Alteryx Platform vs. Microsoft Excel

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Alteryx Platform
Score 8.9 out of 10
N/A
The Alteryx AI Platform gives organization automated data preparation, AI-powered analytics, and machine learning with embedded governance and security. Its self-service functionality, with self-service data prep, machine learning, and AI-generated insights, gives enterprise teams with a simplified user experience allowing everyone to create analytic solutions that improve productivity, efficiency, and the bottom line. Alteryx Designer can be used to automate every analytics step…
$4,950
per year per user (minimum of 3 users)
Microsoft Excel
Score 8.7 out of 10
N/A
Microsoft Excel is a spreadsheet application available as part of Microsoft 365 (Office 365), or standalone, in cloud-based and on-premise editions.
$6.99
per month
Pricing
Alteryx PlatformMicrosoft Excel
Editions & Modules
Designer Desktop
starting at $5,195
per year per user
Designer Cloud Professional Edition
Starting at $4,950
per year per user (minimum of 3 users)
Excel with Microsoft 365
$6.99
per month
Excel for 1 PC or Mac
$139.99
perpetual license
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Alteryx PlatformMicrosoft Excel
Free Trial
YesYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoYes
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Alteryx PlatformMicrosoft Excel
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User Ratings
Alteryx PlatformMicrosoft Excel
Likelihood to Recommend
8.8
(0 ratings)
9.1
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
8.9
(0 ratings)
9.0
(0 ratings)
Usability
9.1
(0 ratings)
10.0
(0 ratings)
Availability
7.3
(0 ratings)
10.0
(0 ratings)
Performance
8.6
(0 ratings)
10.0
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
9.2
(0 ratings)
9.0
(0 ratings)
In-Person Training
7.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Online Training
8.5
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
8.0
(0 ratings)
8.0
(0 ratings)
Configurability
7.3
(0 ratings)
9.0
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
8.2
(0 ratings)
9.0
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
7.3
(0 ratings)
10.0
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
8.2
(0 ratings)
9.0
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
7.3
(0 ratings)
9.0
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Alteryx PlatformMicrosoft Excel
Likelihood to Recommend
We're trying right now to get more people using it at our company so we can send management documented cases for how we can expand and purchase Alteryx Server which will extend the capabilities even more and across more departments. It's been well suited for pretty much everything we do on a repeating schedule. It's worth the time to set up the workflows. When Treasury sends me the bank download now - I save it to a folder and run our workflows and send back 2 journal entries in .9 seconds. (yes - in less than a second it's finished running)
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I find it easier to use than Google Sheets , though it's easier to collaborate with other teams using Google Sheets. I also feel like Microsoft Excel is more suited to deal with complex formulas. The best way to put it, if I have a project that I'm solely working on, I'm going to use Microsoft Excel. If it's going to be shared, then I'm using Google Sheets.
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Pros
  • Pulling data from multiple disparate data sources.
  • Allows users to see the data at every step of the workflow to be able to cleanse, analyze, and optimize the data.
  • Provides an analytics platform that is easy for users of all levels to thrive in whether they are just starting out in their analytics journey or they have a master's degree in Data Science.
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  • Excel is the most fully featured spreadsheet software you are likely to find.
  • The software is compatible with a large number of file formats so using data from nearly any source is possible.
  • It can handle large data sets.
  • It can save your files in a variety of file formats.
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Cons
  • Steeper Learning Curve: Alteryx can have a steep learning curve for users who are new to the platform or have limited experience with data analytics. Enhancements to the user interface and user onboarding resources could help make the learning process more intuitive and accessible to a wider range of users.
  • Enhanced Data Visualization Capabilities: Alteryx offers basic data visualization capabilities, but there is room for improvement in terms of advanced visualizations and interactive dashboarding features. Adding more sophisticated chart types, interactive widgets, and customization options would enhance the data visualization capabilities within the platform.
  • Improved Error Handling and Debugging: Alteryx provides error handling mechanisms, but enhancing the error reporting and debugging capabilities would be beneficial. Improved error messages, better visibility into data flow, and debugging tools could help users troubleshoot and resolve issues more efficiently.
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  • Excel offers collaboration features that allow multiple users to work on the same spreadsheet, but managing changes made by different users can be challenging. Excel could improve its features by offering more granular control, better tracking of changes, and more robust conflict resolution tools.
  • Itcan be a barrier to productivity when importing and exporting data from other applications or file formats. To improve its features, it should offer better support for standard file formats and more robust error handling and reporting tools.
  • Excel can be challenging for finance students and working professionals, but it can be improved by offering more robust tutorials, better documentation, and more user communities and support forums.
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Likelihood to Renew
We've developed a working partnership with Alteryx. As an enablement suite, we're continuing to innovate and deliver great products with use of Alteryx in our solutions. Alteryx use expands to our global product development teams and is in use in multiple parts of our organization. Alteryx also delivers Experian demographic content to other clients in their product offering. We're highly likely to renew, but that decision is way above my pay grade.
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Excel remains the industry standard for spreadsheets and has maintained simple and straight-forward formula writing methods. Although there is a learning curve to do more complex calculations, there are countless help sites and videos on the Internet for almost any need.
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Usability
I've found that while some things might take a little longer to create, the flexibility of Alteryx allows you to perform any function needed. I haven't found a use that was not available in Alteryx yet. APIs and XMLs can be created to perform certain functions. In addition, CMD line commands can be sent using Alteryx to perform certain functions as well.
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Overall I think the usuability is great and offers everything it should. I have never not be able to use it for what I wanted it for. However, it is so detailed and offers so much it can be difficult to use. Better descriptions or explanation to all the information could be helpful
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Reliability and Availability
I use many programs and compared to others, Alteryx virtually never goes down, freezes up or gives an application error. Over a 4 year time period that I have used this program, any of these may have happened 3 times. It is an incredibly stable program that I feel completely confident in.
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I have rarely, if ever, had issues with its availability.
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Performance
Alteryx is an extremely reliable platform. If there is an error in my workflow, I feel pretty strongly it was probably my fault. The platform also handles large amounts of data very quickly and can join/match, sort, filter, calculate on that data quickly as well. One of my favorite things to build into a workflow are the messages based on data/metadata and error messages based on errors I have come across before.
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Excel load and performs calculations immediately. It integrate well with all Microsoft Office applications and does not slow them down.
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Support Rating
Stellar, bar-none. Some of the best support folks of any vendor. The Alteryx Community is the most responsive and supportive. On the rare occasion of a release issue or bug, we've been able to get quick help to solve the core problem. Alteryx does not play the blame game. They genuinely help the users solve their issues or respond to questions
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I have not had to use it often, but it is good.
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In-Person Training
1st level of trainings which I've attended in Paris was easy and I was already knowing %90, that learning could have been an e-learning instead of in-person
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No answers on this topic
Online Training
Very good, detailed online trainings which you can take at your own pace, and strong certifications exists, certifications are extremely detailed and hard...
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No answers on this topic
Implementation Rating
There is really not much to it (the installation, that is). Once you get it installed, along with any of the add-ons (demographics, R, etc.), you are up and running almost immediately. There is really no additional setup. You can immediately begin blending data, running demographics, performing spatial queries, running predictive analysis, etc. And for many of these functions, the learning curve is quite easy.
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No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
I used ACL before so all my scripts were written in SQL and it was not low code at all. After me and my team started using Alteryx, we moved all the scripts to workflows in Alteryx, it took some time, but works way better than ACL, it is faster and easier to maintain it any changes have to be done.
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Excel is one of the tools I use for everyday work but fits alongside all the other programs I use. I keep Excel as a way of tracking projects from start to finish as well as document content strategy and audits. There are not many programs like Excel that I can think of other than Google Sheets and I find Excel is far better.
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Scalability
Individual analysts can quickly generate results using their own copy of Alteryx Designer. But using the Server and developing macros for more complex needs can be time consuming.
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Each user can use it to whatever level of expertise they have. It remains the same so users can contribute to another's work regardless of whether they have more or less expertise
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Return on Investment
  • Error handling - allows controls to be built into workflows easily and allows them to be isolated and spat into control reports that can be easily reviewed and audited, thanks to the ability to create multiple outputs in one go.
  • Time-saving - saved huge amounts of time, especially when moving Excel processes into Alteryx.
  • Product development - allowed my firm to create products that we have been able to market and sell to clients.
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  • It helps to me gather my thoughts, organize my research, and most importantly prioritize information in an easy to digest manner depending on what I am most interested to see at that time.
  • It helps me quite a bit to talk my clients through the financial implications of various office leasing transactions under consideration and coach them in a way that is very unbiased and fact-driven which I like.
  • It helps me to be more thoughtful as well when thinking about the various different situations in which I use Excel. And because it ultimately results in my clients getting comfortable ultimately pulling the trigger on a given deal, it directly leads to more commission in my pocket which I love!
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ScreenShots

Alteryx Platform Screenshots

Screenshot of Alteryx APA - Automating asset inputsScreenshot of Alteryx APA - Automating outcomesScreenshot of Alteryx APA - Data enrichment and insightsScreenshot of Alteryx APA - Data quality and preparationScreenshot of Alteryx APA - Data science and decisions