{
    "slug": "excel",
    "name": "Microsoft Excel",
    "entity_id": "https://helpcompare.com/tools/excel/#software",
    "record_url": "https://helpcompare.com/data/tools/excel.json",
    "page_url": "https://helpcompare.com/tools/excel/",
    "verified_at": "2026-09-24",
    "license": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
    "attribution": "HelpCompare - https://helpcompare.com/tools/excel/",
    "generated": "2026-10-15T15:54:33+00:00",
    "how_to_read": "record = this tool's row of /data/tools.json (schema /data/schema/tools.schema.json); security = its row of /data/security-offline-remote.json (null = not researched yet); ai_pricing = its rows of /data/ai-pricing.json; sources = every URL these values were checked against. Values are verified data; nothing here is an editorial rating.",
    "record": {
        "slug": "excel",
        "name": "Microsoft Excel",
        "category": "Business Email & Office Suites",
        "official_site": "https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/excel",
        "helpcompare_url": "https://helpcompare.com/tools/excel/",
        "entry_price_usd": 7,
        "entry_price_unit": "user",
        "entry_price_unit_label": "per user per month, paid yearly ($8.40 paid monthly), Microsoft 365 Business Basic with web and mobile Excel",
        "entry_price_included_users": null,
        "entry_price_min_users": null,
        "entry_price_unit_source": "https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/business/microsoft-365-business-basic",
        "entry_price_text": "Free (web); Microsoft 365 Business Basic $7/user/mo (annual)",
        "entry_price_source": "https://helpcompare.com/airtable-vs-excel/",
        "free_plan": "Yes — Excel for the web with a free Microsoft account",
        "free_trial": "One-month trial of Microsoft 365 business plans",
        "pricing_model": "Per user per month as part of Microsoft 365; Excel for the web free",
        "ai_feature": null,
        "ai_pricing_model": null,
        "ai_pricing_detail": null,
        "rating": null,
        "review_count": null,
        "rating_source": null,
        "rating_listing": null,
        "rating_url": null,
        "rating_checked": null,
        "rating_note": null,
        "last_verified": "2026-09-24",
        "comparisons": [
            {
                "title": "Airtable vs Excel",
                "url": "https://helpcompare.com/airtable-vs-excel/",
                "last_verified": "2026-09-24"
            }
        ],
        "migrations_from": [
            {
                "to": "Airtable",
                "url": "https://helpcompare.com/excel-to-airtable-migration/"
            }
        ],
        "migrations_to": [
            {
                "from": "Airtable",
                "url": "https://helpcompare.com/airtable-to-excel-migration/"
            }
        ]
    },
    "security": {
        "slug": "excel",
        "name": "Microsoft Excel",
        "category": "Business Email & Office Suites",
        "checked": "2026-09-24",
        "scope": "Researched as sold to businesses in Microsoft 365; security, compliance and access controls are Microsoft 365 tenant-level (Entra ID / Purview / SharePoint-OneDrive), not specific to Excel.",
        "profile_url": "https://helpcompare.com/tools/excel/#security-offline-remote",
        "trust_center": "https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/trust-center",
        "fields": {
            "soc2": {
                "v": "Type II",
                "src": "https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/compliance/regulatory/offering-soc-2",
                "q": "The Azure SOC 2 Type 2 attestation report shows Microsoft online services in scope"
            },
            "iso27001": {
                "v": true,
                "src": "https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/compliance/regulatory/offering-iso-27001",
                "q": "Auditors review Office 365 cloud services at least annually against the ISO 27001:2013 standard."
            },
            "other_certs": {
                "v": [
                    "ISO/IEC 27017",
                    "ISO/IEC 27018"
                ],
                "src": "https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/compliance/regulatory/offering-iso-27018",
                "q": "Office 365: ISO 27001, 27018, and 27017 Audit Assessment Report"
            },
            "hipaa": {
                "v": "BAA available",
                "src": "https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/compliance/regulatory/offering-hipaa-hitech",
                "q": "Microsoft enters into Business Associate Agreements with its covered entity and business associate customers to support their compliance with HIPAA obligations."
            },
            "gdpr_dpa": {
                "v": true,
                "src": "https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/compliance/regulatory/offering-hipaa-hitech",
                "q": "is available through the Microsoft Online Services Data Protection Addendum by default to all customers who are covered entities or business associates under HIPAA."
            },
            "sso_saml": {
                "v": true,
                "src": "https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/entra/identity/hybrid/connect/how-to-connect-fed-saml-idp",
                "q": "configure your SAML 2.0 identity provider to federate with Microsoft Entra ID to enable single sign-on access to one or more Microsoft cloud services (such as Microsoft 365)"
            },
            "scim": {
                "v": null
            },
            "mfa": {
                "v": true,
                "src": "https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/entra/fundamentals/security-defaults",
                "q": "Security defaults users are required to register for and use multifactor authentication using the Microsoft Authenticator app using notifications"
            },
            "audit_log": {
                "v": true,
                "src": "https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/purview/audit-solutions-overview",
                "q": "Your organization's unified audit log captures, records, and retains thousands of user and admin operations performed in dozens of Microsoft services and solutions."
            },
            "data_residency": {
                "v": [
                    "AU",
                    "AT",
                    "BR",
                    "CA",
                    "CL",
                    "DK",
                    "FR",
                    "DE",
                    "IN",
                    "ID",
                    "IL",
                    "IT",
                    "JP",
                    "MY",
                    "MX",
                    "NZ",
                    "NO",
                    "PL",
                    "QA",
                    "ZA",
                    "KR",
                    "ES",
                    "SE",
                    "CH",
                    "TW",
                    "AE",
                    "UK"
                ],
                "plan": "Advanced Data Residency (add-on)",
                "src": "https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/enterprise/o365-data-locations",
                "q": "Tenants in certain Local Region Geographies have access to Advanced Data Residency which provides more data residency commitments for certain in scope services."
            },
            "encryption": {
                "v": "BitLocker disk encryption plus per-file AES-256 encryption at rest (OneDrive/SharePoint); SSL/TLS in transit",
                "src": "https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/purview/data-encryption-in-odb-and-spo",
                "q": "Every step of this encryption uses Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) with 256-bit keys and is Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 140-2 compliant."
            },
            "self_host": {
                "v": null
            },
            "mode": {
                "v": "full",
                "summary": "The Excel mobile/tablet apps can create new workbooks and edit files offline (cloud files must have been opened online once), and pending changes sync when you reconnect.",
                "src": "https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/can-i-work-offline-3cdc0690-7332-4d4b-8884-ba2a353a42d8",
                "q": "You can create a blank document, workbook, or presentation when offline."
            },
            "desktop": {
                "v": [
                    "Windows",
                    "macOS"
                ],
                "src": "https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/excel",
                "q": "Use on PCs, Macs, phones, and tablets"
            },
            "mobile": {
                "v": [
                    "iOS",
                    "Android"
                ],
                "src": "https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/excel",
                "q": "Works on web, iOS, and Android"
            },
            "limits": {
                "v": "Files on OneDrive, SharePoint or other cloud storage must have been opened online at least once before they can be worked on offline.",
                "src": "https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/can-i-work-offline-3cdc0690-7332-4d4b-8884-ba2a353a42d8",
                "q": "To work on a file on OneDrive, OneDrive Business, SharePoint, DropBox, or Google Drive, you'll need to have opened the file in online mode at least once."
            },
            "ip_allowlist": {
                "v": true,
                "plan": "Microsoft 365 Business Premium (or Entra ID P1)",
                "src": "https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/entra/identity/conditional-access/policy-block-by-location",
                "q": "With the location condition in Conditional Access, you can control access to your cloud apps based on the network location of a user."
            },
            "device_controls": {
                "v": true,
                "plan": "Microsoft 365 Business Premium (or Entra ID P1)",
                "summary": "Entra Conditional Access can require MFA, compliant or hybrid-joined devices, approved client apps or app protection policies; SharePoint/OneDrive can block unmanaged devices or limit them to browser-only access with no download, print or sync.",
                "src": "https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/control-access-from-unmanaged-devices",
                "q": "Users on unmanaged devices have browser-only access with no ability to download, print, or sync files."
            },
            "office_hardware": {
                "v": null
            }
        },
        "facts": [
            {
                "topic": "offline",
                "text": "Edits made in the Excel mobile apps while offline sync automatically once the device is back online.",
                "src": "https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/can-i-work-offline-3cdc0690-7332-4d4b-8884-ba2a353a42d8",
                "q": "If at any time you lose your Internet connection or turn it off, any pending changes will sync as soon as you're back online."
            },
            {
                "topic": "remote",
                "text": "When access is limited on unmanaged (e.g. personal home) devices, users get browser-only access and cannot open content in the Office desktop apps.",
                "src": "https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/control-access-from-unmanaged-devices",
                "q": "They also won't be able to access content through apps, including the Microsoft Office desktop apps."
            },
            {
                "topic": "security",
                "text": "Location (IP) and device rules use Entra Conditional Access, which needs Entra ID P1 licenses or Microsoft 365 Business Premium.",
                "src": "https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/entra/identity/conditional-access/overview",
                "q": "Customers with Microsoft 365 Business Premium licenses can also use Conditional Access features."
            },
            {
                "topic": "security",
                "text": "Tenants in 27 local region geographies (e.g. Australia, Canada, Germany, Japan, UK) can buy Advanced Data Residency for stronger in-country storage commitments.",
                "src": "https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/enterprise/o365-data-locations",
                "q": "Tenants in certain Local Region Geographies have access to Advanced Data Residency which provides more data residency commitments for certain in scope services."
            }
        ]
    },
    "ai_pricing": [],
    "sources": [
        "https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/excel",
        "https://helpcompare.com/airtable-vs-excel/",
        "https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/business/microsoft-365-business-basic",
        "https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/compliance/regulatory/offering-soc-2",
        "https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/compliance/regulatory/offering-iso-27001",
        "https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/compliance/regulatory/offering-iso-27018",
        "https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/compliance/regulatory/offering-hipaa-hitech",
        "https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/entra/identity/hybrid/connect/how-to-connect-fed-saml-idp",
        "https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/entra/fundamentals/security-defaults",
        "https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/purview/audit-solutions-overview",
        "https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/enterprise/o365-data-locations",
        "https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/purview/data-encryption-in-odb-and-spo",
        "https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/can-i-work-offline-3cdc0690-7332-4d4b-8884-ba2a353a42d8",
        "https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/excel",
        "https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/entra/identity/conditional-access/policy-block-by-location",
        "https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/control-access-from-unmanaged-devices"
    ],
    "datasets": "https://helpcompare.com/data/manifest.json"
}