Microsoft Excel is undoubtedly one of the most powerful apps out there to work with numbers. However, it requires an Office 365 subscription or an Office 2024 purchase, which isn’t feasible for a lot of users. If you don’t want to shell out money, a good alternative to Excel is Google Sheets. Not only is it free to use, but it is also a simpler version for students with less intimidating features and options. Moreover, you also get a plethora of templates and features like extensions for added functionality.
Speaking of extensions, one of the primary reasons I prefer using Google Sheets over MS Excel is the add-ons from the Google Store. Just like how you can add extensions to Google Chrome, Google allows you to pick from several add-ons to improve the experience of using Sheets. These add-ons range from generative AI bots to tools that can import data from various sources. After trying out multiple different ones, I’ve come up with a list of the best Google Sheets add-ons to improve your productivity and workflow.
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6
GPT for Google Workspace
Make your life easier with AI
There’s no denying that generative AI has changed our lives in the past year or so. It has never been easier to generate a piece of text or even an image, for that matter, via a single command. Well, GPT for Google Workspace brings those same advancements to Google Sheets for absolutely free! You don’t need a subscription to ChatGPT, nor do you need the premium plan of Google’s Gemini AI assistant. Simply install the add-on and you will see a persistent chatbox appear on your spreadsheet.
Use the search bar to ask any query of your choice and GPT will make working on the spreadsheet much easier. For example, I asked it to generate a table consisting of some healthy food items with low calories. Then, I asked GPT to read through the data to find the item with the lowest calories. It performed both steps accurately and in a matter of a few seconds. While these were simple use cases, the real time-saver is when you’re working with large chunks of data and you want to extract valuable information in quick time.
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Moreover, the add-on can even generate charges and graphs based on the data, which is extremely handy if you’re unaware of how to generate graphics inside Google Sheets. I would say GPT for Google Workspace is a must-have for both beginners and advanced users.
5
Mailmeteor
Automate sending emails
Several jobs involve emailing multiple recipients at once. While you can employ manual methods of doing this, like entering every single recipient’s email ID manually on the email client of your choice, it’s quite inefficient and isn’t feasible all the time. Mailmeteor makes it a lot easier by allowing you to create a mailing campaign directly on Google Sheets. You may have a database of all the recipients you want to send the email to. Simply import it into Sheets if that’s not where it’s already stored, and run the Mailmeteor add-on.
The extension automatically picks up all the email IDs you have entered into the spreadsheet and combines them into a mailing list. You can then type out the contents of the email and save it as a template. Once you hit Send, Mailmeteor will automatically email all the email IDs that are a part of the sheet. This saves you from a lot of manual labor which would otherwise take up a lot of time. While the free version has a limit of 50 campaigns a month, you can opt for the premium version if you find the feature useful.
I would say this is a must-have if you are in a PR role and have to send out press releases to multiple clients at the same time. Another use case would be if you’re a journalist and want to reach out to a few executives for a quote or their response to a story.
4
Awesome Table
Tabulate your data like a pro
Power users of Google Sheets import data from many different sources, either for comparison or tabulation. Even something like building a dashboard in Sheets requires importing data from several online or offline sources. While there are built-in tools to import data into Sheets from a few clients, it’s not extensive and is only limited to certain sources. A quick fix to this problem is to use Awesome Table — an add-on for Google Sheets that allows users to import data from 30+ platforms across various categories.
There’s QuickBooks for accounting, Salesforce for CRM and customer support, Figma for design, GitHub for development, Shopify and Stripe for e-commerce, and a lot more. All you have to do is select the service you want to link to, add the relevant credentials, and connect your account from the platform to Awesome Table. You can then start importing any data from the linked platforms and tabulate them on Google Sheets.
The best part is, that you can use multiple add-ons for the same purpose. For instance, use the GPT add-on mentioned earlier to analyze the data and create graphics for the data you just imported using Awesome Table. How cool is that?
3
AppSheet
Create apps inside Sheets without coding
Do you ever feel the need for an app that specifically performs a certain task and can be used by all the employees in your organization? If an app that fulfills those needs doesn’t already exist, don’t worry. You can now make one inside Google Sheets — that too, without any prior knowledge of programming or building apps. Yes, you read that right. Google Sheets can also be used as a no-code platform to build your own apps to perform specific functions — thanks to AppSheet!
If you’re wondering what type of apps you can build, there are some pre-made templates that include apps used for managing an inventory, collecting data via surveys, tracking projects via a dashboard (like Asana, Trello, or Basecamp), scheduling deliveries, etc. You can either pick a template and replicate it for your organization with some changes, or build your own app with specific requirements from scratch. Once your app is built, you can share it with the members of your organization and collaborate with them on Google Sheets.
2
Autocrat
Merge spreadsheets with other file formats
Google Sheets offers a great way to work on numbers and tabulate our data. However, you may not want to share the data with clients or stakeholders in the form of a spreadsheet. A good way to present your data would be to create a document or even a PDF and share it with the concerned individuals. One way of doing this is exporting the spreadsheet as a document or a PDF. However, this often messes up the formatting. So, the best solution is to use an add-on like Autocrat.
Autocrat merges your spreadsheet into docs or PDFs, even if that means not creating a new document. For example, let’s say you already have a document consisting of some text and important information. Autocrat can merge the contents of the spreadsheet into that existing document so you can retain the information while adding the data from the sheet. Notably, Autocrat can do this even with PDFs which is helpful since you wouldn’t need a separate PDF editor to merge files.
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1
Free icons, photos & illustrations
Give your spreadsheets a visual overhaul
While all the add-ons mentioned above are utilitarian and allow you to add more functionality to Google Sheets, Free icons, photos & illustrations is targeted more towards those who want to add an aesthetic touch to their spreadsheets. No, I’m not talking about fancy graphs or pie charts. Instead, I’m referring to making your spreadsheets more visually appealing with the help of emojis, icons, and art!
Once you launch the extension, a sidebar on the right will pop up with a bunch of popular icons and illustrations that you can use for free inside your spreadsheet. All you have to do is click on any icon of your choice to add it to a cell on the sheet. I personally loved the monochrome icons since they add so much character to something as mundane as spreadsheets. You should definitely include this add-on to Google Sheets to make your meetings and presentations more fun!
Take your spreadsheets to the next level
If you primarily use Google Sheets for all your number-crunching needs, including these add-ons in your workflow can make you more productive while also making your spreadsheets look more attractive! The GPT one, especially, is a no-brainer since it saves you a ton of time on a regular basis.