Macabacus vs Templafy (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Templafy grades higher than Macabacus: 2.0 against 1.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Templafy grades higher on the free plan and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money, features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Macabacus
Excel, PowerPoint and Word add-in for finance and consulting
Templafy
AI presentation generation tied to company templates and brand rules
Which one is for you
Pick Macabacus if
- Fits if you build decks from Excel models in banking or consulting
- Works for teams that enforce one brand and format across decks
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you use a Mac, as only Windows is listed
- Pricey if you are one person, since the useful parts start at $360 a year
- Not for you if you do not own Microsoft Office, because it adds to Office and replaces nothing
- Watch out: SSO and the AI writing assistant need an Enterprise quote
- Watch out: Professional allows up to 5 admins and each needs a license
Pick Templafy if
- Fits if your company wants every deck to follow approved templates
- Works for teams producing the same proposals again and again
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you are a small team, at $40 a user and 25 seats at most on Team
- Tight if you are staying free, as shared agents and the library are Team features
- Watch out: it is built around Office and AI assistants, not a slide editor of its own
- Watch out: SSO, audit logs and approvals need an Enterprise quote
- Watch out: the page does not say whether $40 is billed monthly or annually
How we grade them
| 1.4GPAMacabacusWeak | 2.0GPATemplafyFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | DProfessional is $360 a license a year, about $30 a month, three times the $10 middle of the category, and the linking and deck checking sit on it. Basic is $200 a year. | DTeam is $40 per user a month, four times the $10 middle of the category, and five seats come to $200 a month. The billing basis is not stated. |
| Free plan and trial | DA free trial is offered, but its length is not stated and there is no free plan. | CIndividual is free with no card, for one seat with AI deck generation and editing. Document Agents, the content library and branding wait on Team, which has a 14-day trial. |
| Features | CExcel shortcuts, linking to PowerPoint and Word, shared libraries, deck checking and chart tools. It does that finance job fully, but it edits nothing without Office and the best parts need Professional. | CPrompt-to-deck, templates, brand rules and Office connectors. The pages describe no stand-alone editor, and sharing agents needs Team. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating is on record. It is an add-in with libraries and links to set up before it pays off. | CNo store rating is on record and it needs an account and some setup of your own work, so it sits at the ordinary grade. |
| Platforms and integrations | DWindows only, though it ties into Excel, PowerPoint, Word and Entra ID. | BWeb only, with Microsoft Office, Claude, ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini and SharePoint connectors. |
| Best for | linking Excel models to PowerPoint decks | company-approved decks from AI |
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: Macabacus and Templafy. How we grade
Price against what you get
Macabacus starts at $16.67 a month when paid by the year for each person and scores 1.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Templafy starts at $40 a month for each person and scores 2.3.
Templafy scores higher, and starts $23.33 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other presentation tools on the chart, 52 score higher than Macabacus for less, and 15 score higher than Templafy for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Macabacus also covers documents and spreadsheets.
- Templafy also covers templates and workflow automation.
At a glance
| Macabacus | Templafy | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $200 per license / year | $40 per user / month (Team, up to 25 seats) |
| Free plan | None | Individual plan: 1 seat with AI PowerPoint generation and editing, color customization and professional document themes. |
| Free trial | Free trial offered; length not stated on the pages read | 14-day free trial of the Team plan |
| Web | ||
| Windows | ||
| Made by | Macabacus Inc. | Templafy |
| Price read from | macabacus.com | templafy.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Macabacus
- It is an add-in; it needs Microsoft Office and does not edit slides on its own.
- Linking, libraries and deck checking need Professional or above.
- Enterprise features such as SSO and the AI writing assistant need a quote.
- Pricing is per license, and the Professional plan allows up to 5 administrators, each needing a license.
Templafy
- The Team plan is capped at 25 seats; larger groups go through Enterprise sales.
- The pricing page does not say whether the $40 Team price is billed monthly or annually.
- Enterprise pricing is only available on request.
- Built around Microsoft Office and AI assistants; the pages do not describe a standalone slide editor.
Key features
Macabacus
- Link Excel to PowerPoint
- Link PowerPoint and Word to Excel charts and cells so exhibits update from the model.
- Deck Check
- Checks presentations for formatting, layout and content errors and brand rules before sharing.
- Shared libraries
- A repository of reusable slides, images and charts for you and your team.
- Model auditing
- Tracing tools and formula checks for Excel workbooks.
- Chart tools
- Quick Charts such as waterfall charts and chart add-ons for Excel.
Templafy
- Prompt-to-presentation
- AI builds a PowerPoint deck from a prompt and can use uploaded files as context; every plan includes it.
- Document Agents
- Reusable agents that produce a given kind of document, such as a proposal; sharing them across a team needs Team or Enterprise.
- Company templates and branding
- Teams distribute approved templates, slide layouts and brand assets so generated files follow house style.
- Microsoft Office integration
- Works with Microsoft 365 Office applications from the Team plan; the Individual plan lists Office integration through the Claude, ChatGPT and Copilot connectors.
- Knowledge grounding
- Team uploads files as context; Enterprise adds connectors to sources such as SharePoint, Glean and RAG pipelines.
- Governance
- Permission-based access on Team, with approval workflows, audit logs and analytics on Enterprise.
Plans
Macabacus
Basic$200
per license / year
Excel shortcuts, formula auditing, color palettes and basic tools for Excel, PowerPoint and Word.
Professional$360
per license / year
Adds Excel to PowerPoint and Word linking, shared libraries, deck checking and up to 5 admins.
EnterpriseCustom
Unlimited libraries and admins, SSO, AI writing assistant, tombstones and a dedicated account manager.
Templafy
Individual$0
One seat with AI PowerPoint generation and editing, color customization and document themes; no credit card needed.
Team$40
per user / month (billing basis not stated on the page), max 25 seats
Adds reusable Document Agents shared across the team, a central content library, company templates and branding, file-upload knowledge and admin controls.
EnterpriseCustom
Price and seat count set per company; adds SSO and SCIM, audit logs, approval workflows, enterprise APIs and MCP, and bring-your-own LLM.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Macabacus or Templafy?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Macabacus is cheaper to start with: $16.67 a month when paid by the year for each person, against $40 a month for each person for Templafy. Macabacus starts at $200 per license / year, and Templafy starts at $40 per user / month (Team, up to 25 seats).
Which has a free plan, Macabacus or Templafy?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Templafy has a free plan. Macabacus does not, though it has a free trial.
Which platforms do Macabacus and Templafy run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Macabacus lists a Windows app and only Templafy lists 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.