Best Free Google Sheets Add-Ons for Finance

Updated April 2026 · 5 minute read

Most finance tools for Google Sheets either have a free tier or a completely free version. Here is what is actually worth installing if you want to upgrade your Sheets workflow without spending anything — plus an honest note on which free tools have meaningful paid upgrades and which are fully free forever.

1. SheetDog — Free tier, Excel hotkeys forever

SheetDog is a Chrome extension that brings 30+ Excel-style keyboard shortcuts to Google Sheets. The full shortcut library — Alt sequences for borders, formatting, alignment, font sizing, decimals — is free forever. AI editing and format cycle shortcuts are part of the Pro tier ($9/month) but include a 21-day free trial with no credit card.

What is free: 30+ Excel-style shortcuts, including Alt+H,B,A for borders, Alt+H,A,C for center alignment, Alt+H,9 for decrease decimal, and many more. sheetdog.app

2. Gemini in Google Sheets — Free with Workspace

Gemini is built into Google Workspace and available to standard Workspace users at no additional cost. The =AI() function lets you generate text, classify cells, summarize ranges, and pull from Google Search inline.

What is free: anomaly detection, budget variance summaries, basic =AI() cell-level analysis. Limited for finance-specific structures — not a substitute for tools that build full models.

3. Built-in Google Sheets "Excel-compatible shortcuts"

Inside Google Sheets, the keyboard shortcuts menu has a toggle called "Enable compatible spreadsheet shortcuts." Turn it on. It covers some Excel keys natively without an extension.

What is free: native Sheets feature, no install. Limitation: missing most of the Alt-key sequences (Alt+H,B,A, etc.) that finance users rely on most. Worth combining with SheetDog rather than choosing between them.

4. GOOGLEFINANCE() — Built-in market data

Google Sheets has a native GOOGLEFINANCE() function that pulls delayed-quote stock data, exchange rates, and basic historicals. It's free, has no install, and covers most use cases for personal portfolio tracking and basic comps.

What is free: real-time(ish) prices, FX rates, simple historical ranges. Limitation: limited fundamentals coverage and no SEC filings. For deep financial data, look at SheetsFinance, Wisesheets, or Financial Modeling Prep — all of which have paid tiers.

5. SheetKeys — Free open-source Vim shortcuts

SheetKeys is a free, open-source Chrome extension that adds Vim-style shortcuts to Google Sheets. Different philosophy from Excel-style tools — designed for developers, not Excel-trained finance users. Available on GitHub.

What is free: the entire extension, no paid tier. Best fit if you already use Vim elsewhere.

6. Free DCF templates and model libraries

A few tools offer free downloadable Google Sheets templates for common finance models. Wisesheets has a free DCF template; RizzCalc publishes free DCF and three-statement starters. These are useful starting points if you don't want an AI tool to build the structure for you.

What is free: the template files themselves. The AI features that edit and extend them are part of the paid tiers.

A reasonable free starter stack

1. SheetDog — install for Excel-style keyboard shortcuts (free forever); optionally start the 21-day Pro trial to test AI editing
2. Gemini in Sheets — already there if you have Workspace; turn it on for cell-level AI
3. Built-in Excel-compatible shortcuts — flip the toggle in keyboard shortcuts settings
4. GOOGLEFINANCE() — for basic market data without paying for an add-on

That stack costs nothing, takes about ten minutes to set up, and covers Excel speed, AI assistance, and basic market data.