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<\/a><\/p>\nAs you can tell, data analysis is not something I like doing. But it\u2019s the only way to know if our campaigns are actually working. So, I started searching for the best AI tools for Excel to help me save time.<\/p>\n
Initially, I tried building out custom Google scripts and macros for small, specific tasks \u2014 things like fetching data, basic personalization, and so on. However, maintaining these scripts across projects was a pain and clearly wasn\u2019t scalable.<\/p>\n
So, after trying out a lot of AI tools for Excel, I\u2019ve compiled five of the best ones below.<\/p>\n
Table of Contents<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/a> <\/p>\n While there are a lot of Excel-based AI tools out there, the challenge is finding ones that can handle messy, real-world data. For instance, I tried using a tool to rate applicant answers for an ambassador program and shortlist them.<\/p>\n Sadly, it rated AI-generated answers and half-hearted responses very highly (8\/10!). AI loves AI, I guess.<\/p>\n After that failure, I decided to draw up a set of criteria for testing the remaining tools and plugins. More specifically, I tested them for:<\/p>\n Note: For testing purposes, I downloaded a sample spreadsheet containing YouTube subscriber data to be used in every tool, eliminating potential variables.<\/p>\n <\/a> <\/p>\n \n Pricing: <\/strong>Free plans are available with limits. Pro plans cost $20\/user\/month. Expert plans cost $50\/user\/month, and Business plans cost $200\/user\/month.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re looking for an all-in-one AI solution for Excel, Ajelix is one of my top picks. It\u2019s quite popular for generating and optimizing Excel and Google App Scripts. But, when I saw it had 15+ tools for data analysis, Excel, and AI, I was definitely curious to try it out.<\/p>\n I started with the AI analyst feature to calculate the average engagement rate of my YouTube data. This involved combining metrics like views, watch time, CTR, etc., and measuring the impact of each one.<\/p>\n Here was the output:<\/p>\n The formula worked great. However, what impressed me was everything I got with it. There was an explanation of what the formula does, any potential mistakes I could make (guilty!), frequently asked questions customized to my data, and even an alternative formula.<\/p>\n It also anticipated what I needed next \u2014 adjusting the weight of each metric to get an accurate engagement rate. Definite overdelivery on my simple ask.<\/p>\n Then, I wanted to see if this experience extended to the other features of the platform. So, I decided to take the business intelligence tool for a spin. My query was to identify patterns within my datasets and generate a chart for better visualization. The tool took a few minutes, but the end chart was pretty good.<\/p>\n What I like:<\/strong><\/p>\n What I don\u2019t like:<\/strong><\/p>\n Pricing: <\/strong>Free plans are available. Paid plans cost $6.99 per month.<\/p>\n GPTExcel is a handy and cost-efficient tool for users to get the most out of AI features for Excel. It looks exactly like ChatGPT, but with custom Excel prompts and features like formulas, scripts, SQL, etc.<\/p>\n I first tested out the general chat with a simple task. I provided the YouTube data and asked it to give me the top 10 performing videos. It performed fairly well, and I liked how it tried to explain its reasoning through the backend Python code.<\/p>\n Then, I moved to the Formula generator. I wanted an Excel formula to find the titles of my top-performing videos based on click-through rates. My goal was to use this data to understand the types of videos I should prioritize in the future.<\/p>\n Not bad. While this was helpful, I realized I couldn\u2019t visualize the patterns I was looking for with just formulas. That\u2019s when I decided to test the Script feature.<\/p>\n With the Script tool, you can explain what you want your script to do, or you can reverse the process by providing GPTExcel with a script and having the tool explain it to you.<\/p>\n I provided my spreadsheet and asked the tool to generate a script that creates a bar graph. I plugged that script into my Google Sheets (Extensions<\/strong> > App<\/strong> Scripts<\/strong>) and clicked Run<\/strong>. The output was a neat graph that ranked each video in the context of subscribers gained from it.<\/p>\n Next time, I would also add a secondary metric that helps contextualize these subscribers. Are shorter, punchier videos helping me gain more subscribers, or are the longer ones with higher retention rates more effective? That would also help me understand the quality of my followers and the loyalty I\u2019ve built.<\/p>\n Unlike other tools on this list, GPTExcel is more basic. You have to tell it exactly what you\u2019re looking for, including column names, data ranges, etc., or it might pick the wrong ones. For an AI tool, I expected more \u201cintelligence,\u201d but for what it costs monthly, I can\u2019t complain.<\/p>\n Overall, I was fairly satisfied with the tool\u2019s ability to follow my instructions and provide scripts and formulas that, for the most part, worked.<\/p>\n What I like:<\/strong><\/p>\n What I don\u2019t like:<\/strong><\/p>\n Pricing: <\/strong>Free plan available. $20\/month for ChatGPT Plus. $200\/month for ChatGPT Pro.<\/p>\n ChatGPT 4-o is one of the best models for data analysis and reasoning, according to LiveBench<\/a>.<\/p>\n Although I had never had much luck with ChatGPT and Excel prompts, I was curious to see what had changed. I already use ChatGPT for content and research work<\/a>, so it wasn\u2019t a heavy lift.<\/p>\n For this test, I particularly wanted to see how well ChatGPT could perform data analysis, strategic thinking, and content creation in a single chat. So, I uploaded my YouTube data to ChatGPT and asked it to identify the types of videos that perform the best.<\/p>\n The answer was vague. It highlighted the top videos based solely on views. I did like the expandable table-view format ChatGPT used to present the views, though.<\/p>\n While I could have accepted this answer from more basic tools like GPTExcel, I was looking for more than that. I wanted to know specifics: Why did those videos work? What\u2019s the common pattern between them?<\/p>\n So, I tweaked the prompt and asked it to analyze inferences we can make from the given view data and clickthrough rate.<\/p>\n And that\u2019s where ChatGPT\u2019s reasoning capabilities start to show. While some patterns were obvious, others, like \u201cmale versions of traditionally female problems,\u201d highlighted major content opportunities. Phrasing it in that way helped me unlock new lines of thinking.<\/p>\n Then, I asked ChatGPT to use this analysis to suggest high-potential, low-effort topics. Within minutes, I had numerous content ideas to plug into the next week\u2019s content plan.<\/p>\n Apart from the traditional ChatGPT models, I also discovered a whole range of custom GPTs built by community members. Each custom GPT is trained on a specific data segment or industry, making the analysis targeted and useful. There\u2019s even one for Excel macros and formulas.<\/p>\n What I like:<\/strong><\/p>\n What I don\u2019t like:<\/strong><\/p>\n Pricing: <\/strong>50 free credits every month, $7\/month for the Pro plan (unlimited credits)<\/p>\n I\u2019m fairly decent at piecing together basic Excel formulas. But when you\u2019re dealing with complex datasets, your formulas can get equally complex. And that\u2019s where I struggle. I might get the formula 95% right, but then have to go on a wild goose chase to figure out why it’s not working as expected. Usually, it\u2019s an incorrect reference or misplaced closing brackets.<\/p>\n These small mistakes are hard to spot in long formulas. And Excel\u2019s error messages aren\u2019t all that helpful for debugging either.<\/p>\n So, I turned to AI to help solve my formula woes. Specifically, a tool called Formularizer<\/a>. Formularizer could help me in two ways:<\/p>\n Let\u2019s look at how it did with my YouTube data.<\/p>\n As a test, I asked it to create a formula to filter part of my video data. I wanted to see which videos had a high watch time and good retention. This is what it sent me:<\/p>\n I pasted this into my sheet, and it worked well. While I got the data correctly, the formatting was a bit off. However, that was a quick fix.<\/p>\n What I like:<\/strong><\/p>\n What I don\u2019t like:<\/strong><\/p>\n Pricing: <\/strong>Free plans are available with limits. Unlimited plans come in $15\/month, $25\/month, and $35\/month variants.<\/p>\n Formula Bot looked promising when I first opened it. The tool claims to handle Excel data using smart AI and Python, so I thought it would be great for sorting and cleaning large sheets.<\/p>\n I started with a simple query: \u201cSort the column \u2018Views\u2019 in descending order and move the rest of the data with it.\u201d<\/p>\n Then, I uploaded my Excel file to the chat, but Formula Bot couldn\u2019t process it directly. I had to go to the Sources section, click my file again, and only then would it recognize it as a valid source.<\/p>\n When I finally got the data loaded, I typed my question again. But it didn\u2019t understand that \u201cviews\u201d (lowercase) was the same as \u201cViews\u201d (uppercase). Once I explicitly mentioned that, it flipped my columns into rows (fail).<\/p>\n Ultimately, I had to go and clean my data.<\/p>\n After the fix, it finally gave me a sorted list based on Views. So, while this tool did work, the whole experience was quite glitchy.<\/p>\n Formula Bot definitely requires some hand-holding. It works best if your data is super clean and you know exactly what to ask. If you\u2019re okay going back and forth a little you can use this tool, but it\u2019s not the most beginner-friendly tool on the list.<\/p>\n What I like:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n
How I Tested the Best AI Tools and Plugins for Excel<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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1. <\/strong>Ajelix<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n
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2. <\/strong>GPTExcel<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n
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3. <\/strong>ChatGPT<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n
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4. <\/strong>Formularizer<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n
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5. <\/strong>Formula Bot<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n
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