Copilot vs Claude vs Gemini for Spreadsheets: 4 Real Tasks Tested

I gave Copilot in Excel, Claude in Excel and Gemini in Google Sheets the same sales file and the same three prompts, word for word. All three scored 8 of 8. The difference is what the points don't show: on the summary prompt Copilot took about 30 seconds, Claude about 3 minutes (with 6 permission cards) and Gemini about 4.5 minutes (a plan first, then the build). So use the one you already pay for, and check its answers with your own formulas.

Updated 6 Nov 2026 · Excel & Google Sheets · AI · Video 8:22

The scoreboard

Four tasks, 2 points per task: one point for the right result, one for doing exactly what I asked.

What the points don't show

The test: one sales file, 4 tasks

The file is deliberately clean: 48 sales rows from July to September, 4 regions (North, South, East, West) and 4 products (laptops, monitors, headsets, docks). Columns: Date, Month, Region, Product, Units, Amount (A:F). Cells L2 and L3 hold West and September. Every AI got these three prompts, word for word (prompt 2 covers tasks 2 and 3):

1. In L4, write one formula that adds up the Amount for the region in L2 and the month in L3. Then explain each part of the formula.

2. On a new sheet called Summary, make a table of total Amount by Region and Month, with totals. Then add a line chart of that table. Don't change the Sales sheet.

3. Which region is declining, and why? Answer in three sentences, with numbers from the Sales sheet.

There is one trap in the data: East dips in August and then comes back. That's a dip, not a decline. All three AIs named West, not East.

My own two checks (one function per cell)

Every AI sounds sure of itself, so I never score an answer on its word. Two formulas decide:

L6: =SUM(F2:F49)
H8: =FILTER(B2:F49, C2:C49="West")

• =SUM(F2:F49) gives all sales: 142,300. Every AI's grand total has to match it.
• =FILTER(B2:F49, C2:C49="West") shows only the 12 West rows. Laptops go from 8 units to 4 to 1, while monitors, headsets and docks stay flat. The last 4 rows are West in September: select their Amount cells and the status bar says Sum 7,380. That's the right answer for task 1.

Round 1: Copilot in Excel

You need Microsoft 365 Personal, Family or Premium, with the file saved in OneDrive. Open Copilot with the button at the bottom right and pick Allow editing, so Copilot can change the workbook.

• Task 1: in about 20 seconds Copilot wrote this in L4 and explained each part:

  =SUMIFS($F$2:$F$49,$C$2:$C$49,L2,$B$2:$B$49,L3)

  SUMIFS adds only the rows that meet every condition: first what to add (the Amount column), then Region has to match L2, then Month has to match L3. The $ signs lock the ranges when you copy the formula. Result: 7,380, the same as my Filter check.
• Tasks 2 and 3: in about 30 seconds Copilot made a new Summary sheet without changing Sales: regions down the side, months across, totals, a grand total of 142,300 and a line chart with one line per region. The table is built with formulas, so when I changed row 37 from 1,200 to 2,400, West in September went to 8,580 right away.
• Task 4: in about 12 seconds: West went from $15,400 in July to $7,380 in September, and "the main cause is Laptop sales: $9,600 → $4,800 → $1,200". The Filter check confirms it.

Round 2: Claude in Excel

Add Claude by Anthropic via Home → Add-ins. It needs a paid Claude plan. I picked the model Sonnet 5.5, which Claude labels "most efficient for everyday tasks". Claude asks before it writes; I clicked Allow once each time, never "Always allow".

• Task 1: about a minute. Claude also wrote a SUMIFS, but on whole columns, and explained every part. Whole columns pick up rows you add later, and Claude says so itself. 7,380 in L4.
• Tasks 2 and 3: about 3 minutes, with six permission cards along the way. Claude only read from the Sales sheet and even rendered its own chart to check the layout. Its Summary: regions down, months across, every cell a SUMIFS formula, grand total 142,300, and a line chart with a title, axis titles and a legend. The live test (row 37 → 2,400) gave 8,580 in the Summary.
• Task 4: about 30 seconds: West fell 52%, from $15,400 to $7,380, and the cause is laptops, $9,600 → $1,200. Claude names dollars, not units, and checks that the other products stay steady.

Copilot vs Claude for Excel

Same score, same kind of formula, and both summaries stay live. Copilot is built into Excel and was about six times faster on the summary prompt. Claude asks permission before every change (six cards on prompt 2), uses whole columns, and checks its own chart. If you already have Microsoft 365 Personal, Family or Premium, Copilot is there. If you already pay for Claude, the add-in did the same work on this file.

Round 3: Gemini in Google Sheets

Gemini lives in Google Sheets, so I rebuilt the same file as a Google sheet and opened the Gemini panel. It needs Google AI Pro or a Workspace business plan (Business Standard or higher). Since June 2026 it works in more languages than English (Google Workspace Updates, 18 June 2026).

• Task 1: about 35 seconds: a SUMIFS in L4 that gives 7,380, adding F2:F49 where C2:C49 matches L2 and B2:B49 matches L3, with a formula breakdown part by part.
• Tasks 2 and 3: Gemini made a plan first (Create Summary Table, Visualize and Verify). After I clicked Approve it built for about 4 minutes: a pivot table on a new Summary sheet with a grand total of 142,300 and a line chart with one line per region. The months came out in alphabetical order, August first. That's a note, not a lost point. The pivot table updated by itself in the live test: 8,580.
• Task 4: about 15 seconds: West went $15,400 → $10,830 → $7,380, "driven almost entirely by Laptop sales": 8 units, then 4, then 1.

Gemini in Sheets vs Copilot in Excel

If your files live in Google Sheets, Gemini is the one that works there, and on this file it scored the same as Copilot. It is slower on a big prompt because it shows you a plan first, which you approve before it builds. Check the month order in its pivot tables and charts. For more Gemini prompts in Sheets, see 7 new Gemini tricks in Google Sheets.

Which one should you use?

Use the one you already pay for. Copilot comes with Microsoft 365 Personal, Family or Premium; Claude and Gemini need their own paid plan. On a clean file like this one, all three got every point. The real lesson is the same for all three: they all sounded sure of themselves, and only my own two checks, =SUM(F2:F49) and =FILTER(B2:F49, C2:C49="West"), told me who was right.

This file was clean on purpose. Messy data is a different fight, with its own video and practice file.

More guides

• Best AI for Excel & Google Sheets 2026: ChatGPT vs Gemini (the broad comparison, with ChatGPT)
• How to Use Copilot in Excel for Free (Trial + 60 AI Credits, Tested)
• How to Use Gemini in Google Sheets: 7 New Tricks (2026)
• All guides and practice files