What does Copilot in Excel do for finance?

Copilot in Excel, with a Microsoft 365 Copilot licence, adds finance skills such as building a DCF or a variance analysis, custom skills stored as SKILL.md files, and connectors to data providers such as FactSet, PitchBook and S&P Global. Copilot edits appear in Show Changes.

Can Copilot in Excel use Claude?

Microsoft offers Anthropic models as an option in Copilot. Layerz takes a different approach: you connect your own Claude account, or any MCP client, and it edits a structured model in Layerz.

Do I need Microsoft 365 to use Layerz?

No. Layerz is a web application. Its .xlsx export, with live formulas, opens in Excel, including with Copilot, for clients who use Microsoft 365.

How much does each cost?

Copilot in Excel comes with a Microsoft 365 Copilot licence or a Microsoft 365 Personal, Family or Premium subscription. Individual: free, unlimited models, one editor. Team: 49 € excl. tax per editor per month, from the second editor.

Comparisons

Layerz vs Copilot in Excel

Short answer

Copilot in Excel is Microsoft's AI inside Excel: with a Microsoft 365 Copilot licence it adds finance skills such as a DCF or a variance analysis, data connectors to providers like FactSet and S&P Global, and edits tracked in Show Changes. Layerz is a structured spreadsheet that your own Claude drives through MCP, keeping named variables, a history and the model's conventions between sessions, with a standard .xlsx export. Choose Copilot when the company standardises on Microsoft 365 and its data providers; choose Layerz for a model you maintain with Claude across sessions and clients.

Last reviewed 2026-10-19 by Anthony Barbey. Facts about Copilot in Excel come from its public pages, linked under Sources.

Comparison table

Fact	Copilot in Excel	Layerz
What it is	Microsoft's AI assistant inside ExcelMicrosoft, Copilot in Excel built for the era of frontier finance (25 June 2026)	A structured spreadsheet built for an AI agent to edit
Finance features	Skills (for example a DCF or a variance analysis), custom skills as SKILL.md files, Plan with Copilot in previewas of 2026-10-19 · Microsoft, Copilot in Excel built for the era of frontier finance (25 June 2026)	Your agent's skills, plus FINANCE.md conventions on every model
Market data	Connectors to CB Insights, Daloopa, FactSet, Morningstar, PitchBook and S&P Globalas of 2026-10-19 · Microsoft, Copilot in Excel built for the era of frontier finance (25 June 2026)	Actuals from Pennylane, Qonto and Stripe, FEC, DATEV, Excel and CSV
Where the model lives	In the workbook cells; Copilot edits appear in Show ChangesMicrosoft, Copilot in Excel built for the era of frontier finance (25 June 2026)	In Layerz, as named variables with a history; Excel is an export
AI model	Microsoft's choice; Anthropic models available as an optionas of 2026-10-19 · Microsoft Support, Copilot in Excel	The agent you connect: Claude or any MCP client
History	Excel file history (OneDrive or SharePoint)	Individual: 24-hour history and one pinned version. Team: 30-day history, unlimited pinned versions.
Licence	Microsoft 365 Copilot (business) or Microsoft 365 Personal, Family or Premiumas of 2026-10-19 · Microsoft Support, Copilot in Excel	Individual (free) and Team
Excel in	Native	Excel and CSV import, with a fidelity score for the formulas kept live
Excel out	Native	.xlsx with live formulas, JSON and raw export, on every plan

Choose Copilot in Excel if

The client standardises on Microsoft 365 and its IT approves Copilot, not other assistants.
You need market data from providers such as FactSet or S&P Global in the workbook.
The work is analysis on a workbook rather than a model maintained over time.

What Copilot in Excel does well

It lives in the Excel and Microsoft 365 environment the client already runs.
Finance skills and connectors to market data providers, out of the box with the licence.
Copilot edits appear in Show Changes, so reviewers can see what the AI did.

Choose Layerz if

You use Claude and want it, rather than a second assistant, to maintain the model.
The model is updated every month and has to keep its structure and conventions.
You work across several clients, some of them outside Microsoft 365.
You need a model-level history with a diff, not only a list of cell changes.

Using both

Build and maintain the model in Layerz with your own Claude.
Export a standard .xlsx with live formulas to the client.
The client works on it in Excel with Copilot, and you import the changes back if the model needs them.

Pricing

Copilot in Excel: Copilot in Excel needs a Microsoft 365 Copilot licence (an add-on to a qualifying business plan) or a Microsoft 365 Personal, Family or Premium subscription, as of 2026-10-19.

Layerz: Individual: free, unlimited models, one editor. Team: 49 € excl. tax per editor per month, from the second editor. .xlsx with live formulas, JSON and raw export on every plan, never paywalled. Pricing

FAQ

What does Copilot in Excel do for finance?: Copilot in Excel, with a Microsoft 365 Copilot licence, adds finance skills such as building a DCF or a variance analysis, custom skills stored as SKILL.md files, and connectors to data providers such as FactSet, PitchBook and S&P Global. Copilot edits appear in Show Changes.
Can Copilot in Excel use Claude?: Microsoft offers Anthropic models as an option in Copilot. Layerz takes a different approach: you connect your own Claude account, or any MCP client, and it edits a structured model in Layerz.
Do I need Microsoft 365 to use Layerz?: No. Layerz is a web application. Its .xlsx export, with live formulas, opens in Excel, including with Copilot, for clients who use Microsoft 365.
How much does each cost?: Copilot in Excel comes with a Microsoft 365 Copilot licence or a Microsoft 365 Personal, Family or Premium subscription. Individual: free, unlimited models, one editor. Team: 49 € excl. tax per editor per month, from the second editor.