The verdict
On the data we hold, Microsoft Excel comes out ahead. Here is why, point by point.
What the data says
- Only Microsoft Excel has a free plan to start on.
- Microsoft Excel starts lower, at $8.33/mo against $42/mo.
- In our Tech stack ranking, Microsoft Excel places 45 and Podia 8 of 72.
Side by side
| At a glance | ||
|---|---|---|
| Starts at | $8.33/mo | $42/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | No |
| API | Yes | Not known yet |
| MCP server | Not known yet | Yes |
| Links |
Plans and pricing
Microsoft Excel
- Free (web apps)Free web and mobile versions with a Microsoft account, with 5 GB of OneDrive storage.Free
- Microsoft 365 PersonalFor 1 person; desktop apps with Copilot, 1 TB cloud storage.$9.99/mo
- Microsoft 365 FamilyFor 1 to 6 people; AI features for the subscription owner only, up to 6 TB storage.$12.99/mo
- Microsoft 365 PremiumFor 1 to 6 people; extensive Copilot usage and agentic AI features.$19.99/mo
- Office Home 2024One-time purchase for 1 PC or Mac; Word, Excel and PowerPoint.$179.99/one_off
Podia
- MoverUp to 100 email subscribers, 50 products, 5% transaction fee. Annual billing shown as $42 per month.$49/mo
- ShakerUp to 500 email subscribers, 150 products, no Podia transaction fee, affiliate marketing and upsells. Annual billing shown as $84 per month.$99/mo
- EarthquakerUp to 1,000 email subscribers, unlimited products, no transaction fee. Annual billing shown as $150 per month.$179/mo
Prices as the vendors list them. They change often; the final price is on their sites.
Who each is for
Choose Microsoft Excel if…
Finance, operations and sales teams that build models, clean data exports and make reports, especially when the company already runs on Microsoft 365.
Choose Podia if…
Solo creators, coaches and educators who sell courses, downloads, coaching or memberships and want the website, email and community under one login instead of several separate tools.
Other options worth a look
ToolCombines spreadsheet simplicity with database structure so teams build custom workflows, trackers and apps without code.Tech stack
From $20/mo yearlyFree planAffiliate link
ToolCombines documents, spreadsheets, and databases into one workspace for building custom trackers and internal tools.Tech stack
From $10/moFree plan
ToolGet instant answers to questions backed by live web search results and inline source citations.Tech stack
From $20/moFree plan
ToolBundle business email, shared documents, spreadsheets, and video meetings in one cloud subscription.Tech stack
From €6.80/moAffiliate link
ToolCall Claude models from your own code to build AI applications, agents, and automations.Tech stack
ToolCollects event data and routes it to your warehouse and 200+ business tools with open-source infrastructure.Tech stack
From $265/moFree plan