# Cube vs Google Sheets: which do AI models recommend for financial modeling, October 2026

Finance AI Recommendation Index, October 2026 Edition, Financial modeling and scenario planning. Three of fourteen models named Cube first on the direct prompt; zero named Google Sheets. Page: https://finance-ai-index.com/planning/financial-modeling-and-scenario-planning/cube-vs-google-sheets/

| | First-choice share | Rank | Negative rate | Labels | Models naming it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cube | 12% | #2 of 14 | 0% | 32 | 14 of 14 |
| Google Sheets | 9% | #5 of 14 | 15% | 13 | 12 of 14 |

## The direct prompt, model by model

- Gemini 3.5 Flash: cube first (first choices: Aleph, Cube) (alternatives: Abacum, Bob Finance, Pigment, Vena)
- Grok 4.1 Fast: cube first (first choices: Cube, Datarails, Drivetrain, Jirav) (alternatives: Abacum)
- DeepSeek V4 Flash: cube first (first choices: Cube) (alternatives: Datarails, Jirav, Planful, Vena)
- Claude Haiku 4.5: neither first, one named (first choices: Datarails) (alternatives: Cube, Drivetrain, Planful, Prophix One)
- Mistral Small: neither first, one named (first choices: Abacum) (alternatives: Cube, Datarails)
- GLM 4.7 FlashX: neither first, one named (first choices: Datarails) (alternatives: Abacum, Cube, Lucanet xP&A, Mosaic)
- MiniMax M2.5: neither first, one named (first choices: Drivetrain) (alternatives: Abacum, Cube, Datarails, Pigment)
- GPT-6 Luna: neither first, one named (first choices: Workday Adaptive Planning) (alternatives: Cube, Vena)
- Muse Glimmer 30B: neither first, one named (first choices: Datarails) (alternatives: Cube, Drivetrain, Mosaic, Planful)
- GPT-5.4 mini: neither named (first choices: Datarails, Planful) (alternatives: Anaplan, Vena)
- Perplexity Sonar: neither named (first choices: Datarails, Limelight) (alternatives: Abacum, Workday Adaptive Planning)
- Llama 4 Maverick: neither named
- Qwen 3.7 Flash: neither named (first choices: Vena, Workday Adaptive Planning) (alternatives: Fathom, PlanGuru)
- Kimi K2: neither named (first choices: Drivetrain) (alternatives: Mosaic, Pigment)

## What the models said about Google Sheets

- "starting with Google Sheets or Excel and upgrading to a dedicated tool ... is the most cost-effective approach" (Kimi K2, budget prompt, first choice)
- "Best low-budget choice: Google Sheets for a small company building budgets, forecasts, and scenario models" (GPT-6 Luna, budget prompt, first choice)
- "start with Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets if you need a simple, flexible solution" (Mistral Small, budget prompt, first choice)

Share is the count of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts over all fourteen models, for a mid-market B2B company; rank is within the category. Comparisons are drawn for the top eight products in each category. Published under CC BY 4.0; the output is the models' output, and nothing here is a recommendation by the index.