--- title: "Adea vs Excel and Google Sheets: what each does, and when to choose which · Adea" description: "Adea vs Excel and Google Sheets: answers in plain words, reports and dashboards, and every number watched each night, from your own database. See what each does and when to choose which." url: https://adea.app/vs/spreadsheets --- # Adea vs Excel and Google Sheets Choose Adea when you're tired of exporting to answer a question. Adea reads your database, answers in plain words, rebuilds the Excel report you make every month from live data, and tells you when a number moves. [Start free](https://adea.app/signup) [See the demo](https://adea.app/demo) Free plan No card Read-only access ## “We can do it in Excel.” You can, every time: export, paste, fix the formula, send it round. Adea works from the live data, rebuilds the report you already have from the Excel file itself, and sends it on a schedule. ## What Adea adds next to Excel and Google Sheets. Choose Adea when: 1. 1 You'd rather not export and paste before each answer 2. 2 You rebuild the same Excel report every month: bring it, and Adea rebuilds it from live data 3. 3 You want reports sent on a schedule to mail, Slack or Teams 4. 4 You want a message when a number moves, not a sheet to open [Start free](https://adea.app/signup) [See the demo](https://adea.app/demo) ## Adea vs Excel and Google Sheets side by side | Question | | Excel and Google Sheets | | --- | --- | --- | | Built for | Answering questions, building reports and dashboards, and watching every number of the business | Calculating, tracking and sharing numbers by hand, in a sheet you control | | Asking a question | Ask in plain words and get the answer in seconds, with the query and its sources shown | Export, paste, then build a formula or a pivot | | Reports and dashboards | Dashboards from a question in plain words. Bring a report you already have as a PDF, screenshot or Excel file, and Adea rebuilds it from your live data. Send any of it on a schedule | Whatever you build by hand, updated by hand | | Who can build them | Anyone who can ask a question | Whoever keeps the important sheets running | | Getting started | Connect a read-only database. Adea learns what the tables mean, works out what's normal and suggests the numbers to watch, the same day | Export data from your system and paste it into a sheet | | When a number moves | Checks every number each night against what is normal for it, tells you in the morning, and tests the likely causes | You notice when you open the sheet, or when someone tells you | | Where answers arrive | In Adea, Slack, Teams, mail and the AI assistant you already use | Wherever the file is shared or sent | | Personal data | Guardian checks every query before it runs and flags large pulls of personal data. On Business it can hold them until an admin says yes | The rows travel with the file, wherever it goes | ### About Excel and Google Sheets Where most businesses keep and check their numbers. You export from your systems, paste the data in, and build the sums, pivots and charts yourself. Written from how each tool describes itself, in October 2026. Tools change, so check theirs for today's details. Found something wrong? Write to us and we'll correct it. ### Choose Excel and Google Sheets when - The question is small and the data fits in a sheet - You want full control over every formula and layout ## Use them together Keep your sheets for the calculations you want to control by hand. Let Adea take the monthly report, the questions you used to export for, and the watching. ## Adding Adea takes three steps Nothing you have today has to change. 1. 1 ### Connect your database, read-only The same database you and your tools already use. Adea only reads, and refuses a user that can write. 2. 2 ### Adea sets itself up It learns what your tables mean, works out what's normal and suggests the numbers to watch. You check the first ones. 3. 3 ### Keep what already works Keep your sheets for the work you want to control by hand. ## Questions ### What is the best alternative to building reports in Excel? Adea. Bring the Excel report you rebuild every month, and Adea rebuilds it from your live database and sends it on a schedule. Ask anything else in plain words, and every number is watched each night. ### How is Adea different from a spreadsheet? A sheet holds a copy you exported and updates by hand. Adea reads your live database, answers in plain words and tells you when a number moves. ### Is Adea a replacement for Excel and Google Sheets? For the questions you used to export for and the reports you rebuild every month, yes. A sheet is still the right place for a small calculation you want full control over. ### Can I use Adea with Excel and Google Sheets? Yes. Adea reads your database, and your sheets stay as they are. You can keep sharing and editing them with your team. ### Is my data safe with Adea? Adea connects with a database user that can only read, and refuses one that can write. Guardian checks every query before it runs and flags large pulls of personal data. Everything travels over HTTPS, the passwords you give Adea are encrypted with a key that belongs to your company alone, and no other company can see your numbers. ### How long does it take to set up? A couple of minutes to connect a database. Then Adea sets itself up: it learns what your tables mean and suggests the numbers to watch, and you check the first one. You can start free, with no card. ## Related comparisons - [**Adea vs Power BI ** Dashboards and reports](https://adea.app/vs/power-bi) - [**Adea vs Looker Studio ** Dashboards and reports](https://adea.app/vs/looker-studio) - [**Adea vs Metabase ** Dashboards and reports](https://adea.app/vs/metabase) - [**Adea vs a developer or analyst ** Asking someone](https://adea.app/vs/developer) ### See Adea for your business [Finance](https://adea.app/for/finance) [Leadership](https://adea.app/for/leadership) [Shops](https://adea.app/industries/webshops) [All comparisons](https://adea.app/vs) ## What do you want to know? [Start free](https://adea.app/signup) [Book 20 minutes](mailto:hello@adea.app?subject=20%20minutes%20about%20Adea)