Microsoft Excel
The standard spreadsheet for analysis, modeling and reporting
Microsoft Excel is a databases & spreadsheets tool for Small businesses and Enterprise, offered as freemium ($10/mo). Founded in United States in 1985.
About Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Excel is the spreadsheet application from Microsoft, first released for the Mac in 1985 and for Windows in 1987. It became the default tool for finance and business analysis and now ships with Microsoft 365 on every major platform. Its core job is organizing, calculating and analyzing numbers, from a simple budget to a complex financial model.
Excel combines formulas and dynamic arrays (XLOOKUP, FILTER, LAMBDA), PivotTables, charts, Power Query for importing and cleaning data, Power Pivot data models, conditional formatting and real-time co-authoring through OneDrive and SharePoint. Python in Excel runs Python code in the grid, and Copilot can write formulas, highlight trends and build analyses from prompts. Excel for the web is free with a Microsoft account; the full desktop apps come with Microsoft 365 Personal, Family and Premium for consumers, Microsoft 365 business plans, or a one-time Office Home 2024 license.
Excel fits anyone who needs serious number crunching, financial modeling or offline work with large files. Google Sheets is simpler and better for live browser collaboration, Airtable suits relational databases with forms and views, and Smartsheet is built for project tracking in a grid. Excel's weaknesses are version sprawl from emailed files and a steep learning curve for advanced features.
Recent changes: Microsoft raised consumer Microsoft 365 prices in 2025 when Copilot was bundled in, launched Microsoft 365 Premium at $19.99 a month in late 2025, and has been rolling out agent-style Copilot features in Excel.
Key features of Microsoft Excel
- Dynamic array formulas including XLOOKUP, FILTER and LAMBDA
- PivotTables, PivotCharts and a wide range of chart types
- Power Query to import, clean and reshape data from many sources
- Power Pivot data models for large multi-table analysis
- Python in Excel for analysis and visualization in the grid
- Copilot to generate formulas, analyses and summaries from prompts
- Real-time co-authoring through OneDrive and SharePoint
- Apps for Windows, Mac, web, iOS and Android
Pros and cons
Pros
- Industry standard skills and file format
- Unmatched depth for financial modeling and analysis
- Handles large datasets on the desktop
- Free web version for basic use
- Bundled with Word, PowerPoint, Outlook and 1 TB OneDrive
Cons
- Advanced features have a steep learning curve
- Web version lacks some desktop features
- Emailed copies lead to version chaos
- Subscription price rose in 2025 with Copilot bundled
Microsoft Excel pricing
Microsoft Excel uses a freemium model. A 30-day free trial is available.
| Plan | Price | Includes |
|---|---|---|
| Excel for the web | $0 | Free with a Microsoft account, reduced feature set |
| Microsoft 365 Personal | $9.99 / mo | $99.99/yr; 1 person, desktop apps, Copilot, 1 TB |
| Microsoft 365 Family | $12.99 / mo | $129.99/yr; up to 6 people, 1 TB each |
| Microsoft 365 Premium | $19.99 / mo | $199.99/yr; higher Copilot limits and advanced AI |
| Office Home 2024 | $179.99 / one-time | Perpetual Excel, Word, PowerPoint for 1 PC or Mac |
Source: www.microsoft.com · checked on Oct 20, 2026
How Microsoft Excel compares in Databases & spreadsheets
- Rank by votes
- #1 / 17
- Starting price
- $10
- Free alternatives
- 4
0 votes from members
17% below the category median ($12/mo)
Free or open-source tools in Databases & spreadsheets
Microsoft Excel ranks #1 of 17 databases & spreadsheets tools by community votes and is priced below most tools in the category.
Common use cases
- 1Financial models, budgets and forecasts
- 2Accounting reconciliations and month-end reporting
- 3Cleaning and combining exports with Power Query
- 4Sales and inventory analysis with PivotTables
- 5Ad hoc data analysis with Python or Copilot
- 6Small business invoices, price lists and stock tracking
Best for
Finance, accounting and analyst teams that need the deepest spreadsheet features and the industry standard file format.
Not ideal for
Teams that mostly collaborate live in the browser on simple sheets (Google Sheets) or need a relational database with views (Airtable).
Integrations
- Power BI
- Power Automate
- Microsoft Teams
- OneDrive
- SharePoint
- Microsoft Copilot
- Python
- Power Query
Our take
Excel is still the most capable spreadsheet for analysis and modeling, and the safe default for any finance-heavy team. Individuals should start with Microsoft 365 Personal, businesses with a Microsoft 365 business plan, and casual users can stay on the free web version or Google Sheets.
FAQ
- What is Microsoft Excel?
- Microsoft Excel is a Databases & spreadsheets tool: The standard spreadsheet for analysis, modeling and reporting.
- How much does Microsoft Excel cost?
- Microsoft Excel uses a Freemium model; paid plans start at $10 per month.
- Does Microsoft Excel have a free trial?
- Yes, Microsoft Excel offers a 30-day free trial.
- What does Microsoft Excel integrate with?
- Microsoft Excel integrates with Power BI, Power Automate, Microsoft Teams, OneDrive, SharePoint, Microsoft Copilot and more.
- Which platforms does Microsoft Excel support?
- Microsoft Excel is available on web, macos, windows, ios, android.
- Who is Microsoft Excel for?
- Finance, accounting and analyst teams that need the deepest spreadsheet features and the industry standard file format.
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