Equals vs Quadratic (2026): which should you pick?

Pick Equals if

• Fits if you are a company that reports from NetSuite or Salesforce data every week
• Makes sense if the finance team wants a spreadsheet rather than a separate dashboard tool

Look elsewhere if

• Pricey if you are a small team or a person, as the cheapest plan is $24,000 a year
• Not for you if you want to try it alone, since every plan is bought through a demo
• Tight if you have many data sources, because the entry plan allows 3 connectors with a 6-hour refresh
• Watch out: AI use above the included monthly spend is billed by usage
• Watch out: browser only, with no desktop or phone app listed

Pick Quadratic if

• Fits if you're an analyst who wants Python and SQL next to your formulas
• Works for data that lives in Postgres or Snowflake and that you want to query from a sheet

Look elsewhere if

• Tight if you're staying free, as AI messages, files, connections and sharing are all limited and there's no export
• Pricey if you just want a spreadsheet: $18 a seat a month is nearly twice what this category usually charges
• Not for you if you live in Safari or Firefox, which get second-tier support and are less performant
• Watch out: AI credits are a set $20 a seat a month on Pro, and only Business at $36 can buy more
• Skip it if you need single sign-on or a phone app: SSO is Enterprise only, priced on request, and no phone app is listed

Equals

• Pricing starts at $24,000 a year and every plan is bought through a demo; there is no self-serve or free plan.
• Each plan limits connectors (3, 5 or unlimited), and refresh speed (6 hours, 1 hour or 15 minutes) rises with the tier.
• AI use beyond the included monthly spend is billed by usage.
• Browser-based only; no desktop or mobile apps are listed.

Quadratic

• The free Personal plan limits AI messages, editable files, connections and sharing, and has no export to Excel, CSV or .grid.
• Paid plans include a set AI credit allowance per user each month; only Business can buy more usage on demand.
• Single sign-on is listed only on the Enterprise plan, which is priced on request.
• Chrome and other Chromium browsers get first-tier support; Safari and Firefox are second-tier and less performant.

Equals

Spreadsheet on live data

A spreadsheet connected directly to sources such as billing, CRM, accounting and warehouse data, with scheduled refreshes.

Dashboards

Dashboards built on the same spreadsheet logic, which can be pushed on a schedule to Slack or email.

AI agent

An agent that builds reports and answers questions about the data. Each plan includes a monthly AI spend, then usage-based billing.

Writeback

Pushes corrected or calculated values from the spreadsheet back into a CRM. Included from the Business plan.

Infinity

Works with large data sets without row limits. Included from the Business plan.

Forward deployed analyst

A named analyst builds the first reports during setup. Extra implementation work is $5k per 10 hours.

Quadratic

AI analysis in the sheet

Ask a question in plain English and the AI writes the formulas, Python or SQL cells and charts that answer it. Any generated cell can be opened and edited to check the work.

Python, SQL, JavaScript and formulas

Cells can run code as well as spreadsheet formulas, and the results are returned to the grid. The vendor says sorting, filtering and AI analysis stay fast at 100 million rows.

Live data connections

Connects to databases including Postgres, MySQL, Snowflake, BigQuery and MS SQL Server, and to QuickBooks, Plaid, Google Analytics and Mixpanel. CSV, Excel and PDF files can be imported.

Real-time collaboration

Teammates work in the same file at once and see each other's mouse movements. Sharing is limited on the Personal plan and unlimited from Pro.

MCP and developer API

MCP-enabled agents such as Claude, Cursor or ChatGPT can read and write a live sheet, and an API triggers AI runs and reads and writes cells from your own code.

Desktop app and self-hosting

A desktop app for macOS, Windows and Linux stays in sync with the web app. Quadratic can also be self-hosted with Docker or on AWS under a license key that is free for individuals.

Equals

• Essential$24k

  per year, unlimited seats

  3 connectors, 6-hour data sync and $250 a month of included AI spend. Sold through sales.

• Business$36k

  per year, unlimited seats

  5 connectors or a warehouse, hourly sync, $500 a month of AI spend, Writeback and Infinity. Sold through sales.

• Enterprise$60k

  per year, unlimited seats

  Unlimited connectors or warehouse, 15-minute sync, $1,000 a month of AI spend and SSO. Sold through sales.

Quadratic

• Personal$0

  For individuals: a monthly AI message limit on the default model, limited sharing, editable files and connections, and limited support.

• Pro$18

  per user / month, billed annually ($20 billed monthly)

  $20 in AI credits per user a month, access to all AI models, extra privacy controls, file export, and unlimited sharing, files and connections.

• Business$36

  per user / month, billed annually ($40 billed monthly)

  Everything in Pro with $40 in AI credits per user a month, plus the option to buy more AI usage on demand, billed at cost.

• EnterpriseCustom

  Custom AI usage, single sign-on, a self-hosting option and dedicated support.

Equals

No public discounts listed.

Quadratic

• Annual discount

  Save 10% with yearly billing

  Pro is $18 per user a month billed annually against $20 billed monthly, and Business is $36 against $40. The pricing toggle labels this as saving 10%.

• Education

  Free Education plan

  Students, teachers and researchers who sign up with a valid education email address get unlimited sheets, code, teammates and connections free. AI prompts are limited as on the free tier.