Undoubtedly, Google Sheets is a powerful and valuable tool — and the best part is, it’s free to use! Google Sheets is plenty powerful enough on its own to do countless things, especially when you consider all the possible formulas and functions included. However, you can do even more using some Google spreadsheets add ons.
Google Sheets add-ons are much like browser extensions. They’re essentially third-party apps that you can install to bring some extra functionality into your spreadsheet app. For example, you can use add-ons to send your Gmail emails on a schedule. You can even translate your spreadsheets or automatically populate a database for a bibliography.
Add ons for Google Sheets can be a gamechanger. If you’ve ever felt frustrated that Google Sheets can’t do that one specific thing you need it to do, there might just be an add-on to help you with that. And if you want to give them a try yourself, this list of the best Google Sheets add-ons might be a good place to start.
Table of Contents
Best Google Sheets Plugins of 2024
- Coefficient
- Wolfram | Alpha for Google Sheets
- Wikipedia Tools
- Power Tools
- Hunter for Sheets
- Tweet Archiver
- Template Gallery
- Translate My Sheet
- Awesome Table
- Coupler.io
- AppSheet
- Mail Merge
How to Use Google Sheets Add-Ons
It’s pretty simple to get started using Google Sheets add-ons since all you need to do is install them (though there are already many built-in functions like finding pi). Add-ons are often unique from each other, so the instructions for using each of them may differ. However, once you’ve installed the add-on you want, you can simply look at the documentation and follow the instructions. It’s a good idea to learn the functions of the add-ons you install to help you use them to their full potential.
You can install and use many add-ons simultaneously, although there may be a point where it becomes counterproductive depending on your computer. Too many add-ons can take up too much space on your screen or become too unwieldy to navigate.
How to Install and Remove Add-Ons
It’s easy to install Google Sheets extensions. The entire process takes place within a Google Sheets spreadsheet, so you don’t have to do anything special. Here’s what you need to do:
- Create a new Google Sheets spreadsheet or open an existing one.
- Navigate to “Extensions” from the top toolbar, then hover over “Add-ons.”
- Click on “Get add-ons,” which will take you straight to the Google Workspace Marketplace.
You can browse through the selection on the marketplace or search for a specific add-on that you want to install. Click on the one you want to install, then click on the blue install button to add it to your add-ons.
Clicking on the blue install button will add the add-on to your Google Sheets.
The good news is each add-on Google Sheets has installed is pretty much available on any browser you use, except for mobile. So even if you install the add-on while using Firefox on your computer, it will continue to work even if you switch to Google Chrome on your laptop.
It’s also worth mentioning that some add-ons explicitly built for Chrome will only work on Google’s native browser.
Uninstalling Sheets add-ons is just as simple as installing them. In any spreadsheet, new or existing, click on “extensions” then hover over “add-ons” on the top toolbar. Then, click on “manage add-ons,” where you will find all the plugins you currently have installed.
Select any plugin you want to remove from the list and click the blue uninstall button. And that’s it — that’s all you have to do.
Best Google Sheets Add-Ons in 2024
Coefficient
If you’ve ever found yourself sick and tired of having to import data into Google Sheets manually, Coefficient is an add-on that might be right up your alley!
Coefficient allows teams to streamline their workflows by connecting their data to Google Sheets and sharing live insights from the spreadsheet to their chosen platform, such as Slack. As a Google Sheets sidebar app, Coefficient connects to practically any data source. It can then import live data into your spreadsheet to make your life easier.
On top of that, this app automates workflows within spreadsheets and can export data where you need it. It allows you to pull in data from multiple systems for further analysis. And, offers pre-built spreadsheet dashboards for you to pull your data into in just a few clicks.
Coefficient is committed to keeping your data safe and secure — in fact, it doesn’t store any of your data! For additional security, this add-on uses end-to-end encryption for your credentials and connects securely via Google OAuth.
Massive companies like Uber, Zendesk, and Spotify use Coefficient in their workflows.
If you’re interested and would like to give Coefficient a try, you can get started for free, with no credit card required.
Wolfram | Alpha for Google Sheets
Wolfram Alpha is well-known for being a unique engine that computes answers and provides knowledge. In fact, when you ask Siri a question, it’s Wolfram Alpha’s database that is responsible for her answers.
WA has vast archives of algorithms and curated expert-level knowledge, which it uses to answer questions, generate reports, and do analysis. When you install their add-on, it will appear on Google Sheets as a sidebar.
You can use this add-on to search for facts or compute data from your selected cells. For example, if you select a cell containing the text “average mass of a star,” you can use the Wolfram Alpha add-on to compute for the answer. You can do the same with ranges to return multiple answers simultaneously.
The Wolfram Alpha Google Sheets add-on is free to install and use, without limitations.
Wikipedia Tools
If you need to do a lot of research while you’re within your Google Sheet, you can save yourself the trouble of having to open a new tab or window. Installing this plugin adds a few Wikipedia functions to your Google Sheets and makes things more convenient. It allows you to perform actions including but not limited to importing information, translating your sheets’ contents, and finding synonyms for a word. No more having to open a thesaurus!
Like Wikipedia, this add-on is completely free to use.
Power Tools
If you want to save a lot of time when working with Google spreadsheets, one of the best add-ons you can install is Power Tools. Power Tools can help you organize and manage your spreadsheets more effectively. The developers also made this addon to help you automate many of the tedious, repetitive, and mind-numbingly boring tasks within your sheet.
Power Tools has a smart toolbar that displays a few things like your recent actions. The toolbar can also record your favorite actions, making them easier to access. This easy access will allow you to repeat actions on other cells without doing all the steps all over again. Many who use this add-on might say that it brings many features from Microsoft Excel into Google Sheets.
Power Tools is free to use during the 30-day trial period. After that, you can choose between paying $29.95 per year or $89.95 for lifetime access. If you’re worried about not getting all the updates if you pay for a lifetime license, you might be relieved to know that the price includes updates in perpetuity.
Hunter for Sheets
Hunter for Sheets can help you find that elusive email address you’ve been needing to locate for whatever reason. Getting started is easy. All you need to do is install the add-on and then create an account with Hunter.io afterward. Unfortunately, creating an account is mandatory.
Some of the features included within this add-on are:
- Domain search is a powerful tool that allows you to find all the publicly available e-mail addresses connected to a domain name that you enter into the add-on. It’s a powerful e-mail finder that returns results with scores to estimate how accurate they are. If a first and last name connected to an e-mail address is available, the add-on will also report them.
- Email finder allows you to select cells containing first names, last names, and company names then find the e-mail addresses for those people. Emails returned also come with confidence scores.
This add-on can also verify email addresses to ensure their accuracy and validity.
Hunter for Sheets comes with a free forever plan that provides you 50 free email verifications and two free email searches monthly. If you want to search for more and access the other Hunter for Sheets add-ons, you’ll have to pay for a plan.
Tweet Archiver
Tweet Archiver helps you keep track of all your mentions, hashtags, and keywords on the platform. It streamlines your Twitter archives into one continuously updating sheet. This add-on helps make life as a social media manager (or marketer!) much more manageable, but you don’t have to be either of those to get use out of this plugin.
This add-on’s features include:
- Advanced search feature
- Support
- Search query monitoring
- Media embedding
- Downloads new tweets hourly and saves them into your sheet forever
- Can integrate with BigQuery
A free trial is available if you just want to give the plugin a try. After the trial, you’ll need to pay $4.95/user per month to continue using Tweet Archiver’s features. Enterprise clients will need to pay $7.24/user per month.
Template Gallery
Template Gallery has a library of templates that you can use for your spreadsheets, so you don’t have to spend precious time doing it yourself. With this add-on, you can quickly set up various types of spreadsheets.
Template Gallery provides more options than the free templates from Google Sheets’ free gallery. You can search by keyword to find different templates such as calendars, invoices, schedules, budgeting tools, timesheets, resumes, letters, financial calculators, and more.
Template Gallery is entirely free to use. However, because it’s free, you may not be able to receive technical support to your satisfaction. Regardless, it’s worth trying, considering installing and uninstalling this add-on is simple enough.
Translate My Sheet
Translate My Sheet does precisely what it says on the tin — it translates all or even just a selected portion of your spreadsheet. The add-on uses Google Translate to do the translations, which means it can work with over 100 languages.
A limited free plan allows you a certain number of translations every month. If you hit the limit and still need more, you can pay for unlimited translations. The price starts at $7.99 for one month, $29.99 for six months, and $49.99 for twelve months.
It’s worth noting that there is a free formula you can use within Google Sheets itself. If you use =GOOGLETRANSLATE (cell with your text to translate, “source language”, “target language”), you can do translations without this add-on. However, Translate My Sheet can make things easier and more convenient.
Awesome Table
Awesome Table is an add-on that lets you import data then create graphics or visual representations that you can use on websites. It can allow you to create catalogs, Gantt charts, graphics with Google Maps, and more.
This add-on pulls data from various sources, including but not limited to Zendesk, Youtube, Google Drive, Google Photos, Google Tasks, Unsplash, and stripe.
Awesome Table has a free version with limited features, including ten queries per day, eight visualization types, 100 rows of data, and up to 500 views. Paid plans start at $31/month for Plus, $79/month for Pro, and $199/month for premium.
Coupler.io
Coupler.io allows you to consolidate data from a variety of sources like Google Drive, Hubspot, WordPress, BigQuery, Slack, Clockify, and more right into Google Sheets. With this add-on, you can quickly create customized reports, letting you save time inputting data on your own. If you need data visualization tools, Coupler.io has them too so you can present your data better.
There is a free version available to use forever, though its features are limited. If you want more features, you can unlock them by signing up for one of the paid plans. Prices start at $24/month for professional and $49/month for squad. Business plans start at $99/month.
AppSheet
If you’ve ever wanted to make an app but couldn’t because you don’t know how to code, AppSheet could be the answer for you. AppSheet is an app that allows you to use your spreadsheet and turn it into a mobile app — no coding required.
AppSheet has 50+ configurations to help you customize your creation. You can also customize your app according to your branding and aesthetics. AppSheet also allows you to publish apps that include visuals and media, capture new data, automate push notifications through email and SMS, and run apps offline.
You can use AppSheet for free while you’re prototyping your app. If you’re making an app for personal use, you can use AppSheet for free forever. However, if you want to access more features or have multiple users, you’ll need to start paying for a plan.
Paid plans start at $5/mo/user for the starter plan and $10/mo/user for the core plan. If you’re an enterprise client or need more users, you can contact AppSheet for one of their Enterprise plans.
Mail Merge
Essentially, Mail Merge is a tool you can use to write a personalized email that you can send to multiple people. It works by taking your data straight from your spreadsheet and then replacing placeholders within your message with the information of each individual you’re sending your email to.
This add-on claims it is the best mail-related add-on for Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Forms. It also works for Gmail. You can even “mail merge” any images like profile pictures, barcodes, and QR codes. And, because it all works through Google Sheets, you never have to download or install anything onto your computer.
So when you look at e-mails that you know are canned but are personalized with your name or other information, they might just be using Mail Merge!
You can use Mail Merge for free with the one-week free trial, but you’ll have to pay if you’d like to continue using the app. Mail Merge starts at $39 for a year for a single user, but they accommodate licenses for up to 10,000 users at a time. Find out more about their rates here.
How to Build Your Own Google Sheets Add-Ons
If you can’t find any add-ons to do the things you want, there’s always the option of creating your own — if you know how to do it, that is.
You can start creating your own Google Sheets add-ons right from inside Google Sheets. There’s no need to install or use anything external since you can do it all within your browser. The caveat, however, is that you’ll need to know how to code.
Add-ons are programmed using the programming language Apps Script, which is kind of like JavaScript. It’s the same language used to code add-ons for Google Forms and Google Docs and executes in Google’s servers, not on the browser (which is why you can install add-ons and use them on any browser). You can create the add-ons right within the native Apps Script editor, which you can access by clicking “Add-ons” then “Apps Script” on the top toolbar.
If you want to learn how to build your own plugins, many online resources are available to help you get started. You can look at Google’s resource library for starters, although learning how to code is a whole different ball game.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are there add-ons for Google Sheets?
Yes! Just like there are add-ons for Google Docs and Google Forms, there are also plugins that you can install to your Google Sheets, which you can find in the Google Workspace Marketplace. With these add-ons, you can add lots of new functionality and potentially make working more efficient, and make using Sheets much more convenient.
What are the best add-ons for Google Sheets?
This question is tough to answer objectively, given that everyone has unique needs and uses Google Sheets differently. What might be best for one person may not be for the next — so the best add-ons for Google Sheets will vary from person to person.
To answer this question, you’ll need to figure out which add-ons suit your needs. However, many plugins are universally excellent, like Gmail Scheduler or Translate My Sheet.
Are Google Sheets add-ons free?
Yes and no. The good news is most of the Google Sheets add-ons on the marketplace are free, so you don’t have to worry about paying any money to use them. However, some developers may charge you to access all of their add-on’s features. Fortunately, even paid add-ons often have free trials or limited “free forever” plans that may be enough for your needs.
Prices for sheets add ons vary. Some developers may charge a monthly fee, while others may charge you once for lifetime access. Many companies also have multiple plans with tiered rates, so you can find a plan that suits your needs and budget.
How do I create a Google Spreadsheet add-on?
Creating a Google Sheet add-on is simple — if you know how to code, that is. If you’re not familiar with using JavaScript, you might struggle with trying to figure out how to use Apps Script and the Script Editor within Google Sheets. If you’re familiar with coding, you can visit Google’s resource to learn more about creating your add-on.
Where are add-ons in Google Sheets 2024?
Navigating to the marketplace to find some add-ons to install is easy. Open a Google Sheets spreadsheet in your browser of choice either by creating a new sheet or opening an existing one. Then, on the toolbar at the top, click on Extensions > Add-ons > Get add-ons if you want to install new ones.
Where are my add-ons?
Existing add-ons that you previously installed are in the same place as the marketplace. Open a new or existing Google Sheets spreadsheet in your browser, then click on Extensions > Add-ons > Manage add-ons on the top toolbar.
The Bottom Line
Google Sheets add-ons can be tremendously helpful to your workflow and productivity. With the right add-ons, you can make working easier and more efficient, ensuring that it’s a more pleasant experience all around. After all, work might become less stressful and repetitive by automating many tedious tasks.
So should you use them?
Add-ons for Google Sheets can help you save time and streamline your work processes to make your life easier. You don’t need to use many of them, and you don’t need to pay for any of the premium add-ons either. However, using some of the best Google Sheets add ons can help you free up more of your time for other valuable tasks — or guilt-free leisure time!
Read also: How to Turn on Google Sheets Dark Mode
