Columns AI (formerly Columns) vs GPT Excel

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.

GPT Excel turns plain-language prompts into spreadsheet formulas, pivot tables, charts, SQL queries, regex patterns, and automation scripts for Excel, Google Sheets, and Airtable. Upload a workbook or start in chat, and it returns the formula or script you can paste back into your file.

Most spreadsheet copilots stop at single-cell formulas. GPT Excel bundles pivot builders, VBA and Apps Script generation, SQL helpers, and template creation in one web app, which saves context switching when a analysis task jumps from a SUMIFS fix to a pivot refresh to a reporting query.

Analysts, operators, and small business teams use it to speed up recurring spreadsheet work. The free plan covers light daily usage, while Pro and Pro Plus raise chat and tool limits for heavier monthly workloads.