Next-gen (AI) Excel for Data Pros?

Tried Quadratic (quadratichq.com) — an Excel-like web app with built-in Python, SQL, and AI tools. Promising for power users frustrated with Excel, but questions remain around governance, versioning, and security. Is it ready for serious enterprise use?

I recently tried out Quadratic from quadratichq.com, an intriguing new product that feels like a hybrid between Google Sheets, programming environments, and data connectors. It’s essentially an Excel-like web app—but with built-in Python, SQL, JavaScript, and even generative AI tools baked right in.

What Makes Quadratic Interesting?

• Excel-Like Interface, But Supercharged: The familiar grid layout is enhanced with powerful scripting capabilities. You can write Python (including Pandas!), SQL queries, and JavaScript directly in cells, making it far more flexible than traditional spreadsheets.
• Generative AI Integration: You can ask the app to generate formulas, code snippets, or even entire data transformations using natural language prompts. It’s like having a coding assistant embedded in your spreadsheet.
• Native Data Connections: Quadratic connects seamlessly to databases and APIs, enabling live data refreshes without leaving the app. I was disappointed to see that it only supports a few databases at the moment, and in particular the coolest database in town DuckDB, but I expect this will expand over time.
• Modern Web Tech: Leveraging WebGL and Rust, it handles large datasets with impressive speed and smoothness.
• Collaboration: Real-time multi-user editing, similar to Google Sheets, but with more advanced data tooling.

Who Is Quadratic For?

My guess is Quadratic targets sophisticated and frustrated Excel power users who want to break free from VBA’s limitations (upcoming discontinuation) and clunky add-ons, but aren’t ready to switch fully to a traditional IDE or data science notebook. It’s a middle ground for analysts, data engineers, and product managers who want spreadsheet familiarity plus programming power. Even Excel now has a Python integration, but it’s not as seamless as Quadratic’s.

But What About Governance and Versioning?

Here’s where I’m curious—and a bit cautious. Despite the slick AI features and powerful scripting, I didn’t see much evidence that Quadratic has fundamentally rethought governance, version control, or auditability. These are critical for enterprise adoption, especially when multiple users can run arbitrary code and connect to sensitive data sources.

• Are there robust versioning and rollback features?
• How does it handle code review or approval workflows?
• What about audit trails for data changes and script executions?

Quadratic’s team advised me that git-based versioning is available for individual Python scripts attached to cells.

Security Concerns: Malicious Code and Data Leakage

Being a web app with embedded scripting raises natural questions about security:

• How does Quadratic sandbox or restrict potentially malicious code?
• What protections exist against data leakage, especially when connecting to external APIs or databases?
• Is there granular permissioning for who can run or edit scripts?

These concerns echo some of the issues I raised in Taming the Excel Beast: Automating Spreadsheet Risk Management, where spreadsheets’ flexibility can be a double-edged sword.

Final Thoughts

Quadratic is a very promising product that blends spreadsheet ease-of-use with programming and AI power. It feels like a natural evolution for data-savvy users stuck in Excel’s limitations. However, I suspect its success will hinge on how well it addresses governance, versioning, and security—areas that remain somewhat unclear.

If you’re a power user frustrated with Excel but hesitant to dive into full coding environments, Quadratic might be worth a look. I’ll be watching closely to see how it evolves and whether it can truly balance flexibility with control.