# Spreadsheets: how AI models rank it, September 2026

Finance AI Recommendation Index, September 2026 Edition. Named in 20 judge labels across 9 categories by 9 of 12 models. Page: https://finance-ai-index.com/vendors/spreadsheets/

## Standing by category

| Category | Share | Rank | Negative rate | Labels |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fixed asset accounting | 0% | 94 | 100% | 4 |
| Lease accounting | 0% | 59 | 100% | 4 |
| Cap table management | 0% | 41 | 100% | 3 |
| Cash flow forecasting | 0% | 84 | 100% | 2 |
| Corporate tax provision | 0% | 97 | 100% | 2 |
| Internal controls and SOX | 0% | 71 | 100% | 2 |
| Account reconciliation | 0% | 57 | 0% | 1 |
| Entity management | 0% | 84 | 100% | 1 |
| Revenue recognition | 0% | 73 | 100% | 1 |

## And against it

- "Spreadsheets / Excel: sources warn they create data integrity, version-control, security, and compliance risks, and they are poor for large or complex lease portfolios." (Perplexity Sonar, Lease accounting)
- "Spreadsheets lack built-in audit controls, version history, and data validation, making them prone to errors, missed payments, and compliance issues." (Claude Haiku 4.5, Lease accounting)
- "Most experts strongly advise against using spreadsheets for lease accounting, especially for organizations with more than 10 leases." (Mistral Small, Lease accounting)
- "spreadsheets are a common tool to avoid, as they can contain errors and are prone to problems such as miscalculations" (Llama 4 Maverick, Fixed asset accounting)

## Record

- Method: https://finance-ai-index.com/methodology/
- Raw judge labels and full responses: https://finance-ai-index.com/data/
- License: CC BY 4.0. Cite as Finance AI Recommendation Index, September 2026 Edition, finance-ai-index.com.