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Top 6 AI assistants for finance teams

Six AI assistants a finance team might use every day. Four are general assistants that now work inside Excel or Google Sheets. One is built for cited research. ChatFin connects to the ERP and drafts entries for a person to approve.

Each entry covers price, data controls and how the assistant handles spreadsheets and finance data.

Page published on: 9 Oct 2026

The six at a glance

  1. 1
    ChatFin

    Finance and accounting teams on NetSuite, SAP, JD Edwards, Acumatica, Dynamics 365, Oracle Fusion or Sage Intacct that want AI agents to read and post inside that ERP, with a person approving each posting.

  2. 2
    Perplexity Enterprise

    Research with cited answers from the web and from your own connected files.

  3. 3
    ChatGPT Business and ChatGPT Enterprise

    A shared ChatGPT workspace with file analysis, deep research and admin controls; Business starts at two users.

  4. 4
    Claude (Team and Enterprise)

    Teams that want an assistant working inside Excel, Word, PowerPoint and Outlook; Team covers 2 to 150 people.

  5. 5
    Microsoft 365 Copilot (including Copilot in Excel)

    Companies already on Microsoft 365 that want AI inside Excel, Outlook and Teams.

  6. 6
    Gemini in Google Workspace

    Companies already on Google Workspace that want AI inside Sheets, Docs and Gmail.

1ChatFin

chatfin.ai

ChatFin is an AI agent platform for finance and accounting teams that connects to a company's existing ERP and runs close, AP, reconciliation and reporting work, routing each posting to a named approver.

Best for

Finance and accounting teams on NetSuite, SAP, JD Edwards, Acumatica, Dynamics 365, Oracle Fusion or Sage Intacct that want AI agents to read and post inside that ERP, with a person approving each posting.

What it does

  • Answers ad hoc finance questions in natural language with drill-down, and generates financial reports, KPI dashboards and variance reports.
  • Agents draft journal entries and accruals, a person approves before anything posts to the ERP, and every action is logged for audit.
  • Matches transactions across bank statements, ledgers and intercompany accounts, and flags and prioritizes exceptions.
  • Writes variance narratives, spots trends and anomalies, and produces forecasts from live ERP data.

AI features

Analytics AI
Module that produces variance analysis with written commentary, anomaly detection, forecasts from live ERP data, and KPI monitoring with alerts.
Automation AI
Module that runs multi-step workflows such as AP processing and multi-entity close coordination, with human approval gates and exception routing.
NetSuite MCP server (open source)
MIT-licensed Model Context Protocol server published by ChatFin Labs that lets MCP clients such as Claude Desktop retrieve NetSuite accounts, balances, invoices, bills and journal entries through SuiteQL and RESTlets.
SAP Business One MCP layer
ChatFin describes an MCP server on the SAP B1 Service Layer that exposes AP invoices, journal entries, business partners and inventory items to Claude, running under a B1 service account and its authorization groups.

Connects to

Oracle NetSuite, Oracle Fusion Cloud, JD Edwards EnterpriseOne, SAP Business One, SAP S/4HANA, Microsoft Dynamics 365, Sage Intacct, Acumatica, QuickBooks Online, Workday, Snowflake, Epicor Kinetic, Infor CloudSuite, Blackbaud Financial Edge NXT.

Connects through each system's own APIs (for example SuiteQL for NetSuite, Service Layer for SAP Business One, AIS for JD Edwards) under a dedicated service account that keeps the ERP's role permissions, and queries data in place rather than copying it.

The About page says on-premise and hybrid ERP setups are supported.

Data controls

Queries ERP data in place under a dedicated service account that keeps the ERP's role permissions, and a person approves each posting. The site shows SOC 2 and ISO 27001 badges but did not link a trust page or audit report when checked.

Pricing

No pricing is published; ChatFin sells through demos, and its free trial page says the trial is open to selected companies only.

Watch out for

Independent reviews are scarce: ChatFin's Product Hunt listing showed no reviews when checked, so ask for customer references before buying. It works only on the ERP and data systems it connects to.

2Perplexity Enterprise

Perplexity AI. perplexity.ai

AI research assistant that returns cited answers from the web and from connected company files.

Best for

Teams that need sourced answers and the admin controls IT asks for; Enterprise Max is the higher tier.

What it does

  • Cited web research with premium source citations from PitchBook, Statista and others.
  • File Connectors search Google Drive, OneDrive, SharePoint, Dropbox and Box, including XLSX, XLS, CSV and Google Sheets files, without copying them for standard search.

AI features

Perplexity Computer
Puts 20 advanced models to work on research, analysis and creation tasks; Enterprise Pro includes 500 Computer credits per seat per month, Enterprise Max 15,000.

Connects to

Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, SharePoint, Dropbox, Box, Slack, Snowflake, Salesforce, HubSpot.

Data controls

Enterprise Pro and Max 'don't use customer data to train AI models'; both meet SOC 2 Type II, HIPAA, GDPR and PCI DSS, with SSO; file retention configurable down to automatic deletion after 1 day.

Pricing

Enterprise Pro $34 per seat/month billed annually.

Watch out for

Several controls finance and IT teams expect are not self-serve: SCIM, audit logs, role-based access control and data retention configurability are marked 'Contract required' on the pricing comparison.

3ChatGPT Business and ChatGPT Enterprise

OpenAI. chatgpt.com

OpenAI's AI assistant, offered to companies as a shared workspace with chat, file analysis, deep research, connected apps and admin controls.

Best for

Business suits growing companies that want a shared workspace with company files and admin controls; Enterprise adds the security and support terms larger companies ask for.

What it does

  • ChatGPT for Excel and ChatGPT for Google Sheets: add-ins that build and update spreadsheet models, run scenarios, trace and fix formula errors, link answers to the exact cells used, and ask permission before editing. Generally available across all plans since 5 May 2026.
  • Data analysis, file uploads, interactive tables and charts, and deep research are included in Business and Enterprise; the Business plan's reasoning context window is listed at 256K tokens (about 320 pages of input).

AI features

ChatGPT for Excel / ChatGPT for Google Sheets
Launched in beta on 5 March 2026 on GPT-5.4; Google Sheets beta followed on 22 April 2026; both generally available on 5 May 2026, powered by GPT-5.5. In Enterprise workspaces access is off by default and admins enable it by role.

Connects to

Microsoft 365, Google Drive, Slack, GitHub, Linear, Figma, Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, FactSet, S&P Global, Moody's, Dow Jones Factiva, LSEG.

Data controls

Business and Enterprise: 'No training on your business data by default'; SOC 2 Type 2; ISO 27001, 27017, 27018 and 27701; SAML SSO and MFA.

Pricing

ChatGPT Business Standard seat: $20 per user/month billed annually, or $25 billed monthly.

Watch out for

Spreadsheet output still needs review: OpenAI's own launch post lists known limitations in which outputs 'may occasionally require cleanup' and 'complex formulas or edge cases may still require manual refinement'.

4Claude (Team and Enterprise)

Anthropic. claude.com

Anthropic's AI assistant on web, desktop and mobile, with Team and Enterprise plans for organizations.

Best for

Team covers 2 to 150 people; Enterprise is for larger companies.

What it does

  • Claude for Microsoft 365: builds models in Excel with real formulas across multiple tabs, pulls numbers from a Word brief, and carries context across Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Changes show as tracked changes in Word and highlighted cells in Excel.
  • Create and edit files with code execution, plus Research, Projects and enterprise search across the organization (Team and Enterprise).

AI features

Claude for Excel (now part of Claude for Microsoft 365)
Launched on 27 October 2025 as a beta research preview: a sidebar in Excel that reads, analyzes, modifies and creates workbooks and explains each change with links to the cells it touched. The current pricing page lists Claude for Microsoft 365 as a feature of paid plans.

Connects to

Microsoft 365 (SharePoint, OneDrive, Outlook, Teams), Google Drive, Google Calendar, Slack, Box, S&P Capital IQ, Daloopa, Morningstar, PitchBook, LSEG, FactSet.

Data controls

Team and Enterprise: 'No model training on your content by default', SSO and admin controls for connectors.

Pricing

Team Standard seat $20 per seat/month billed annually ($25 monthly); Team Premium seat (5x Standard usage) $100 billed annually ($125 monthly).

Watch out for

Enterprise cost is not fixed per seat: the plan is 'Seat price + usage at API rates', and Anthropic says 'usage cost scales with model and task', so heavy analysis raises the bill.

5Microsoft 365 Copilot (including Copilot in Excel)

Microsoft. microsoft.com

Microsoft's AI assistant built into Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Teams, grounded in an organization's Microsoft 365 data through Work IQ.

Best for

Organizations already running on Microsoft 365.

What it does

  • Agent Mode in Excel plans steps, acts directly in the workbook, iterates and validates results; Microsoft cites workbook creation, formula repair, and chart and PivotTable generation, plus web search with citations.
  • Researcher and Analyst agents for advanced reasoning over work data.

AI features

Agent Mode in Excel with model choice
Users can pick between OpenAI and Anthropic models (GPT 5.2 and Claude Opus 4.5 at the January 2026 announcement) or leave it on Auto.

Connects to

SharePoint, OneDrive, Microsoft Teams, Outlook, Excel, 100+ Copilot connectors for line-of-business data.

Data controls

Microsoft says data is 'encrypted at rest and in transit, isolated between tenants, and not used to train foundation models'.

Pricing

Microsoft 365 Copilot: $30.00 per user/month paid yearly, or $31.50 paid monthly with an annual commitment.

Watch out for

It is an add-on, not a standalone tool: the Copilot Business add-on 'is available only to existing Microsoft 365 customers with an eligible Business plan', requires an annual commitment, and agent usage is metered on top.

6Gemini in Google Workspace

Google. workspace.google.com

Google's AI built into Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Drive and Meet, plus the Gemini app and Gemini Notebook, included in Google Workspace business plans rather than sold as a separate add-on.

Best for

Companies that already run on Google Workspace.

What it does

  • Gemini in Sheets builds or edits spreadsheets from a description using native formulas, pivot tables and charts, and can synthesize data from Workspace apps and the web.
  • Writes formulas from scratch, explains formula errors in plain language and fixes them; 'Fill with Gemini' fills whole tables.

AI features

Gemini in Sheets
Spreadsheet building, formula help, insights and 'Sheets canvas' dashboards and mini-apps.

Connects to

Google Drive, Gmail, BigQuery (Connected Sheets), Looker (Connected Sheets), Intuit QuickBooks, Salesforce, HubSpot, Asana, Microsoft Excel file import.

Data controls

Google says content 'is not human reviewed or otherwise used for Generative AI model training outside your domain without permission' and is not used for ads.

Pricing

Gemini is bundled into Workspace plans.

Watch out for

Spreadsheet AI depends on the tier: on Google's plan comparison, Gemini inside Workspace apps such as Docs and Sheets is listed for Standard and Enterprise, while Starter gets Gemini in Gmail plus the Gemini app and Gemini Notebook.

Side by side

ToolPublished priceNamed AI featuresConnects to
ChatFinNot publishedAnalytics AI, Automation AI, NetSuite MCP server (open source)Oracle NetSuite, Oracle Fusion Cloud, JD Edwards EnterpriseOne, SAP Business One, SAP S/4HANA and 9 more listed
Perplexity Enterprise$34 per seat a month (Enterprise Pro, annual)Perplexity Computer, Finance data toolsGoogle Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, SharePoint, Dropbox, Box and 4 more listed
ChatGPT Business and ChatGPT Enterprise$20 per user a month (Business, annual); Enterprise by quoteChatGPT for Excel / ChatGPT for Google Sheets, Financial data appsMicrosoft 365, Google Drive, Slack, GitHub, Linear and 8 more listed
Claude (Team and Enterprise)$20 per seat a month (Team, annual); Enterprise $20 plus usageClaude for Excel (now part of Claude for Microsoft 365), Finance Agent SkillsMicrosoft 365 (SharePoint, OneDrive, Outlook, Teams), Google Drive, Google Calendar, Slack, Box and 6 more listed
Microsoft 365 Copilot (including Copilot in Excel)$30 per user a month (annual)Agent Mode in Excel with model choice, Analyst and Researcher agentsSharePoint, OneDrive, Microsoft Teams, Outlook, Excel and 1 more listed
Gemini in Google WorkspaceIncluded in Google Workspace business plansGemini in Sheets, Gemini app and Gemini NotebookGoogle Drive, Gmail, BigQuery (Connected Sheets), Looker (Connected Sheets), Intuit QuickBooks and 4 more listed

Which one fits

  • You want an assistant that drafts journal entries inside your ERP for a person to approve

    Pick ChatFin. ChatFin connects to NetSuite, SAP, JD Edwards, Sage Intacct and other ERPs under a service account that keeps ERP role permissions, and a person approves each posting. Independent reviews are scarce and no prices are published, so ask for customer references.

  • Your analysts research companies and markets from outside sources

    Pick Perplexity Enterprise. Perplexity returns cited answers, and Computer can pull from SEC filings, FactSet and S&P Global, with Enterprise Pro at $34 per seat a month billed annually. SCIM, audit logs and role-based access need a contract.

  • Your analysts build models in Excel or Google Sheets

    Pick ChatGPT Business and ChatGPT Enterprise. ChatGPT for Excel and Google Sheets builds and updates models and links answers to the cells it used, and a Business Standard seat is $20 per user a month billed annually. OpenAI says complex formulas may still need manual fixes, and Standard seats carry a 5-hour usage limit.

  • You want one assistant across Excel, Word, PowerPoint and Outlook

    Pick Claude (Team and Enterprise). Claude for Microsoft 365 builds Excel models with real formulas and shows its changes as highlighted cells, and a Team Standard seat is $20 a month billed annually. Enterprise adds usage at API rates on top of the seat, so heavy analysis raises the bill.

  • Your company runs on Microsoft 365

    Pick Microsoft 365 Copilot (including Copilot in Excel). Copilot works inside Excel, Outlook and Teams, and Agent Mode in Excel repairs formulas and builds PivotTables. It is an add-on at $30 per user a month paid yearly for enterprise plans, with agent usage metered on top.

  • Your company runs on Google Workspace

    Pick Gemini in Google Workspace. Gemini comes in Workspace Business and Enterprise plans with no add-on purchase, and Gemini in Sheets writes and fixes formulas. Sheets and Docs support is listed for Standard and Enterprise only, so Starter users get Gemini in Gmail and the Gemini app.

Questions to ask in a demo

  • Which admin controls, such as SCIM, audit logs and data retention, come with the plan you are quoting?
  • What happens to cost or access when a user goes past the seat's usage allowance?
  • When the assistant edits a workbook, how does a reviewer see and approve each change?
  • Is the Excel or Sheets feature you showed available in our region and on our tier?

How we chose

We picked six tools for the job and checked every capability, integration and price on the vendor's own pages on 9 October 2026, or on a filing or news report. Figures are the vendors' own claims unless noted.

We left out a tool for building agents and a research notebook that comes bundled with the Google Workspace plans covered here.

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