Financial modeling and scenario planning · October 2026 Edition
Microsoft Excel vs Datarails
Zero of fourteen models named Microsoft Excel first on the direct prompt; six named Datarails. Microsoft Excel was named by twelve of the fourteen models and Datarails by thirteen and Microsoft Excel carries 17 labels and Datarails 20, so the shares are not directly comparable.
Named in eleven categories this edition.
Named in eight categories this edition.
First-choice share14%11%Of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts, 0 to 100.
Negative rate24%0%Negative labels as a share of the product's labels, 0 to 100.
Rank in category#1#4A position in a field of 14; printed, not drawn.
Labels1720A count; the two differ.
The two percentage rows are drawn on one 0 to 100 track, Microsoft Excel reading right to left. Rank and label count are printed, not drawn.Cube was named alongside these two in nine of the fourteen direct answers. Microsoft Excel vs Cube · Microsoft Excel vs Vena · Microsoft Excel vs Google Sheets
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; every quote names the model and the prompt it came from. Both figures come from the financial modeling and scenario planning page.
By framing
How many of the fourteen models made each the first choice, per way of asking, and how many argued against it.
Microsoft ExcelFirst choices, of fourteen modelsDatarails
Direct061 against Microsoft Excel
Paraphrase00
Comparative10
Budget-constrained90
Scale-constrained011 against Microsoft Excel
Negative002 against Microsoft Excel
Bars are first choices, 0 to 14 each sideModels that argued againstA model can name both, so the two sides of a row do not sum to fourteen.
Every model, every framing
The eighty-four answers behind the chart above, one cell each: where Microsoft Excel and Datarails stood in it.
| Model | Direct | Paraphrase | Comparative | Budget-constrained | Scale-constrained | Negative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Haiku 4.5 | | | ||||
| GPT-5.4 mini | | | ||||
| Gemini 3.5 Flash | | | ||||
| Perplexity Sonar | | | ||||
| Grok 4.1 Fast | | | | | ||
| Mistral Small | | | ||||
| DeepSeek V4 Flash | | | ||||
| Llama 4 Maverick | ||||||
| Qwen 3.7 Flash | | | ||||
| Kimi K2 | | | ||||
| GLM 4.7 FlashX | | | ||||
| MiniMax M2.5 | | | | |||
| GPT-6 Luna | | | ||||
| Muse Glimmer 30B | | |
Microsoft Excel Datarails first choice named as an alternative argued againstblank: not namedEach cell is one answer, Microsoft Excel on the left and Datarails on the right.The direct prompt
The plain question, one answer per model, grouped by where Microsoft Excel and Datarails stood in it.
Datarails first, Microsoft Excel not the choice
6 of 14 modelsMicrosoft Excel was named in the answer but not as the choice, or not at all.Claude Haiku 4.5Datarails alternatives: Cube, Drivetrain, Planful, Prophix One
GPT-5.4 miniDatarails, Planful alternatives: Anaplan, Vena
Perplexity SonarDatarails, Limelight alternatives: Abacum, Workday Adaptive Planning
Grok 4.1 FastCube, Datarails, Drivetrain, Jirav alternatives: Abacum
GLM 4.7 FlashXDatarails alternatives: Abacum, Cube, Lucanet xP&A, Mosaic
Muse Glimmer 30BDatarails alternatives: Cube, Drivetrain, Mosaic, Planful
Neither was the first choice, one was named
3 of 14 modelsThe answer put something else first and named one of the two as an alternative.Mistral SmallAbacum alternatives: Cube, Datarails
DeepSeek V4 FlashCube alternatives: Datarails, Jirav, Planful, Vena
MiniMax M2.5Drivetrain alternatives: Abacum, Cube, Datarails, Pigment
Neither was named
5 of 14 modelsThe answer made no first choice from these two in this category.Gemini 3.5 FlashAleph, Cube alternatives: Abacum, Bob Finance, Pigment, Vena
Llama 4 Maverickno first choice
Qwen 3.7 FlashVena, Workday Adaptive Planning alternatives: Fathom, PlanGuru
Kimi K2Drivetrain alternatives: Mosaic, Pigment
GPT-6 LunaWorkday Adaptive Planning alternatives: Cube, Vena
Bold names in an answer are the products the judge labeled a first choice; a model naming several gives each of them that label. The full answer text for every row is in the record.
By buyer segment
The same question asked on behalf of a different buyer. Each standing is computed within its segment and they are never added together. The figures above are the mid-market standing, which is the one the category orders by.
Small business
Microsoft Excel leads by ten points.
Microsoft Excel14%#2 of 10Datarails3%#6 of 10Mid-marketThe figures above
Microsoft Excel leads by three points.
Microsoft Excel14%#1 of 14Datarails11%#4 of 14Enterprise
Level: the same share of first choices.
Microsoft Excel0%#– of 12Datarails0%#– of 12What the models said about Microsoft Excel
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Three of three in this category shown.
“If you want to project a company's budget/revenue, use Excel for flexibility, or Cube to automate it.” Gemini 3.5 Flash · comparative prompt · first choice
“If your company already pays for Microsoft 365, use Excel instead rather than buying another tool.” GPT-6 Luna · budget prompt · first choice
“the best choice is usually Microsoft Excel if you need maximum flexibility at the lowest cost” Perplexity Sonar · budget prompt · first choice
What the models said about Datarails
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Three of three in this category shown.
“I would choose Datarails for an Excel-heavy mid-market B2B finance team, and Limelight for a team that wants a more modern standalone modeling platform” Perplexity Sonar · direct prompt · first choice
“"For most mid-market finance teams, especially those managing multiple entities in Excel, Datarails is the best financial modeling software in 2026."” Muse Glimmer 30B · direct prompt · first choice
“For most mid-market finance teams, especially those managing multiple entities in Excel, Datarails is the best financial modeling software in 2026.” Claude Haiku 4.5 · direct prompt · first choice
Also compared
Microsoft Excel vs CubeMicrosoft Excel vs VenaMicrosoft Excel vs Google SheetsMicrosoft Excel vs DrivetrainMicrosoft Excel vs ProphixMicrosoft Excel vs Workday Adaptive PlanningCube vs DatarailsVena vs DatarailsDatarails vs Google SheetsDatarails vs DrivetrainDatarails vs ProphixDatarails vs Workday Adaptive PlanningAll twenty-eight head-to-head pages and the full financial modeling standing
Comparisons are drawn for the top eight products in each category, each against each. The output is the models' output; nothing here is a recommendation by the index.