Microsoft Excel still reigns supreme as the topmost spreadsheet application of all time. While already boasting a multitude of benefits and features such as storing small to large amounts of data, performing calculations, coding for automation, and much more, Microsoft now even has an all-in-one office app so users can access and work on spreadsheets from anywhere, on the go! As the leading spreadsheet application, Microsoft users can also discover, download, and work from a plethora of pre-built and largely free Excel templates available online. This eliminates the need to ‘start from scratch’, ultimately increasing productivity. Simply downloading these easy-to-use spreadsheets allows users to quickly import or plug in their data, employ pre-existing workflows, and immediately takes away the hassle, with no need to ‘reinvent the wheel’ every time a new Excel-related task needs to be completed.
While Excel is used by professionals in all industries across the globe, it especially lends itself to being a key tool used by Consultants and Consultancy firms. Consultants can manipulate ready-made free Excel templates for multiple purposes; managing projects, preparing financial statements, performing financial analysis and valuation, visualizations, creating timesheets, the list goes on. Yet, with so many pre-made spreadsheets available, how do consultants know that they are using the best free Excel templates available today?
Where Can Consultants Find Reliable Free Excel Templates?
With hundreds upon hundreds of pre-built spreadsheets and guides existing on the web today, finding the right and most reliable source can be a challenging and time-consuming task—before the actual Excel work begins! Using the most credible, reliable, and professional source, in this case, will enable faster delivery of the holistic project. At AskBrian we know this first-hand and are constantly searching for the best data/service available, while continuously assessing and evaluating our current selections integrated into Brian (for example, our public and private company databases).
As experts in the field of discovering, employing, and sharing the best possible data sources with our dedicated user-base, we’ve taken on the challenge of finding the top 11 free spreadsheet resources, along with 6 of the best paid sources, to serve business professionals and consultants alike in their Excel expeditions.
This article is based on a study where our team evaluated the best pre-built Excel templates from around the world, and summarized their findings. The below table provides an overview of the key sources uncovered:
AskBrian’s Recommended Free Excel Template Sources & Top Tips
Source 1: MS Excel Templates (Inbuilt)
Instead of creating an Excel workbook from scratch or looking for some other source for Excel templates, you can quickly create a workbook based on a free Microsoft Excel template (inbuilt). MS Excel offers free Excel templates on a range of categories like businesses, budgets, inventory, schedules, Gantt charts, lists, timelines, and more.
Templates offered: 1500+
Source 2: Corporate Finance Institute (CFI)
CFI offers a large library of Corporate Finance and Analysis templates that are mostly free of cost. However, they also offer some paid premium templates.
Templates offered: large library of templates
Website: https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/templates/excel-modeling/
Source 3: Vertex42
This online source boasts a big library of free Excel templates for specific tasks to increase your productivity. These templates are categorized under Project Management, Timesheet and HR, Invoice, Calendar, Budget, Inventory, Financial Statements, Data Analysis, and Personal Finance.
Templates offered: 100+ templates
Website: https://www.vertex42.com/ExcelTemplates/
Source 4: exinfm Blog
This blog offers a library of 100 free templates on corporate finance, valuation, budgeting, accounting, and ratio analysis.
Templates offered: 100 templates
Website: https://exinfm.com/free_spreadsheets.html
Source 5: Myexcelonline
Myexcelonline offers free Excel templates on various topics like Budgeting, Business Management, Calendar, Charts, Invoice, Profit and loss, Project Management, Trackers and Personal Management
Templates offered: 75+ templates
Website: https://www.myexcelonline.com/blog/free-excel-templates-and-spreadsheets/
Source 6: Go Skills
Go Skill is a free source for Excel templates. They share templates on categories like Business management, Business Planning, Project Management, and Personal Money management.
Templates offered: 40+ templates
Website: https://www.goskills.com/Excel/Resources/Free-Excel-templates
Source 7: Damodaran
Damodaran offers a free library of Excel templates mainly focusing on corporate finance and valuation free of cost. These templates are highly technical and detailed.
Templates offered: 40+ templates
Website: http://pages.stern.nyu.edu/~adamodar/New_Home_Page/spreadsh.htm#finsvc
Source 8: Indzara
Indzara offers simple to use free Excel templates. These templates are categorized under Small Business Management, Project Management, HR, Calendars, Data Visualization, Personal Finance, and School.
Templates offered: 35+ templates
Website: https://indzara.com/free-excel-templates/
Source 9: Workamajig Blog
This blog offers a good set of free project management templates. to help you create all the project documents you need quickly.
Templates offered: 35+ templates
Website: https://www.workamajig.com/blog/project-management-templates
Source 10: Smartsheet
On Smartsheet one can find a variety of free, easy-to-use Excel templates helpful in a variety of areas like Project management, Business budgeting/planning, Accounting, Sales/Marketing, HR, Calendar, Travel, Inventory, and Billing.
Templates offered: 30+ templates
Website: https://www.smartsheet.com/32-free-excel-spreadsheet-templates
Source 11: Chandoo
This free source offers spreadsheet examples on categories like Budgeting, Project management, Human Resources, Invoice, and Calendar.
Templates offered: 20+ templates
Website: https://chandoo.org/wp/free-excel-templates-download/
AskBrian’s Recommended Paid Excel Template Sources & Top Tips
Source 12: Template.Net
Template.Net offers the largest library of paid Excel templates. This source has templates on a range of topics like – Accounting, Financial Analysis, Budgeting, Checklist, Flow charts, Gantt charts, HR, Inventory, Invoices, Planning, Roadmaps, Family tree, and Sales.
Templates offered: 1500+ templates
Website: https://www.template.net/editable/excel
Source 13: eFinancialmodels
This site offers one of the largest libraries of financial model/business plans templates to be used by businesses in a variety of industries and business sectors. Templates are mostly paid however some of them are also free.
Templates offered: 900+ templates.
Website: https://www.efinancialmodels.com/downloads/category/financial-model/
Source 14: Simple Sheets
Simple Sheet offers a large library of paid Excel templates. These templates are designed for a wide range of areas like – Accounting, Data Analysis, Financial Analysis, Human Resources, Operations, Marketing & Sales, Project Management, and Strategy.
Templates offered: 100+ templates
Website: https://www.simplesheets.co/
Source 15: Eloquens
Eloquens offer one of the largest libraries of Excel as well as other templates. Templates are mostly paid however some of them are also free. These templates cover a range of topics like – financial models of businesses, startups, strategy, HR, management consulting, finance and marketing.
Templates offered: large library of templates.
Website: https://www.eloquens.com/category/strategy/management-consulting-templates-and-frameworks/825
Source 16: Excel-Skills
Excel-Skills offers paid Excel templates mainly on Accounting, Financial analysis, Cash flow, Valuation, and Payroll.
Templates offered: 50+ templates
Website: https://www.excel-skills.com/
Source 17: Project Manager
This source focuses only on the project management category and offers essential project management templates on a paid basis to plan and manage your project.
Templates offered: 11 templates
Website: https://www.projectmanager.com/blog/8-must-pm-excel-templates
What’s more? In the below table, we’ve outlined the key spreadsheet templates you can utilize for each facet of business you may be working in.
We hope you enjoyed this article and the findings from our research.
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