Although Microsoft Excel's default functions meet the needs of most professionals, perhaps you could still benefit from occasional enhancements. Here is where Excel add-ins come into play. These little plugins can unlock your hidden potential and transform the way you work. Whether you are a casual Excel user or a seasoned pro, check out the top Excel add-ins to take your skills to the next level.
You don't need to download every mentioned add-in on the list, of course. Select ones depending on your specific needs and workflow. Most paid plugins come with a free trial, so make sure to take advantage of this to see which ones maximize your Excel productivity.
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What is an Excel add-in?
Before I get into the top Excel add-ins, let's have a quick word about them. Excel plugins are small programs that you can install to enhance Excel's functionality. They offer additional features, tools, commands and can offer huge time-saving for Excel power users.
How to find and download Excel plugins
Microsoft offers a dedicated add-in store on Excel. You can download and set up each add-in within your Excel account using the steps below.
Open any workbook in Microsoft Excel. Go to the Home tab. Select Add-ins and search for one that you want to download.
Click Add beside an add-in. You can even click on the add-in to open additional information and select Add from the same menu.
Agree to the terms and conditions, and your add-in will be ready to use from the sidebar.
Here are some of our favorites to help get you started!
15 ChartExpo
Source: Microsoft
While Excel comes with a range of chart options, they can be limiting in certain use cases. Here is where ChartExpo comes into play. It unlocks a wide array of chart types, such as Sankey diagrams, Marimekko charts, Gauge charts, Likert Scale charts, and many more. You can also customize them with various colors, fonts, labels, and other visual elements.
ChartExpo
See at Microsoft AppSource
14 Draw.io
Source: Microsoft
Draw.io plugin for Excel offers a seamless way to embed flowcharts, UML, mockups, mind maps, and other types of diagrams in your workbook. It has an intuitive drag-and-drop interface to simplify the diagram customization. As for flexibility, you can import existing diagrams from various formats and export your creations in different formats.
Whether you're a business analyst, project manager, software developer, or simply someone who wants to communicate information visually, Draw.io can be an excellent tool to enhance your workflow.
Draw.io
See at Microsoft AppSource
13 ChatGPT for Excel
Powered by the latest AI models, ChatGPT unlocks the trendy AI bot in your Excel. If you don't prefer Microsoft Copilot, you can give this a try. It can get you relevant questions and answers, create AI-powered tables, translate content, format your data for better consistency, extract valuable information, and even clean your data and fill in missing ranges.
ChatGPT for Excel
See at Microsoft AppSource
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12 Jira Cloud for Excel
Source: Microsoft
If you or your organization uses Jira to manage projects, this official add-in from Atlassian (the parent company of Jira) is a must-have for you. You can seamlessly import your Jira reports and use Excel pivot tables and interactive dashboards to create custom reports and charts to review pressing data quickly. You can also schedule reports that make weekly reporting a breeze.
This add-in does require a Jira cloud subscription.
Jira Cloud for Excel
See at Microsoft AppSource
11 Stock Connector
Source: Microsoft
As the name suggests, Stock Connector lets you track prices of stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, currencies, and crypto directly within your spreadsheets. The add-in extracts relevant data from reliable sources, making sure you have access to accurate information for US and international markets. It automatically updates the stock prices, and you can choose to see the latest price or how much the stock has moved throughout the day.
The add-in is free to use. But with an optional donation, you can unlock more features like real-time price updates. It's a handy Excel plugin for anyone who wants to track their investments or create detailed financial models in Excel.
Stock Connector
See at Microsoft AppSource
10 People Graph
Source: Microsoft
Does your workflow require a people graph style for your data? Since Excel doesn't support such graphs by default, you need to rely on third-party add-ins like People Graph to get the job done. With a single click, you can insert a people graph to display your data and tell the story in a unique way.
People Graph
See at Microsoft AppSource
9 Lucidchart
Source: Microsoft
If you don't prefer the Draw.io plugin, go with Lucidchart to insert flowcharts, mind maps, and other diagramming solutions into your Excel workbook. Such charts simplify complexity, align your team's insights, and improve clarity among collaborators. The company offers multiple options to create stunning charts and lets you refresh them with just a single click. The company also has separate extensions for other Microsoft 365 apps, including Outlook, Word, and PowerPoint.
Lucidchart
See at Microsoft AppSource
8 Supermetrics
Source: Microsoft
Supermetrics is a must-have plugin for your marketing and sales department. It lets you pull data from 100+ tools into your Excel spreadsheets in minutes. Whether you want to analyze advertising spends on Meta, campaign performance, or website metrics, you can simply use Supermetrics to pull data into your Excel sheet.
It offers automation to pull data weekly, daily, or monthly, a reporting template to get started with your data quickly, AI reporting, and more. The add-in supports Facebook Ads, Google Ads, Azure Synapse, Apple Search, Quora, TikTok, X, and many other ads.
Supermetrics
See at Microsoft AppSource
7 Adobe Acrobat
Adobe Acrobat is one of the most frequently used Excel plugins in my workflow. When you first install it, sign in with your Adobe account and get ready to upload your Excel workbooks with just a single click. You can upload your Excel sheet as a PDF, add a password if required, and make it available on all your devices via Adobe Document Cloud. You no longer need to save and upload it somewhere separately.
Adobe Acrobat for Excel
See at Microsoft AppSource
6 Vertex42 Template Gallery
Close
Though Microsoft Excel offers an extensive library of templates in various categories, some users may still find it difficult to pick a suitable one. Instead of browsing the web or third-party e-commerce platforms like Etsy for Excel templates, you can simply download the Vertex42 plugin and unlock 300+ templates for your workflow.
These templates are divided into multiple categories such as invoices, inventory, project management, calendar, planner, and more.
Vertex42
See at Microsoft AppSource
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5 SmartCharts
Source: Microsoft
SmartCharts is another capable Excel plugin that unlocks a host of charts for your workbook. Thanks to multiple charts like stacked area, bubble chart, pie chart, treemap chart, weekday chart, and more, you can quickly spot trends and patterns and take the necessary actions accordingly. The add-in is also smart enough to show chart suggestions and lets you filter data using default Excel functions.
SmartCharts
See at Microsoft AppSource
4 Zebra BI Charts
Source: Microsoft
Zebra BI Charts is another highly-rated Excel plugin that unlocks a range of charts in your Excel workbook. You can add different chart types like hills & valleys, advanced waterfalls, stacked charts, combo charts, and more. You can also pick a chart chooser to help you find the right chart for the current data.
As always, the plugin supports ample customization options, allowing users to adjust colors, fonts, labels, legends, and other visual elements to align with their branding and reporting style.
Zebra BI Charts
See at Microsoft AppSource
3 DIY Portfolio Manager
Source: Microsoft
DIY Portfolio Manager is an excellent Excel add-in for individuals who want to take control of their investments and make informed decisions. You can monitor your personal investments, glance over holdings and transactions, and manage overall portfolio performance like a pro.
Aside from real-time performance monitoring, it offers mobile access to view your portfolio directly on your phone or tablet. It's fully customizable, keeps your data secure, and remains a cost-effective alternative to professional portfolio management software.
DIY Portfolio Manager
See at Microsoft AppSource
2 Excel-to-Word Automation
If you frequently switch between Microsoft 365 apps, use this add-in to update your Word and PowerPoint files from Excel data, calculations, tables, and charts. It basically bridges the gap between Excel and Word and automatically updates Word documents based on data stored in Excel workbooks.
The company offers a sample document to help you get started with the process. You can create customized letters or emails for clients based on your Excel database, generate custom reports and invoices, and even speed up your legal agreements using Excel data fields. Needless to say, Excel-to-Word Automation is another time-saving add-in for Microsoft 365 users.
Excel-to-Word Automation
See at Microsoft AppSource
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1 Microsoft Power Automate
Source: Microsoft
Previously known as Microsoft Flow, Power Automate lets you automate repetitive tasks and workflows by integrating your favorite apps and services. It works with Microsoft apps as well as third-party tools. You can connect Excel to SharePoint, OneDrive, Teams, Salesforce, and other platforms and set up triggers.
For instance, you can set a trigger where the system sends an email notification when a new row is added to a spreadsheet. It offers a user-friendly interface to create different triggers without any coding language.
It saves time, reduces errors, improves efficiency, and improves collaboration. And since Power Automate is cloud-based, you can access and edit your flows from anywhere.
Microsoft Power Automate
See at Microsoft AppSource
Crush complex tasks
From automating tedious tasks and unlocking new charts, to integrating your favorite productivity apps into Excel, these tools offer something for everyone. After all, Microsoft Excel isn't just about rows and columns; it's about unlocking the insights hidden within your data. So, what are you waiting for? Embrace these plugins and experiment with others as well, to discover the true power of Excel.
Once your Excel workbook is ready, make sure to follow our checklist before sharing it with others.