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Quadratic vs Shortcut

Features, pricing, ratings, and pros and cons, side by side.

Shortcut logo

Shortcut

AI agent that builds, audits and edits Excel financial models from plain-language prompts

Freemium
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Verdict

Quadratic and Shortcut are both Productivity tools. Quadratic scores higher in FinderAtlas's editorial review (8.1 vs 7.6 out of 10), led by feature depth and value for money. Both have a free plan or trial. Only Shortcut is available on Windows and CLI.

Best overall

Quadratic

  • Data Analysts
  • Finance Teams
  • Traders & Investors
  • Product Managers

Choose Quadratic if

  • You want a tool built for analysing database data in a spreadsheet, working with very large CSV or Parquet files, mixing Python or SQL with formulas.
  • Every AI result is saved as visible Python, SQL or formula code that can be inspected and edited.
  • Native Python, SQL and JavaScript cells sit alongside formulas in one grid.

Choose Shortcut if

  • You want a tool built for building LBO and DCF and three-statement models quickly, auditing and tracing existing workbooks, repeatable finance workflows via CLI or API.
  • Covers Excel add-in, web, Windows desktop, CLI and API from one product.
  • Finance-specific focus on LBO, DCF and three-statement models with source tracing.
Best for beginners
Quadratic
Best for business
Quadratic

Features

18 features compared.

  • AI Analysis
    Quadratic
    Available
    Shortcut
    Not available
  • Multi-Language Code Cells
    Quadratic
    Available
    Shortcut
    Not available
  • Live Data Connections
    Quadratic
    Available
    Shortcut
    Not available
  • Big Data Handling
    Quadratic
    Available
    Shortcut
    Not available
  • PDF Data Extraction
    Quadratic
    Available
    Shortcut
    Not available
  • Charts
    Quadratic
    Available
    Shortcut
    Not available
  • Scheduled Tasks
    Quadratic
    Available
    Shortcut
    Not available
  • MCP and API
    Quadratic
    Available
    Shortcut
    Not available
  • Collaboration and Sharing
    Quadratic
    Available
    Shortcut
    Not available
  • Natural-Language Model Building
    Quadratic
    Not available
    Shortcut
    Available
  • Spreadsheet Editing and Auditing
    Quadratic
    Not available
    Shortcut
    Available
  • Excel Add-in
    Quadratic
    Not available
    Shortcut
    Available
  • Desktop Agent
    Quadratic
    Not available
    Shortcut
    Available
  • Web App
    Quadratic
    Not available
    Shortcut
    Available
  • CLI
    Quadratic
    Not available
    Shortcut
    Available
  • Platform API
    Quadratic
    Not available
    Shortcut
    Available
  • Reusable Skills and Templates
    Quadratic
    Not available
    Shortcut
    Available
  • Enterprise Governance
    Quadratic
    Not available
    Shortcut
    Available

Pricing

Plans as listed by each vendor. Check their sites for current prices.

  • Pricing model
    Quadratic
    Freemium
    Shortcut
    Freemium
  • Free plan
    Quadratic
    Yes
    Shortcut
    Yes
  • Starting price
    Quadratic
    $0
    Shortcut
    $0
  • Plans
    Quadratic
    4 plans
    Shortcut
    4 plans

Quadratic plans

  • Free

    $0

    Personal use with restricted AI access

    • Restricted AI access
    • restricted sharing
    • files and connections
    • basic support

  • Pro

    Most popular

    $18/user/mo (billed annually)

    Individuals and teams needing more AI and connections

    • $20 in AI credits per month
    • additional models
    • extra privacy controls
    • unlimited sharing
    • files and connections

  • Business

    $36/user/mo (billed annually)

    Teams needing higher AI capacity

    • Everything in Pro
    • $40 in AI credits per month
    • on-demand credit purchases

  • Enterprise

    Custom/custom

    Organisations with security and deployment requirements

    • Single sign-on
    • self-hosting option
    • dedicated support
    • custom AI allotment

Shortcut plans

  • Free

    $0

    Entry plan to try the agent

    • 20 weekly credits
    • web app
    • desktop app
    • Excel plugin
    • Google Sheets plugin

  • Pro

    Most popular

    $100/month

    Individual finance professionals

    • 1,000 monthly credits
    • unlimited file creation and edits
    • Platform API access

  • Teams

    $320/month

    Small teams of 2 to 15 seats

    • 1,000 pooled monthly credits plus $100 per seat
    • shared workspace
    • usage analytics
    • centralized billing
    • shared resources

  • Enterprise

    Custom/custom

    Large organizations with custom needs

    • SSO
    • custom permissions
    • BYOK
    • private gateway
    • dedicated support
    • custom contracts and SLAs
    • custom integrations

Our ratings

Scored out of 10 by the Finder Atlas editorial team. Last reviewed October 2026.

Quadratic
8.1overall
Shortcut
7.6overall

Quadratic leads in 4 categories and Shortcut in 0, with 1 tied.

  • Ease of Use

    Tied
    Quadratic
    8.0
    Shortcut
    8.0

  • Feature Depth

    Quadratic leads by 0.2
    Quadratic
    8.5
    Shortcut
    8.3

  • Value for Money

    Quadratic leads by 1.0
    Quadratic
    7.8
    Shortcut
    6.8

  • Performance & Speed

    Quadratic leads by 0.4
    Quadratic
    8.2
    Shortcut
    7.8

  • Documentation & Support

    Quadratic leads by 0.8
    Quadratic
    8.0
    Shortcut
    7.2

Scores weigh documented features, plan value, platform coverage, integrations and user feedback. A missing score means we have not rated that area yet.

Pros and cons

Quadratic

Pros

  • Every AI result is saved as visible Python, SQL or formula code that can be inspected and edited.
  • Native Python, SQL and JavaScript cells sit alongside formulas in one grid.
  • Connects to many databases and services, including Snowflake, BigQuery and Postgres.
  • Handles large data: the company cites sheets up to 100M rows and multi-GB CSV and Parquet imports.
  • A permanent free tier is available, and the source code is public on GitHub.
  • MCP and API support let other AI tools and scripts work with sheets.

Cons

  • The Free plan restricts AI access, sharing, files and connections.
  • AI usage on paid plans is capped by monthly credits ($20 on Pro, $40 on Business), with extra credits bought on demand.
  • Monthly-billing prices are not shown on the pricing page, only discounted annual prices.
  • Web-only; no iOS or Android app was found.

Shortcut

Pros

  • Covers Excel add-in, web, Windows desktop, CLI and API from one product.
  • Finance-specific focus on LBO, DCF and three-statement models with source tracing.
  • Permanent free tier with 20 weekly credits.
  • Enterprise security options include SOC 2 Type II, BYOK and on-premises deployment.
  • Public Platform API with webhooks and an OpenAPI spec.

Cons

  • Pro costs $100/month billed annually, well above general-purpose AI assistants.
  • Credit-based usage (2 to 15 credits per message) makes costs hard to predict; a Trustpilot reviewer reported credits cut after switching to an annual plan and slow support.
  • Desktop agent is listed for Windows only, and there is no mobile app.
  • Published benchmark claims are vendor-run, and the Teams pricing is inconsistent across pages.

Platforms

  • Web
    Quadratic
    Supported
    Shortcut
    Supported
  • Windows
    Quadratic
    Not supported
    Shortcut
    Supported
  • macOS
    Quadratic
    Not supported
    Shortcut
    Not supported
  • iOS
    Quadratic
    Not supported
    Shortcut
    Not supported
  • Android
    Quadratic
    Not supported
    Shortcut
    Not supported
  • API
    Quadratic
    Supported
    Shortcut
    Supported
  • Browser Extension
    Quadratic
    Not supported
    Shortcut
    Not supported
  • CLI
    Quadratic
    Not supported
    Shortcut
    Supported

Integrations

Quadratic

16 integrations
  • PostgreSQL
  • MySQL
  • Snowflake
  • BigQuery
  • MariaDB
  • MS SQL
  • CockroachDB
  • Supabase
  • Neon
  • QuickBooks
  • Google Analytics
  • Mixpanel
  • Plaid
  • Claude
  • Cursor
  • ChatGPT

Shortcut

4 integrations
  • Microsoft Excel
  • Google Sheets
  • Microsoft PowerPoint
  • Microsoft AppSource

Company

  • Company
    Quadratic
    Quadratic Growth Inc.
    Shortcut
    Fundamental Research Labs
  • Founded
    Quadratic
    2022
    Shortcut
    Not listed
  • Headquarters
    Quadratic
    Boulder, Colorado, USA
    Shortcut
    San Francisco, CA
  • Monthly users
    Quadratic
    250,000+
    Shortcut
    Not listed
  • Listing
    Quadratic
    Claimed
    Shortcut
    Claimed

Frequently asked questions

Is Quadratic better than Shortcut?

It depends on your workflow. Quadratic is built for analysing database data in a spreadsheet, working with very large CSV or Parquet files, mixing Python or SQL with formulas. Shortcut is built for building LBO and DCF and three-statement models quickly, auditing and tracing existing workbooks, repeatable finance workflows via CLI or API.

What are the key feature differences between Quadratic and Shortcut?

Quadratic: AI spreadsheet that connects live data and writes Python, SQL and formulas for you. Shortcut: AI agent that builds, audits and edits Excel financial models from plain-language prompts.

Does Quadratic or Shortcut have a free plan?

Yes, both do. Quadratic is freemium and Shortcut is freemium, and each has a free plan or trial.

Which is cheaper, Quadratic or Shortcut?

Both can be used for free. Paid plans differ in limits and features, so compare the tiers in the pricing table above.