90 days, latest 2026-09-24
- case study: 12 pages, 0 in the last 90 days, latest undated
- conference or event: 5 pages, 0 in the last 90 days, latest undated
- report or ebook: 1 pages, 0 in the last 90 days, latest 2025-12-02
- comparison: 30 pages, 0 in the last 90 days, latest undated
- template or tool: 2 pages, 0 in the last 90 days, latest undated
- glossary or explainer: 44 pages, 0 in the last 90 days, latest undated
- news or press: 27 pages, 10 in the last 90 days, latest 2026-09-28
- Recent: 2026-09-28 news or press: At nasa ai is helping scientists unlock discoveries hidden in decades of data https://news.microsoft.com/source/features/digital-transformation/at-nasa-ai-is-helping-scientists-unlock-discoveries-hidden-in-decades-of-data/
- Recent: 2026-09-24 news or press: Rockwell automation pairs ai with decades of shop floor know how so workers can solve glitches faster https://news.microsoft.com/source/features/digital-transformation/rockwell-automation-pairs-ai-with-decades-of-shop-floor-know-how-so-workers-can-solve-glitches-faster/
- Recent: 2026-09-24 blog: Run assert eval responsible ai agent risk discovery at runtime https://commandline.microsoft.com/run-assert-eval-responsible-ai-agent-risk-discovery-at-runtime/
- Recent: 2026-09-23 blog: On the issues https://blogs.microsoft.com/on-the-issues/
- Recent: 2026-09-22 news or press: When disaster strikes ai helps responders reach people more quickly https://news.microsoft.com/source/features/ai/when-disaster-strikes-ai-helps-responders-reach-people-more-quickly/
- Recent: 2026-09-21 news or press: Microsoft datacenter academy helps launch tech careers https://news.microsoft.com/source/features/work-life/microsoft-datacenter-academy-helps-launch-tech-careers/

## 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.