Boardflare Blog

Technical insights and tool updates

Technical insights, product updates, and practical guidance for building Python-powered spreadsheet workflows.

Microsoft Python in Excel vs. Boardflare: Which Should You Use?

Excel
Python
Comparisons

A practical comparison of Microsoft Python in Excel and Boardflare Python for Excel, covering programming model, recalculation, security, packages, APIs, sharing, and the workflows each fits best.

Aug 20, 2026
18 min

How AI Is Changing Python Development in Excel

Excel
Python
AI
Research

A qualitative look at how coding assistants are changing Excel automation: faster implementation, more accessible Python and VBA, and stricter testing needs.

Aug 12, 2026
9 min

What People Actually Use Python in Excel For

Excel
Python
Research

A qualitative review of real Python-and-Excel workflows across data cleaning, automation, modeling, visualization, reconciliation, and workbook integration.

Aug 8, 2026
11 min

Python in Excel Alternatives in 2026

Excel
Python
Comparisons

A dated comparison of Microsoft Python in Excel, Boardflare, xlwings Lite, Anaconda Code, and external Python across runtime, integration, and sharing.

Jul 15, 2026
9 min

How We Built a Reactive Python Notebook Runtime Inside Excel

Excel
Python
Architecture

How Boardflare connects a reactive marimo/Pyodide notebook to Excel through the shared runtime, workbook bridge, source persistence, and worksheet outputs.

Jun 22, 2026
11 min

Migrating Excel Workflows to Python: What to Move, What to Keep, and Where the Code Should Run

Excel
Python
Migration

A practical framework for deciding which spreadsheet responsibilities should stay in Excel, move into Python, or remain in an external automation layer.

Jun 3, 2026
10 min

AI Add-ins for Excel

Excel
AI
AI add-ins for Excel now fall into a few practical families. The most visible category is the general-purpose Excel AI assistant: a chat or task-pane agent that can write…
May 16, 2026
43 min

Turn an Excel Workbook Into a Simple App With Tool Builder

Excel
Tool Builder
AI
Most Excel files are already applications in disguise. They have inputs, rules, exceptions, and repeated handoffs. What they usually do not have is an interface built for…
Mar 17, 2026
3 min

Excel’s New Regex Functions Versus Python’s re Module Capabilities

Excel
Python

A comprehensive comparison between Excel’s new native regex functions (REGEXTEST, REGEXEXTRACT, REGEXREPLACE) and Python’s powerful re module.

Jul 25, 2025
39 min

Python Statistical Functions for Excel

Python
Statistics
Excel

Access the full power of scipy.stats in Excel with our new Python-powered statistical functions, offering comprehensive distribution support and advanced analytics.

Jul 9, 2025
14 min

Python Functions Repository

Python
Excel

We’ve launched a new repository of Python functions that can be used directly in Excel via our add-in or as standalone web apps.

Jun 3, 2025
2 min

Applications of AI in a Spreadsheet

Excel
AI

Explore how AI-powered functions like AI_ASK, AI_EXTRACT, and AI_FORMAT are revolutionizing spreadsheet workflows by enabling natural language interaction and intelligent data processing.

Apr 20, 2025
17 min

Python for Excel Code Editor

Excel
Python
Add-ins

Introducing a major update to our Python for Excel add-in: a new Monaco-based code editor with syntax highlighting, function management, and integrated testing.

Jan 18, 2025
3 min

Fuzzy Matching with Python in Excel

Excel
Python

Perform approximate string matching in Excel using the NLTK library and Python, enabling powerful fuzzy search capabilities beyond exact matches.

Nov 4, 2024
7 min

Azure Sentiment Analysis in Excel

Excel
AI
Azure

Integrate Azure AI Language service with Excel to perform advanced aspect-based sentiment analysis on customer reviews and text data.

Nov 1, 2024
10 min

Python in Excel Functions

Excel
Python

Learn about the new BOARDFLARE.RUNPY function and how we’ve aligned our API with Microsoft’s Python in Excel for better code compatibility.

Oct 22, 2024
4 min

Python in Excel Review

Excel
Python

An in-depth review of Microsoft’s native Python in Excel feature, exploring its strengths, weaknesses, and available alternatives like Boardflare.

Sep 16, 2024
6 min

Excel TRANSLATE Function

Excel
AI

Overview of the new native TRANSLATE and DETECTLANGUAGE functions in Excel and how they compare to alternative solutions.

Jun 27, 2024
2 min

GOOGLETRANSLATE for Excel

Excel
Google Sheets

Bring Google Sheets’ translation capabilities to Excel with our local machine learning implementation that ensures data privacy.

May 29, 2024
2 min

Creating a Web Worker with Google Apps Script

Google Sheets
Add-ins

A guide on implementing background processing in Google Apps Script using the inline web worker pattern to keep your extension’s UI responsive.

Apr 18, 2024
3 min
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