Is Layerz a spreadsheet?

Yes. Layerz is a structured spreadsheet: the model is a grid of lines over periods, like Excel, but every line is a named variable with a type and explicit dependencies. That structure is what lets an AI agent edit the model without breaking formulas.

Does my client need Layerz to open the model?

No. Layerz exports a standard .xlsx with live formulas and editable assumption cells on every plan, including the free one. The client opens the file in Excel or Google Sheets.

Does Excel detect circular references?

Yes. Excel warns when a formula creates a circular reference. Layerz goes further in one respect: a formula that would create a cycle is rejected before it enters the model, so an agent cannot leave one behind.

Can Layerz import my existing Excel model?

Yes. Layerz imports .xlsx and CSV files, keeps formulas live where it can, and reports a fidelity score: the share of formulas kept live against those kept as values or not imported.

Comparisons

Layerz vs Excel

Short answer

Layerz is a spreadsheet: a structured one, built so an AI agent can edit it without breaking it. Excel stays the universal format and the right tool for one-off analysis, offline work, VBA and Power Query. Layerz keeps the model logic in named variables with a history, and exports a standard .xlsx with live formulas on every plan, so the client never needs Layerz.

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

Comparison table

Fact	Excel	Layerz
Structure	Cells and cell references	Named variables with a type, a timeline and explicit dependencies
AI	Copilot built in; Claude and ChatGPT add-ins work in the workbookas of 2026-10-19 · Microsoft, Copilot in Excel built for the era of frontier finance (25 June 2026)	Your own Claude or any MCP client, 29 MCP tools
History	File-level version history (OneDrive or SharePoint); Show Changes lists who changed which cellMicrosoft, Restore a previous version of a file stored in OneDrive	Model-level history with diff and restore. Individual: 24-hour history and one pinned version. Team: 30-day history, unlimited pinned versions.
Who changed what	Show Changes: who edited a cell, when, and the previous valueMicrosoft, Show changes that were made in a workbook	Every version records its author and channel (web, MCP agent, API)
Tracing an assumption	Trace Precedents and Trace Dependents, cell by cellMicrosoft, Display the relationships between formulas and cells	Dependencies traced both ways, by variable name
Circular references	Warns when a formula creates oneMicrosoft, Remove or allow a circular reference in Excel	Rejects a cycle before it enters the model
Offline	Yes, desktop application	No, web application
Macros and Power Query	Yes	No; logic is formulas on named variables
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
Price	Part of Microsoft 365	Free for one editor · Team at €49 per seat per month

Choose Excel if

A quick calculation or a one-off analysis with no reuse in sight.
You need to work offline, or rely on macros or Power Query.
Maximum freedom in layout matters more than a fixed structure.
The counterpart only accepts a file built in Excel from the start.

What Excel does well

Everyone in finance can open it, read it and change it.
It handles anything from a quick calculation to a full model, offline, with VBA and Power Query when needed.
Its AI add-ins (Copilot, Claude in Excel, ChatGPT for Excel) now work inside the workbook.

Choose Layerz if

An AI agent builds and edits the model, and the model has to stay intact after each edit.
The model is reused month after month or across clients, with the same structure.
You need a history of what changed, with a diff, rather than file names with dates.
You want the conventions (currency, units, sign) written down once and read by the agent.

Using both

Import an existing workbook into Layerz and check the fidelity score.
Let your agent maintain the model in Layerz.
Export a standard .xlsx with live formulas whenever someone needs the file.

Pricing

Excel: Excel is part of Microsoft 365 business and personal plans; Copilot features depend on the licence.

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

FAQ

Is Layerz a spreadsheet?: Yes. Layerz is a structured spreadsheet: the model is a grid of lines over periods, like Excel, but every line is a named variable with a type and explicit dependencies. That structure is what lets an AI agent edit the model without breaking formulas.
Does my client need Layerz to open the model?: No. Layerz exports a standard .xlsx with live formulas and editable assumption cells on every plan, including the free one. The client opens the file in Excel or Google Sheets.
Does Excel detect circular references?: Yes. Excel warns when a formula creates a circular reference. Layerz goes further in one respect: a formula that would create a cycle is rejected before it enters the model, so an agent cannot leave one behind.
Can Layerz import my existing Excel model?: Yes. Layerz imports .xlsx and CSV files, keeps formulas live where it can, and reports a fidelity score: the share of formulas kept live against those kept as values or not imported.