# Microsoft Excel vs Datarails: which do AI models recommend for financial modeling, October 2026

Finance AI Recommendation Index, October 2026 Edition, Financial modeling and scenario planning. Zero of fourteen models named Microsoft Excel first on the direct prompt; six named Datarails. Page: https://finance-ai-index.com/planning/financial-modeling-and-scenario-planning/microsoft-excel-vs-datarails/

| | First-choice share | Rank | Negative rate | Labels | Models naming it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Excel | 14% | #1 of 14 | 24% | 17 | 12 of 14 |
| Datarails | 11% | #4 of 14 | 0% | 20 | 13 of 14 |

## The direct prompt, model by model

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

## What the models said about Microsoft Excel

- "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

- "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)

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.