Excel stock data comes from two places: Microsoft’s own Stocks data type and STOCKHISTORY function, which are free with Microsoft 365 and always delayed, or an add-in that connects Excel to a data provider. We ranked 14 of them. MarketXLS ranks first. We rank last, because our Excel add-in has not shipped, and we say so before anything else on this page.
We announced an Excel add-in in April 2025, and as of 26 September 2026 it is still planned, not released. In 2024 and twice in 2025, three prospects asked us, in almost the same words, whether we had an Excel add-in, and each time the answer was no. This ranking is written for them.
What can Excel do without an add-in?
Excel for Microsoft 365 turns a ticker into a linked Stocks data type with a price, a market cap and other fields, and the STOCKHISTORY function returns end-of-day price history into a range. Microsoft says the data comes from LSEG, formerly Refinitiv.
The limits are firm. The Excel stocks data type is always delayed and refreshes only when you ask it to. STOCKHISTORY has no intraday bars, and neither has any options data. Microsoft’s terms allow personal, non-professional use only. For a portfolio sheet that you update once a day, that is often enough, and it costs nothing beyond the Microsoft 365 plan.
Which Excel stock data add-in ranks best?
Each option was scored from 0 to 10 on six criteria: whether it works inside Excel natively, what data it reaches, options, freshness, price, and which versions of Excel it runs on. Options and platforms count once, and the other four count one and a half each.
| Rank | Provider | Score | Best for | Paid plans from |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MarketXLS | 7.6 | 1,284 native Excel formulas | $70/mo |
| 2 | Sheets Finance | 7.2 | 20+ years of options history in Excel | $10.95/mo |
| 3 | Wisesheets | 6.6 | Cheap Excel add-in, options on Elite | $5/mo |
| 4 | EODHD | 6.2 | Free Excel add-in, best reviews | $16.58/mo |
| 5 | Finsheet | 6.0 | Multi-asset Excel add-in, no options | $20/mo |
| 5 | ThetaData | 6.0 | OPRA options and Greeks in Excel | $40/mo |
| 7 | Financial Modeling Prep | 5.8 | Fundamentals and filings in Excel | $22/mo |
| 8 | Barchart | 5.5 | Real-time commodities in Excel | $8.25/mo |
| 9 | Microsoft Excel Stocks data type | 5.3 | Free built-in Excel data type | Bundled in Microsoft 365 |
| 9 | Twelve Data | 5.3 | 190,000+ symbols in Excel | $66/mo |
| 11 | Alpha Vantage | 4.6 | Beta Excel add-in, Windows only | $41.58/mo |
| 11 | Nasdaq Data Link | 4.6 | Tables API fundamentals in Excel | $9/mo |
| 13 | Intrinio | 4.0 | SEC fundamentals, stale Excel add-in | $150/mo |
| 14 | Market Data | 0.0 | Not available — add-in unreleased | $12/mo |
The five highest-ranked options, side by side:
| Feature | MarketXLS | Sheets Finance | Wisesheets | EODHD | Microsoft Excel Stocks data type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Excel | Native add-in (Win/Mac) 1 | Native add-in 2 | Native add-in 3 | Native add-in, free 4 | Native, built into Microsoft 365 5 |
| Real-time US stocks | Yes, from Advanced ($125/mo) up 6 | Claimed real-time, CTA/UTP feeds 7 | Claimed live, no delay stated 8 | Real-time on ALL-IN-ONE only ($99.99/mo) 9 | No, always delayed 10 |
| US options | Excellent, full chains 6 | Excellent, but 15m delayed 11 | Good, Elite plan ($120/yr) and up 3 | Good, EOD-only add-on 12 | No 13 |
| Greeks and IV | Good, all 5 greeks + IV 14 | Yes, incl. IV rank/surface 15 | Yes, IV not explicitly named | Good, EOD only, all 5 greeks 12 | No |
| Options history | Not published | 20+ yrs, incl. expired 11 | Yes, via date parameter 3 | Since Q4 2023 (2.5+ yrs) 12 | No |
| Fundamentals | Good, 10yr history 6 | Excellent, statements + ratios 2 | Excellent, statements + ratios | Excellent, full financials 9 | Basic, partial card fields |
| Free tier | None, no free tier 6 | None, 15-day trial only 16 | None for add-on; Stock API has one 17 | 20 calls/day, 1yr history 9 | No standalone tier, bundled in M365 13 |
| Cheapest paid plan | $70/mo (Standard) 6 | $10.95/mo (Basic, annual) 16 | $5/mo (Pro, annual) | $16.58/mo (EOD, annual) 9 | Bundled in Microsoft 365 (n/a) 13 |
| Cost of real-time stocks + options | Not offered 18 | Not offered 19 | Not offered 17 | Not offered 12 | Not offered 13 |
Sources for this table, checked 2026-09-26
- marketxls.com/
- sheetsfinance.com/
- wisesheets.io/pages/docs
- eodhd.com/financial-apis/excel-financial-add-on-fundamentals-end-of-day-charts
- support.microsoft.com/en-us/excel/excel-data-types-stocks-and-geography
- marketxls.com/pricing/
- sheetsfinance.com/market-data
- wisesheets.io/
- eodhd.com/pricing
- support.microsoft.com/en-us/excel/get-a-stock-quote
- sheetsfinance.com/blog/how-to-get-historical-options-data-for-backtesting
- eodhd.com/lp/us-stock-options-api
- support.microsoft.com/en-us/excel/functions/stockhistory-function
- marketxls.com/real-time-stock-option-pricing-excel
- sheetsfinance.com/blog/how-to-build-an-implied-volatility-surface-in-google-sheets-and-excel
- sheetsfinance.com/docs/pricing-and-plans-xgwqy
- wisesheets.io/api
- marketxls.com/software-license-agreement
- sheetsfinance.com/blog/how-to-get-options-data-in-google-sheets-and-excel
MarketXLS
7.6/10 1,284 formulas including full options chains, native to Excel on Windows and Mac, but no free tier.
- Works inside Excel ×1.5
- 9/10
- What you can pull ×1.5
- 9/10
- Options in Excel ×1
- 9/10
- Freshness ×1.5
- 8/10
- Price ×1.5
- 4/10
- Platforms ×1
- 7/10
Strengths
- Native Excel add-in, Windows and Mac/365
- 1,284 formulas incl. full options chains and Greeks
- Real-time streaming from $125/mo
Weaknesses
- No free tier, from $70/mo
- Redistribution forbidden on every tier
MarketXLS is the Excel specialist: 1,284 formulas, full options chains with all five greeks, and real-time streaming from the $125 Advanced plan. It runs on Windows and Mac. There is no free plan, the entry plan is $70 a month, and every plan forbids redistribution.
Sheets Finance
7.2/10 Native Excel add-in with 20+ years of options history, but no perpetual free tier.
- Works inside Excel ×1.5
- 8/10
- What you can pull ×1.5
- 9/10
- Options in Excel ×1
- 8/10
- Freshness ×1.5
- 7/10
- Price ×1.5
- 5/10
- Platforms ×1
- 6/10
Strengths
- Native Excel add-in
- 20+ years of historical options chains, including expired
Weaknesses
- No perpetual free tier, 15-day trial only
- Options still 15-minute delayed on the paid product
Sheets Finance has an Excel add-in beside its Sheets add-on, with over 20 years of options history including expired contracts. Its options data is 15 minutes delayed on every plan.
Wisesheets
6.6/10 Cheap native Excel add-in with Excel Online support, options gated to Elite.
- Works inside Excel ×1.5
- 8/10
- What you can pull ×1.5
- 7/10
- Options in Excel ×1
- 4/10
- Freshness ×1.5
- 5/10
- Price ×1.5
- 8/10
- Platforms ×1
- 7/10
Strengths
- Native Windows/macOS add-in, works in Excel Online too
- Cheap from $5/mo (Pro, annual)
Weaknesses
- Options gated to the $10/mo Elite tier and above
- No free tier for the add-on
Wisesheets is the cheapest paid add-in here and runs in Excel on the web as well as on Windows and Mac. It is built for fundamentals and dividends, and options need its Elite plan.
EODHD
6.2/10 A free native Excel add-in, but options are a separate EOD-only marketplace product.
- Works inside Excel ×1.5
- 8/10
- What you can pull ×1.5
- 8/10
- Options in Excel ×1
- 3/10
- Freshness ×1.5
- 3/10
- Price ×1.5
- 8/10
- Platforms ×1
- 6/10
Strengths
- Free native Excel add-in
- Trustpilot 4.7/5 (146 reviews), the best here
Weaknesses
- Options are a separate EOD-only marketplace add-on
- Real-time needs the $99.99/mo top plan
EODHD’s Excel add-in is free and reaches its global prices and fundamentals. Its options data is a separate end-of-day product.
Excel’s Stocks data type and STOCKHISTORY
5.3/10 Built into Excel for Microsoft 365 for free, but every field is delayed and options don't exist.
- Works inside Excel ×1.5
- 10/10
- What you can pull ×1.5
- 4/10
- Options in Excel ×1
- 0/10
- Freshness ×1.5
- 2/10
- Price ×1.5
- 7/10
- Platforms ×1
- 8/10
Strengths
- Built into Excel for Microsoft 365, no install
- Free with a qualifying M365 subscription
- Works on Windows, Mac, web, and iPad
Weaknesses
- No options data at all
- Always delayed, manual refresh only, no intraday
- Prohibited for any professional or redistribution use
Can you get real time stock quotes in Excel?
Yes, with an add-in. MarketXLS streams real-time quotes from its Advanced plan, and Finsheet from its $45 Plus plan. ThetaData’s Excel add-in carries real-time options and stock data, but it needs the Theta Terminal running on the same computer. The built-in Stocks data type does not give real-time stock quotes in Excel at any price.
How does STOCKHISTORY in Excel compare with an add-in?
STOCKHISTORY in Excel returns daily, weekly or monthly bars for one symbol per formula, with no intraday interval, no options and no adjustment control. An add-in gives intraday bars, more history and, in several cases, options chains. For a yearly return or a monthly chart, STOCKHISTORY is enough. Microsoft documents its arguments in the STOCKHISTORY reference.
What did we tell people who asked for Excel?
The truth, each time. In September 2025 a prospect asked for nothing more than a once-a-day refresh of closing prices in Excel, and our answer was: “We do not have an excel add-in at this time.” We offered Sheets or the API instead.
In March 2026 another asked for futures in Excel, “the only info I need.” We told him futures were a year away at least, and we still have no Excel add-in to put them in.
Why can prices from Excel differ from ours on the same day?
Usually because one source adjusts past prices for later splits and corporate actions and the other does not. Adjusted history changes whenever a new corporate action lands, so a value you fetched last month can come back different today.
That default cost us. In April 2026 an institution valuing donated stock told us our highs and lows disagreed with other quote sites, and it withheld a subscription payment for five weeks while we investigated. A donation is valued at the price that traded that day, so it needed unadjusted candles: two query parameters removed all five discrepancies it reported. The same review found a real bug that dropped the third decimal from some prices, and we fixed it.
Why do we refer commercial use of Excel to a partner?
We stopped selling to business customers ourselves in February 2025, when IEX ended free redistribution of real-time stock prices for business use. From then on, every business plan carried exchange fees per customer and compliance work our small team could not carry.
So we refer commercial buyers to our partner Intrinio. Between 1 and 25 September 2026 we sent it 22 commercial enquiries, about one a day. The test we apply is display: if other people see the prices, or scores built from them, the use is commercial.
What should you use from Market Data in Excel today?
Nothing that installs. Our API can return CSV, and Excel’s Power Query can import a CSV from a URL. That route works today, without formulas. Others use our Google Sheets add-on, which has the formulas the Excel add-in will have.
The requests we get show what matters: one prospect wrote, “When will you get futures data via excel — this is the only info I need,” and another asked for historical greeks in Excel in November 2025. We sell neither today. Our announcement of the Excel add-in is the page we will update when it ships, and the ranking of all financial data providers shows what each one covers outside Excel.