Top Microsoft Excel Add-ins You Should Consider Using
What Are Add-ins?
Add-ins for Excel are similar to the apps you can download and purchase for your smartphone. They are mini software applications that you install into Excel in order to provide integration, shortcuts, and tasks that are not available within the standalone Excel application. Add-ins are created mainly by third-party businesses or self-motivated users (like myself) to fill a void that seems to be missing within Excel’s vast array of capabilities. Creating an add-in not only takes coding prowess in languages like VBA and XML, but it also requires an eye for a smooth intuitive user-interface to make the program “feel” like it is a natural part of Excel. If you can find add-ins that possess both of these characteristics, you can do absolute magic within Microsoft Excel.
Where Do I Find Add-ins?
The main purpose of this directory is to provide a one-stop list of high-quality and practical add-ins that you can use to increase your productivity and capabilities while using Microsoft Excel. Since there are so many Excel developers out there, it can be somewhat hard to find Excel add-ins, let alone decipher the good ones from the bad ones.
This list is in no way a reflection of “my favorites” or a “guaranteed hit”, as I have not used every single one of the add-ins within this list. This is simply a starting place to help get you in the right direction without having to scour all over the internet for days to determine your options.
I do encourage you to leave reviews within the Comments Section at the bottom of this page describing add-ins you have had good/bad experiences with. Please feel free to recommend add-ins that may have been left off this list that you think people should know about. Enjoy!
Overview
Here is a listing of all the add-ins that are detailed in this article:
- AbleBits Utility Pack
- ASAP Utilities
- AutoChart (Automate bulk chart creation)
- Chart-Me
- Custom UI Editor (Ribbon XML Code Editor)
- E2P (Excel To PowerPoint copy/paste automation)
- myBrand (Custom Color Branding Tool)
- My First Add-in (Build Your Own Ribbon Add-in)
- Peltier Tech Chart Utility
- PivotPal (Extra Pivot Table Functionalities)
- Tickmark (Spreadsheet auditing & Tick icons)
- Unviewable Plus (VBA Project Protection)
- Waterfall Chart Add-in
- XL Styles Tool (File Clean up utility)
- XL Tools
- X-Y Chart Labeler
These kinds of add-ins just flat out do a bunch of things. They contain general purpose functionalities that can be used in pretty much any spreadsheet you are working with. With these kinds of add-ins I usually find myself only using a few of the functionalities on a regular basis, but they sure do help make life easier! Below are some of the more popular Excel add-ins that will provide you with a whole ribbon tab worth of extra functionalities.
ASAP Utilities
Claimed to be “The most popular add-in for Excel users.” ASAP Utilities is a powerful Excel add-in that fills the gaps in Excel with over 300 features. You can learn more about this Excel add-in by visiting the ASAP Utilities Page.
Trial Available? Yes
Original Release Date: 1999
Developer: Bastien Mensink
AbleBits Utility Pack
A suite of Excel add-ins that can perform various tasks. Examples include
- Merging Excel Workbooks
- Removing Duplicates
- Combine Duplicate Rows
- Remove Spaces, Change Cases
- Sum or Count Cells by Color
You can learn more about this Excel add-in by visiting the AbleBits Sales Page.
Trial Available? Yes
Developer: Add-in Express Ltd
XL Tools Add-in
A suite of various Excel productivity tools. Examples Include Pop-up Calendars, Version Control, Data Cleaning, Combine Cell Data, and many more. You can learn more about this Excel add-in by visiting the XL Tools Sales Page.
Trial Available? Yes
Developer: WavePoint Co
Productivity forms of Excel Add-ins do a specific task to help speed up what you are working or provide an easier solution than what is the norm within the Excel application. Here are some great solutions that will speed up specific tasks that might currently put a strain on your work day.
PivotPal Add-in
Supercharge your pivot tables with the PivotPal add-in. This Excel add-in provides tons of great Pivot Table-related features that will make it easier and faster to modify your pivots. You can learn more about this Excel add-in by visiting the PivotPal Sales Page.
Trial Available? No
Developer: Excel Campus
E2P Add-in
This Excel add-in allows you to automate the painful task of copying & pasting your charts and tables from Excel into PowerPoint. You can learn more about this Excel add-in by visiting the E2P Sales Page.
Trial Available? Yes
Original Release Date: 2015
Developer: TheSpreadsheetGuru
Peltier Tech Chart Utility 3.0 Add-in
This add-in is probably the most popular in its category. The variety of extra chart types available with this add-in is truly phenomenal. You can create Box Plots, Histograms, Paretos, and many more with a few clicks within the add-in. If you love using these advanced charting forms but hate the hassle of setting them up, the Peltier Tech Chart Utility add-in is definitely for you! You can learn more about this Excel add-in by visiting the Peltier Tech Chart Utility Sales Page.
Trial Available? No
Developer: Peltier Technical Services
Chart-Me Add-in
The Chart-Me add-in is an advanced charting tool that allows you to create very intricate and complex charts through it’s interface. Some examples include Contribution Margin analysis, ROI Trees, YTD Variances, and P&L Statements. You can learn more about this Excel add-in by visiting the Chart-Me Sales Page.
Trial Available? Yes
Developer: Hi-Chart
X-Y Chart Labeler Add-in
This is a great little add-in that helps to interact with those pesky chart labels a whole lot easier. You can download this add-in for free on the X-Y Chart Labeler Sales Page.
Trial Available? This add-in is FREE
Developer: Apps Pro
My First Add-in
My First Add-in allows you to create your very own Microsoft Office add-ins in Excel, PowerPoint, or Word by simply toggling on/off variables within the VBA code. Think of it as flipping on/off light switches. The tools come with over 150 buttons you can link your macros to (including dropdown menus) and also gives you access to the entire Microsoft Office Icon Library! My First Add-in will allow you to create a professional-looking add-in within hours and will give you a perfect way to access your favorite macros.
There is also an online course you can add on with video lessons to teach you even tips/techniques to provide even more capabilities to your add-in and even show you how to professionally protect/distribute your add-ins. You can learn more about this Excel template by visiting the My First Add-in Sales Page.
Trial Available? No
Original Release Date: 2018
Developer: TheSpreadsheetGuru
myBrand Add-in
The myBrand Excel add-in allows you to integrate your personal or corporate brand colors into your Excel Ribbon. This app allows you to create custom formatting presets with whatever colors you need. You can also import up to 3 logos/images directly from your Excel Ribbon. This is the ultimate tool to incorporate your company-specific brand formats into Excel. You can learn more about this Excel add-in by visiting the myBrand Sales Page.
Trial Available? Yes
Developer: TheSpreadsheetGuru
There are also tools available that are standalone pieces of software but do great things to increase Excel’s capabilities. These forms of Excel software tools are often overlooked because they do not integrate directly into Excel (and therefore cannot be called “add-ins”). Here are some great utility tools that fit into this category.
XL Styles Tool
This is a great utility tool for Excel that can greatly clean up an excel file. It removes unused cell styles and named ranges that contain errors or are hidden. This can greatly reduce the file size of a bloated file and reduce the chance of file corruption. This program is not available on the Microsoft App Store and you can learn more about the program by visiting the XL Styles Tool Sales Page.
Trial Available? No, This Is Free!
Developer: XL Geek
Unviewable Plus
Unviewable + is a great app for VBA add-in developers to protect their IP from potential hackers or re-distributers. This application can take your VBA add-in and apply various levels of protection to prevent users/customers from viewing the VBA source code. The application only takes a few seconds to run and has worked great for me and the add-ins I sell for TheSpreadsheetGuru. You can learn more about this application by visiting my review of Unviewable Plus.
Trial Available? No
Developer: Spreadsheet1
Custom UI Editor
The Custom UI Editor is a developer tool that allows you to easily create proper XML code for Excel’s Ribbon Interface. You can learn more about this program by visiting the CustomUI Editor Download Page.
Trial Available? No, This Is Free!
Developer: OpenXMLDeveloper.org
What Do You Think?
Hopefully, this little add-in directory was helpful in bringing to light some great tools available for Excel. As I said, I have not used every single one of the add-ins listed in the article, so I would love for you to leave an honest review about some of the tools you have used to help other visitors decide if an add-in is right for them. I look forward to reading about your recommendations and experience in the comments section below!
Learn my best Excel chart design hacks. These will turn your ugly charts into professionally crafted graphics, leaving your boss speechless!!!
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Chris Newman
Chris is a finance professional and Excel MVP recognized by Microsoft since 2016. With his expertise, he founded TheSpreadsheetGuru blog to help fellow Excel users, where he shares his vast creative solutions & expertise. In addition, he has developed over 7 widely-used Excel Add-ins that have been embraced by individuals and companies worldwide.