8 Free AI Tools That Make Excel, Charts, and Reporting Easier

If you work in Excel regularly, you’ve probably faced these:

  • Messy data with weird columns and formats
  • Formulas that don’t work or are impossible to remember
  • Reports that need visuals and summaries — fast

Luckily, you don’t need Copilot or fancy tools to make your life easier. These free AI tools help with everything from formulas to data visualization.

I’ve used all 8 of these. Here’s what each one is good for, and when to use them.


1. Excelmatic — Generate Charts and Reports from Your Excel File

Best for:

  • Uploading Excel or CSV files and instantly asking questions
  • Generating bar, pie, line charts + a written summary

Example dataset:

Date Product Revenue Cost Region
2024-01-01 A 12000 7500 North
2024-01-01 B 9500 6000 South
2024-02-01 A 14000 8000 North
2024-02-01 B 10000 6500 South
2024-03-01 A 16000 8500 North
2024-03-01 B 11000 7000 South

Prompt example:

“Show revenue trends by product per month and give a summary.”

example

Pros:

  • Clean, export-ready visuals
  • Generates smart summaries you can copy into reports
  • Free tier is generous enough for weekly workflows

Cons:

  • Works best with semi-clean data (use ChatGPT to prep if needed)

Try Excelmatic FREE now!


2. ChatGPT — Formula Help, Data Logic, and Cleanup Assistant

example

Best for:

  • Writing or debugging Excel formulas
  • Explaining logic or simplifying complex calculations
  • Cleaning up rows, reformatting dates, text extraction

Pros:

  • Reliable explanation engine
  • Works well with messy logic and vague requests
  • Free with ChatGPT 3.5

Cons:

  • Doesn’t connect directly to Excel
  • No chart or report generation

✅ Works great with Excelmatic: one cleans, the other visualizes


3. Excelly AI — Chat with Your Spreadsheet (Google Sheets Only)

example

Best for:

  • Highlight all rows over budget
  • What’s the average spend per category?

Pros:

  • Natural question-answer interface
  • Works directly in Google Sheets

Cons:

  • Free tier is limited
  • Not available in Excel desktop version

✅ Handy lightweight helper inside Sheets


4. Rows AI — Spreadsheets with `=AI()` in Every Cell

example

Best for:

  • Generating summaries, notes, insights inside spreadsheet cells

Pros:

  • Modern interface and easy to use
  • Built-in AI functions, very responsive

Cons:

  • It’s its own spreadsheet platform, not Excel
  • Some templates or features need a signup

✅ Best for power users and small teams wanting built-in AI


5. ExcelChat (Got It AI) — Ask a Human or AI to Fix Excel Issues

example

Best for:

  • Asking for help with weird formulas or layout issues
  • Uploading a file and getting an explanation or fix

Pros:

  • Helpful if you’re stuck and can’t figure it out
  • Mix of AI + human support

Cons:

  • Free use is limited
  • More reactive, not proactive

✅ Think of it as your “SOS button” when Excel gets frustrating


6. Notion AI — Convert Data into Written Summaries

example

Best for:

  • Turning tables into bullet points, task lists, or summaries
  • Writing status updates, reports, and action items from structured data

Pros:

  • Reads your table and generates structured notes
  • Outputs clean and well-phrased summaries

Cons:

  • Doesn’t connect directly to Excel
  • Works better in English than other languages

✅ Great for PMs and team leads writing updates from data


7. MagicForm — Turn Excel Sheets into Online Forms

example

Best for:

  • Converting table fields into registration, feedback, or intake forms

Pros:

  • Fast and intuitive field detection
  • Nice UI and supports logic branching

Cons:

  • Not a data analyzer — it’s for collecting new data
  • Interface is English-only for now

✅ Perfect for HR, marketers, or operations teams who need to collect data


8. AI2sql — Natural Language to SQL Generator (Works with Excel Exports)

example

Best for:

  • Converting simple prompts into SQL queries
  • “List top 5 customers by order amount in the last 30 days”

Pros:

  • Very fast SQL generation
  • Can import Excel-based table structure

Cons:

  • Requires some SQL knowledge to tweak
  • Full access needs an account

✅ Ideal for analysts juggling Excel and databases


✅ Final Thoughts

AI tools won’t replace Excel — but they absolutely make working with it easier.

  • For charting and summaries: Excelmatic
  • For formula writing and fixes: ChatGPT
  • For question-style interactions: Excelly AI
  • For embedded smart spreadsheets: Rows AI
  • For stuck situations: ExcelChat
  • For writing up reports: Notion AI
  • For fast form creation: MagicForm
  • For querying your data backend: AI2sql

👉 Pick two that match your workflow and try them out this week — they’re all free to start.

Start with Excelmatic!