Array Assistant vs Columns AI (formerly Columns)

Array Assistant is a Microsoft Excel add-in that puts nine AI helpers inside your workbook. You install the plugin, open a sheet, and run tools for formula writing, data cleanup, summaries, list building, trend spotting, and text drafting without leaving Excel.

Most spreadsheet add-ins charge from day one or hide everything behind one chat box. Array Assistant splits work into named tools like Formula Generator, Data Cleaner, and Trend Analyzer, each tuned to a spreadsheet task. The Basic plan stays free at 200 requests per month, and the site publishes solution pages for investment banking, private equity, accounting, venture capital, consulting, real estate, and insurance teams rather than pitching a generic assistant.

The plugin suits analysts, students, and business professionals who live in Excel and want faster formula work, cleaner columns, and quick text inside cells. Corporate teams can request custom pricing when they need unlimited usage across employees.

Columns AI takes messy files and live data sources through ingestion, automation, and chart publishing without making you stitch together separate tools. Drive ingests CSV, Excel, PDF, and images with OCR, Flow connects warehouses and apps with plain-language transformations, and Graph publishes brand-matched visuals you can embed or export.

Most BI tools assume your data is already clean and your team knows SQL. Columns splits the problem into three steps on purpose: structure files in Drive, automate sync and transforms in Flow, then ship client-ready charts from Graph without opening a separate design tool. You pay per row processed, and the Basic plan has no monthly base fee.

The site lists 12,000+ users across business operators, consultants, marketing and RevOps teams, analysts, and freelancers. Founder Shawn Cao previously built data infrastructure at Microsoft, Facebook, and Pinterest.