mcp-google-sheets vs Excel MCP Server

A side-by-side comparison of two Productivity servers — tools, transport, auth, maintenance, and copy-paste config for each.

	mcp-google-sheets Your AI assistant's gateway to Google Sheets — read, write, format, and chart spreadsheets via MCP. Unverified stdio (local) OAuth Python	Excel MCP Server Create, read, and modify Excel workbooks with your AI agent — no Microsoft Excel required. Unverified stdio (local) No auth Python
Category	Productivity	Productivity
Language	Python	Python
Transport	stdio (local)	stdio (local)
Auth	OAuth	None
GitHub stars	912	3.9k
Last commit	1 month ago	2 months ago
Verified
Actively maintained
Install	`uvx mcp-google-sheets@latest`	`uvx excel-mcp-server stdio`
Repo	Open	Open

Verdict

Pick mcp-google-sheets if you prefer its approach (your ai assistant's gateway to google sheets — read, write, format, and chart spreadsheets via mcp).

Pick Excel MCP Server if you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option, and you want zero-setup with no API key.

Add mcp-google-sheets

Install / run

uvx mcp-google-sheets@latest

Paste into ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-google-sheets": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "mcp-google-sheets@latest"
      ],
      "env": {
        "SERVICE_ACCOUNT_PATH": "/full/path/to/your/service-account-key.json",
        "DRIVE_FOLDER_ID": "your_shared_folder_id_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Requires `uv` (the Python package runner). Install it from https://docs.astral.sh/uv/ if `uvx` is not found.

Add Excel MCP Server

Install / run

uvx excel-mcp-server stdio

Paste into ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "excel-mcp-server": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "excel-mcp-server",
        "stdio"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Requires `uv` (the Python package runner). Install it from https://docs.astral.sh/uv/ if `uvx` is not found.

FAQ

mcp-google-sheets or Excel MCP Server — which is better?

Pick mcp-google-sheets if you prefer its approach (your ai assistant's gateway to google sheets — read, write, format, and chart spreadsheets via mcp). Pick Excel MCP Server if you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option, and you want zero-setup with no API key.

Can I use both mcp-google-sheets and Excel MCP Server?

Yes — MCP clients let you enable multiple servers at once. Add both configs to your client's mcpServers and use whichever tool fits the task.

Do mcp-google-sheets and Excel MCP Server work with Claude, Cursor and Windsurf?

Both do. Copy the per-client config below into Claude Desktop, Cursor, or Windsurf.

View mcp-google-sheets →View Excel MCP Server →More comparisons →