Microsoft Excel vs Google Sheets
Zero of fourteen models named Microsoft Excel first on the direct prompt; zero named Google Sheets. Microsoft Excel was named by twelve of the fourteen models and Google Sheets by twelve and Microsoft Excel carries 17 labels and Google Sheets 13, so the shares are not directly comparable.
Named in eleven categories this edition.
Named in fifteen categories this edition.
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
Microsoft ExcelFirst choices, of fourteen modelsGoogle Sheets
Across every category in the October 2026 Edition, Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets were named in the same answer seventy-six times, of the 157 answers naming Microsoft Excel and the 114 naming Google Sheets. In those answers Google Sheets took the first choice three times and Microsoft Excel four.
Every model, every framing
| 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 Google Sheets first choice named as an alternative argued againstblank: not namedEach cell is one answer, Microsoft Excel on the left and Google Sheets on the right.The direct prompt
Neither was named
14 of 14 modelsThe answer made no first choice from these two in this category.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
Google Sheets19%#1 of 10Microsoft Excel14%#2 of 10Microsoft Excel14%#1 of 14Google Sheets9%#5 of 14Microsoft Excel0%#– of 12Google Sheets0%#– 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 Google Sheets
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Three of four in this category shown.
“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
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.