GRID vs Microsoft Excel (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, we pick Microsoft Excel: it is second in our ranking of spreadsheet and database tools, and it grades higher too, 3.4 against 1.8.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Microsoft Excel grades higher on the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
GRID
Spreadsheet engine and agent tools for developers building products
Microsoft Excel
Spreadsheet app sold with Microsoft 365, free in the browser
Which one is for you
Pick GRID if
- Fits if you are a developer who needs spreadsheet calculations inside an AI agent
- Makes sense if your product must open and edit Excel files in code
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want a spreadsheet to open and use, since it is a toolkit for developers
- Tight if you ship a product, as the free licence covers development, testing and personal use only
- Watch out: no prices are published and commercial licences go through a contact form
- Watch out: early-stage companies are told to get in touch for pricing
Pick Microsoft Excel if
- Fits if you need a full desktop spreadsheet on Windows or Mac and will pay $9.99 a month
- Works for analysts who work in PivotTables, Power Query and Python
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want the desktop app without paying, as only the web and phone versions are free
- Not for you if your workbooks run on macros and you work in a browser, where they open but don't run
- Pricey if Excel is the only app you want, since $9.99 a month pays for Word, PowerPoint and Outlook too
- Watch out: Copilot needs a paid plan, has usage limits, and on shared plans works for the subscription owner only
- Watch out: Business Basic has only web and phone Excel, business trials need a card, and Office 2024 gets no upgrade
How we grade them
| 1.8GPAGRIDWeak | 3.4GPAMicrosoft ExcelVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CNo prices are published; commercial licences are quoted through a contact form, so there is nothing to compare to the category's $12 middle. | CMicrosoft 365 Personal is $9.99 a month, which is exactly the middle price in this category, so an ordinary deal rather than a good one, although Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, 1 TB of storage and Copilot come along. Office Home 2024 is $179.99 once for one PC or Mac, with no upgrade to the next release. |
| Free plan and trial | CThe evaluation licence is free with every npm package, but for development, testing and personal projects only. Shipping a product needs a paid licence. | BExcel for the web is free for one person, with sharing, real-time collaboration and 5 GB of cloud storage, and the free plan covers iOS and Android too. What's missing: some desktop features, and macros that open in a browser but won't run. |
| Features | DA headless engine, agent tools, a viewer and editor component, and an Excel add-in. It is a toolkit that needs an application built around it to be useful. | AIt covers the whole job and then some things no rival here has: PivotTables with slicers and timelines, Power Query for pulling in and reshaping outside data, Python formulas running pandas and Matplotlib in the grid, co-authoring, templates in over 40 categories, and Copilot on paid plans. |
| Ease of use | DInstalled with npm and put to work in code, so a developer sets it up. | A4.75 from 1,468,663 App Store ratings, which clears our bar on both counts, and most people have met Excel somewhere already. Templates give you a ready-made start. Its own phone reviewers do grumble that the iPad app leaves out desktop features like data validation. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb components with Excel and Google Sheets support. No desktop or phone app is listed. | AThe full set: web, Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android, hooked into OneDrive, SharePoint, Power BI, SQL Server and Anaconda. The desktop apps go deepest, and Power Query on Mac and the web is newer than on Windows. |
| Best for | developers adding a spreadsheet engine to an app or agent | serious number work on Windows or Mac |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: GRID and Microsoft Excel. How we grade
Where they differ
- GRID also covers AI agents.
- Microsoft Excel also covers templates.
At a glance
| GRID | Microsoft Excel | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | Not published | $9.99 / month, or $99.99 / year (Microsoft 365 Personal) |
| Free plan | None | Excel for the web is free for 1 person, with sharing, real-time collaboration and 5 GB of cloud storage. Microsoft lists the free plan as working on web, iOS and Android. |
| Free trial | Free evaluation license that ships with every npm package, for development, testing and personal projects | 1-month free trial of the Microsoft 365 home and business plans; business trials need a credit card. |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | GRID | Microsoft |
| Price read from | Not confirmed | microsoft.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 5, 2026 |
Worth knowing
GRID
- No published prices: commercial licenses are scoped to the use case and quoted through a contact form.
- The evaluation license is for development, testing and personal use only; shipping a product or running an internal workflow needs a commercial license.
- It is a developer toolkit rather than a spreadsheet app for end users.
- Early-stage companies are told to get in touch for matching pricing.
Microsoft Excel
- The Windows and Mac apps need a Microsoft 365 subscription or a one-time Office purchase; only the web and mobile versions are free.
- Excel for the web and the mobile apps have many, but not all, desktop features; macro-enabled workbooks open in a browser but the macros do not run.
- Copilot needs a paid subscription, has usage limits, and on shared plans works for the subscription owner only.
- Microsoft 365 Business Basic ($7.00 per user / month paid yearly, or $5.40 without Teams) includes only the web and mobile versions of Excel.
Key features
GRID
- Spreadsheet engine
- Runs spreadsheet logic and calculations natively inside an application, headless, and is described as compatible with Excel and Google Sheets.
- Agent tools
- Gives AI agents structured operations to read cells, apply changes and recalculate, offered as an MCP server and as skills.
- Spreadsheet viewer and editor
- A themeable viewer and a scoped editor component for showing and changing workbooks inside a product.
- Excel add-in
- Custom Excel add-ins built on the engine, as in a case the site describes for an investment-banking AI platform.
Microsoft Excel
- Copilot in Excel
- Edits formulas, tables and formatting from a written request and suggests formulas for the data. It needs a Microsoft 365 subscription and a workbook saved to OneDrive with AutoSave on.
- PivotTables and charts
- PivotTables calculate, summarize and analyze data to show comparisons, patterns and trends, and work with PivotCharts, slicers and timeline controls.
- Power Query
- Imports or connects to external data from files, databases, the web and Azure, then reshapes it before loading. It is available in Excel for Windows, Mac and the web; support on Mac and the web is newer than on Windows.
- Python in Excel
- Python formulas run in the grid using Anaconda libraries such as pandas and Matplotlib. It comes with eligible Microsoft 365 plans; a $24 per user / month add-on gives faster premium compute.
- Co-authoring
- Several people can work in one workbook stored in OneDrive or SharePoint Online and see each other's changes within seconds. In the Windows and Mac apps this requires a Microsoft 365 subscription.
- Templates
- Microsoft offers free Excel templates in more than 40 categories as ready-made starting points for common spreadsheets.
Plans
GRID
Pricing could not be confirmed. See grid.is.
Microsoft Excel
Free$0
Excel for the web for 1 person, with sharing and real-time collaboration and 5 GB of cloud storage. Works on web, iOS and Android.
Microsoft 365 Personal$9.99
per month, or $99.99 per year
1 person signed in on up to 5 devices, 1 TB of cloud storage, and the Excel, Word, PowerPoint and Outlook desktop apps with Copilot.
Microsoft 365 Apps for business$10.00
per user / month, paid yearly
Desktop versions of Excel, Word, PowerPoint and Outlook for up to 300 employees, with 1 TB of cloud storage per user.
Microsoft 365 Family$12.99
per month, or $129.99 per year
Everything in Personal for 1 to 6 people, with 1 TB of storage per person. AI features are for the subscription owner only.
Microsoft 365 Premium$19.99
per month, or $199.99 per year
Everything in Family, plus extensive Copilot usage and agentic AI features such as advanced research and analytics.
Office Home 2024$179.99
one-time purchase for 1 PC or Mac
Classic 2024 desktop versions of Excel, Word, PowerPoint and OneNote, with no upgrade path to the next major release.
Ways to pay less
GRID
- Startups
Startup pricing on request
The license page says early-stage companies get pricing to match and should contact the team.
Microsoft Excel
- Annual discount
Save up to 17% by paying yearly
Microsoft 365 Personal is $99.99 a year against $9.99 a month, Family $129.99 against $12.99 and Premium $199.99 against $19.99.
- Education
Students save 50% on Microsoft 365 Personal
Verified college and university students get Microsoft 365 Personal at half price. Student status has to be re-verified each year to keep the discount.
- Education
Office 365 A1 free for eligible schools
Educators and students with an eligible education email address get Office 365 A1 at no cost, which includes the web versions of Excel and the other core apps.
- Nonprofit
Nonprofit staff pricing on Microsoft 365 E3
Eligible nonprofits can buy Microsoft 365 E3, with desktop, web and mobile versions of Excel, for $9.75 per user / month paid yearly.
- Lifetime license
Office Home 2024 one-time purchase
$179.99 buys the classic 2024 desktop versions of Excel, Word, PowerPoint and OneNote for 1 PC or Mac, with no subscription.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, GRID or Microsoft Excel?
As of Nov 12, 2026, GRID has no price we could confirm, and Microsoft Excel starts at $9.99 / month, or $99.99 / year (Microsoft 365 Personal).
Which has a free plan, GRID or Microsoft Excel?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Microsoft Excel has a free plan. GRID does not, though it has a free trial.
Which platforms do GRID and Microsoft Excel run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Microsoft Excel lists macOS, Windows, iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.