# Shortcut

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

- Category: [Productivity](https://finderatlas.com/categories/productivity)
- Pricing: Freemium
- Website: https://shortcut.ai
- Platforms: Web, Windows, CLI, API
- API: available
- Made by: Fundamental Research Labs, San Francisco, CA
- Last updated: 2026-10-19
- FinderAtlas page: https://finderatlas.com/tools/shortcut

## Overview

Shortcut is an AI agent for building, auditing and editing Excel spreadsheets and financial models. A user describes the task in natural language, for example a leveraged buyout, a discounted cash flow or a three-statement model, and the agent creates or modifies the workbook, traces outputs back to source files and can carry the work into other Office documents such as PowerPoint. It is aimed at finance professionals including hedge funds, private equity firms, banks, asset managers, FP&A teams and accounting and consulting firms.

## Key features

- Natural-Language Model Building
- Spreadsheet Editing and Auditing
- Excel Add-in
- Desktop Agent
- Web App
- CLI
- Platform API
- Reusable Skills and Templates
- Enterprise Governance

## Pricing

- **Free** ($0): Entry plan to try the agent
- **Pro** ($100/month): Individual finance professionals
- **Teams** ($320/month): Small teams of 2 to 15 seats
- **Enterprise** (Custom): Large organizations with custom needs

## Best for

- Building LBO and DCF and three-statement models quickly, auditing and tracing existing workbooks, repeatable finance workflows via CLI or API

## Who uses it

- Financial Analysts
- Investment Bankers
- Private Equity Teams
- FP&A Teams
- Accountants
- Consultants

## Strengths

- 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.

## Limitations

- 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.

## Not recommended for

- Users who need fully offline processing without an enterprise deployment, teams wanting predictable flat-rate usage

## Integrations

- Microsoft Excel
- Google Sheets
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft AppSource

## FinderAtlas editorial scores (out of 10)

- Ease of Use: 8/10
- Feature Depth: 8.3/10
- Value for Money: 6.8/10
- Performance & Speed: 7.8/10
- Documentation & Support: 7.2/10

## Alternatives

- [Gamma](https://finderatlas.com/tools/gamma): Generate presentations, documents and websites from a prompt with an AI design partner ([compare](https://finderatlas.com/compare/gamma-vs-shortcut))
- [Notion AI](https://finderatlas.com/tools/notion-ai): AI agent and writing assistant built into the Notion workspace for docs and databases ([compare](https://finderatlas.com/compare/notion-ai-vs-shortcut))
- [Jamie](https://finderatlas.com/tools/jamie): Bot-free AI meeting notes, action items and CRM follow-ups with EU data hosting ([compare](https://finderatlas.com/compare/jamie-vs-shortcut))
- [Circleback](https://finderatlas.com/tools/circleback): AI meeting notes, action items and automations that work with or without a bot ([compare](https://finderatlas.com/compare/circleback-vs-shortcut))
- [Plus AI](https://finderatlas.com/tools/plus-ai): Create and edit presentations with AI directly inside PowerPoint and Google Slides ([compare](https://finderatlas.com/compare/plus-ai-vs-shortcut))
- [Novastart](https://finderatlas.com/tools/novastart): Infinite canvas desktop where your apps, teammates and AI agents share one workspace ([compare](https://finderatlas.com/compare/novastart-vs-shortcut))
- [Fyxer AI](https://finderatlas.com/tools/fyxer-ai): AI assistant that organizes your inbox, drafts replies and takes meeting notes ([compare](https://finderatlas.com/compare/fyxer-ai-vs-shortcut))
- [Zapier](https://finderatlas.com/tools/zapier): Connect AI models and 9,000+ business apps into automated workflows and agents ([compare](https://finderatlas.com/compare/shortcut-vs-zapier))

## Recent updates

- 2026-07-01: Published vendor-run benchmark comparing Shortcut with Claude for Excel and Microsoft Copilot on 20 finance tasks
- 2026-07-01: Announced Pivot 0.5, a finance-specific language model
- 2025-08-01: Fundamental Research Labs announced a US$33 million funding round led by Prosus

## FAQ

**Is Shortcut the same as shortcut.com?**

No. Shortcut at shortcut.ai is an Excel-focused AI agent from Fundamental Research Labs. Shortcut at shortcut.com is an unrelated project-management product.

**Which Excel versions or platforms does Shortcut support?**

Shortcut offers an Excel add-in, a web app, a Windows desktop agent, a CLI and an API. The desktop agent is listed for Windows.

**Is there a free plan?**

Yes. The Free plan gives 20 weekly credits and access to the web app, desktop app, Excel plugin and Google Sheets plugin.

**How do credits work?**

Each message typically uses 2 to 15 credits depending on complexity. Pro includes 1,000 monthly credits and Teams share a pool of 1,000 monthly credits.

**How does Shortcut handle data security?**

The site lists SOC 2 Type II, zero-data-retention agreements with AI model providers, private model gateways, customer-owned storage and on-premises deployment, with a Vanta trust center linked from the homepage.

**Does Shortcut have a public API?**

Yes. The Platform API lets you submit prompts and files, check run status, cancel runs and download resulting workbooks. Pro and higher plans include API access.