Ollama
The simplest app for a local chatbot. Pick a model, then talk.
Installer only · One-click app · Free
Automate spreadsheets
Formulas, macros and scripts.
The tools below run on your computer. Most of them are free, and the local work stays on your machine.
Works offline · Free options
Your computer
Describe your computer
Pick the closest line. Office PC and Mini PC are estimates. Linux and a home server stay in the list. We guess the specs, then hide models that would not fit. The guess stays cautious.
2 results
Most tools here are free.
Code & Tech Not on the chat board
A small coding helper. Good for explanations and short edits on a laptop.
Runs in:Fits on:· needs ~4.7 GB · Free to download · License: Apache 2.0
HONEST COMPARISON
Local or cloud: Automate spreadsheets?
Reviewed Oct 2026
- Privacy: Local winsA private workbook need not be uploaded
- Cost: Local winsA formula draft is free
- Quality: Cloud winsIn-grid assistants see the actual cells
- Ease: Cloud winsThe help is already in the sheet
Local AI
A local model can write a formula or a script. The spreadsheet app is where it runs.
- A private workbook stays on disk
- Good for a formula or a Python snippet
- Free
Where it falls short
- It invents functions that do not exist
- It cannot see a cloud sheet unless you paste it
Cloud & apps
Excel and Google Sheets now have their own assistants sitting in the grid.
- EExcel with CopilotDesktop appPaidPopular choice
Formulas and cleanup inside the workbook, if you have the Copilot plan.
Best for: WorkbooksFormulas
Copilot sends sheet context to Microsoft
- GGemini in Google SheetsCloud AIFreemium
Help inside a sheet that already lives on Google.
Best for: Shared sheets
The sheet is already on Google
- LLibreOffice CalcDesktop appFree
A free spreadsheet for the formula a local model just wrote.
Best for: Offline sheets
Our take
Draft a formula locally for a private file. Use the sheet's own assistant when the workbook already lives in Excel or Google.
Choose local if…
- The workbook is private
- You only need a formula
Choose cloud if…
- The sheet is already online
- You want help in the grid
How to do it in 3 steps
- Open the model page and pick any app under Runs in, for example AnythingLLM, GPT4All or Jan. Each app page links to that maker's own guide.
- Open the Qwen2.5-Coder 7B page and check the traffic light for a few kinds of computer.
- Follow that official guide. This site does not add its own install steps.
Questions
- Does this upload my files?
- The local tools on this page don't upload your files. The cloud options in the comparison do.
- What does it cost?
- Most options are free. A few apps are a one-time purchase, and a few models need a computer with more memory.
- What if it will not fit?
- Use Check my computer, or turn on the lighter memory filters. A red light on the model page means the file is too big.
Not into local AI? Try these instead
Ordinary apps for code & tech. These are normal links to the maker's site.