Best AI for Excel (2026): Copilot, ChatGPT or Claude

Which AI is best for Excel, task by task?

Copilot is the first choice for direct workbook changes; ChatGPT and Claude are alternatives for asking questions about a pasted sample. Our text-answer results do not establish a spreadsheet-accuracy ranking between ChatGPT and Claude: GPT-6 Astra was judged by claude-opus-5-5, while the Claude models were judged by gpt-6-astra, so their raw scores are not directly comparable.

In our separate round of 10 Excel/Microsoft 365 prompts on 2026-10-20, judged by gpt-6-astra, Claude Opus 5.5 passed 93% of criteria, Gemini 4 Argon 91%, Claude Fable 5.1 88% and Claude Sonnet 5 83%; chat models answered pasted tasks in text, with formulas judged on logic and stated result but not executed in Excel, and this was not Copilot in Excel or Microsoft 365, which remains untested. Gemini ran through Google’s Antigravity CLI with a tool-less agent and the others through a command-line API harness, not consumer apps, so app results may differ; our testing methodology explains our benchmark approach.

Copilot capabilities checked 2026-10-20 on Microsoft Support; ChatGPT and Claude entries describe suggested workflows, not measured performance.

A sample cannot establish what is happening throughout the workbook. Check proposed rules against the full data before applying them, especially where blanks, exceptions or inconsistent formats matter.

For broader comparisons, see the Copilot overview for professionals, ChatGPT overview for professionals and Claude overview for professionals.

How do you use Copilot in Excel, step by step?

Open the lower-right Copilot icon, choose a mode and make a specific request. Use plan mode when you want to review the proposed work before editing begins.

1. Check your platform. Windows, Mac and web support edit, chat and plan. iPad supports chat and plan, with edit rolling out. iPhone supports chat, with edit rolling out. Android supports chat.
2. Open the workbook and select the Copilot icon in the lower-right corner. If it is missing, Copilot may not be included in your Microsoft 365 subscription or may be disabled by your organization. Check with your administrator.
3. Choose the mode. Edit is the default and changes the workbook directly. Plan proposes a plan for review before editing. Chat answers without changing the workbook.
4. Prompt with a clear scope. Name the sheet, range, required output and anything that must stay unchanged. Copilot can generate data and formulas across sheets, import data from OneDrive, SharePoint or local workbooks, and run custom skills for repeatable tasks.
5. Review the plan and changes. Microsoft says Copilot creates a step-by-step plan after a prompt and lets you watch changes live. Choose plan mode rather than assuming edit mode will wait for approval.
6. Use the Stop button when necessary. Stop if the work departs from your request. Inspect changes already made; the resulting formulas, tables, charts and PivotTables remain editable.
7. Verify the output. Check formula references, filters, grouping and totals against the source data and a manual calculation before using the results.

Use this PivotTable prompt after selecting the appropriate mode:

On [SHEET NAME], the table in [RANGE] contains [COLUMN HEADERS].
Create a PivotTable on a new sheet showing the total of [VALUE COLUMN]
by [ROW FIELD], with [COLUMN FIELD] across the top.
Sort by total from largest to smallest.
Add a short summary identifying the largest totals and unusual entries.
Explain how blanks and excluded rows were handled.
Do not change the original table. Flag ambiguous fields before proceeding.

Retired function: Starting September 14, 2026, the COPILOT worksheet function is no longer available. It was a preview restricted to Frontier and Microsoft 365 Insider programs. Already-calculated results remain as cached values, but a recalculating cell returns #NAME?. Microsoft directs users to the Copilot pane instead, for example: “Summarize the feedback in A2:A20.” Check older workbooks for dependence on this function before relying on their results.

How do you use ChatGPT or Claude with a spreadsheet?

For this workflow, paste a fictional or permitted sample, request a formula or cleanup rule, then check it in Excel yourself. This does not assess other file-handling features either product may offer.

1. Prepare a representative sample. Include headers and relevant exceptions. Prefer fictional data; removing names alone does not establish permission to share the remaining information.
2. Paste the sample into chat. Label the headers and explain what each field means. State your Excel version and any relevant date or number conventions.
3. Request a focused result. Ask for a formula, cleanup rule or summary with its assumptions and explanation.
4. Check it in Excel. Try the formula in a cell before filling down. Check ordinary inputs, blanks and exceptions. If it fails, share only permitted error details and ask which assumption caused the problem.
5. Save the verified instructions. Record the prompt, formula and conditions under which it works. Recheck it when the workbook structure changes.

Formula prompt:

Here is a fictional or approved sample from my Excel table:
[PASTE SAMPLE WITH COLUMN HEADERS]

My Excel version is [VERSION].
Write a formula for [TARGET CELL] that [DESCRIBE REQUIRED RESULT].
Use functions available in my version.
Explain each part, the assumed data types and reference ranges.
Identify inputs that could produce an error or a misleading result.
Suggest checks I should perform before filling down.
Do not infer missing business rules; ask me to clarify them.

Cleanup prompt with fictional text data:

This vendor sample is fictional:
Vendor               Status
 cedar supply        paid
CEDAR SUPPLY         Paid
 harbor materials    OPEN
Harbor Materials     open

My full table also contains [OTHER COLUMN HEADERS].
My Excel version is [VERSION].

Propose formulas or manual steps to standardize spaces, capitalization
and status labels. Show the expected cleaned sample and explain each rule.
Flag possible duplicate vendor names, but do not assume matching names
mean duplicate transactions or delete any rows.
For [DATE COLUMN] and [AMOUNT COLUMN], ask which formats and conventions
apply before proposing conversions.
List decisions that require human review.

Use the same prompts in either chat tool, without assuming the answers will match. Our Excel tools hub is the starting point for related spreadsheet guidance.

What does it cost, and what can you do for free?

All three vendors offer a free plan, but free Copilot access does not establish access to workbook editing in Excel. The prices below are selected US USD list prices, excluding tax, with Microsoft’s stated promotion identified.

Prices and plans checked 2026-10-19 on the vendors’ official pages.

What you can do for free: Consider ChatGPT Free or Claude Free for the sample-based prompts above, then verify the answers yourself. Claude Free includes Sonnet and Haiku, not Opus or Fable. Microsoft describes free Copilot as limited and subject to capacity; check your Microsoft 365 subscription before expecting the Excel pane. No specific free-plan quotas are verified here.

Readers in the UK, Australia and India should check local prices, taxes and rules, which differ from the US; consult the official pricing page for your country before purchasing.

Can you put client data into these tools?

Only share data you are authorized to disclose through the specific account and workflow. Microsoft’s documented organizational protections are relevant, but they do not replace your professional confidentiality obligations.

Microsoft Learn says organizational Microsoft Copilot and Copilot Chat use is covered by the Microsoft Products and Services Data Protection Addendum and Product Terms, with Microsoft acting as data processor. Prompts and responses receive the same contractual protections as Exchange email and SharePoint files, with encryption at rest and in transit.

Copilot respects organizational permissions, sensitivity labels, retention policies and audit. Prompts, responses and Microsoft Graph data are not used to train foundation models. Web search queries go to Bing, however, which has separate data-handling practices; Microsoft acts as an independent controller for those queries.

These organizational terms should not be generalized to consumer Copilot accounts. We have not verified the consumer plans’ data terms, or ChatGPT’s or Claude’s data terms on any plan, for this page. Read the relevant plan’s privacy and data terms alongside your professional confidentiality rules before sharing client, patient or employee information.

For sample-based work, fictional data is the simplest starting point. Anonymization still requires checking whether sharing is permitted. Accountants can use our accountants hub as a starting point for profession-specific AI guidance.

Limits: This is not legal, medical, tax or accounting advice. Have an appropriately licensed professional in your jurisdiction check applicable tax treatments, payroll rules, depreciation, contractual interpretations and figures used in filings or signed documents. Verify totals, references, reporting periods and source data yourself; an understandable formula can still encode the wrong rule.

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