Sheets MCP or Claude's built-in Google Sheets integration?

Updated October 2026 · checked against Anthropic's help article

Both let Claude edit your Google Sheets. Claude's own integration is a sidebar inside Google Sheets, Docs and Slides, in beta on paid Claude plans. Sheets MCP is a free, open-source add-on for Claude Desktop and Claude Code that connects your sheets to everything else Claude can do: scripts, APIs, files on your computer, your other spreadsheets and schedules. They suit different jobs, and you can use both.

	Sheets MCP	Claude's built-in integration
Best for	Work that reaches beyond one sheet: scripts, APIs, files, other sheets, schedules	Quick edits inside the sheet you have open
Price	Free and open source; works on the free Claude plan in Claude Desktop	Beta on Claude Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise
Where you use it	Claude Desktop (Chat and Code tabs) and Claude Code, on Mac and Windows	A sidebar inside Google Sheets, Docs and Slides, in Chrome, Edge or Safari
Other spreadsheets	Reads and writes as many as you ask, and creates new ones	The file it's opened in; other Drive files only with the Google Drive connector, off by default
Scripts, APIs and files	In Claude Code or the Desktop Code tab, Claude runs scripts and API calls, reads local files, and writes the results to your sheet	Doesn't make network requests from your file
Schedules	A Claude Desktop scheduled task can refresh a sheet daily (computer on)	Can't create triggers or scheduled refreshes
Making changes	Writes directly, checks every write for broken formulas, and "undo that" puts values back	Asks before each edit by default, or accepts all edits if you choose
Google accounts	Several in one conversation, e.g. read from work, write to personal	The account the file is open in
Setup	One-click extension or one command. Google shows an "unverified app" screen once at sign-in	Install from the Google Workspace Marketplace; admins can install it for an organization
Code	Open source (MIT)	Anthropic's product

Use Claude's built-in integration when

You're on a paid Claude plan.
The job is inside the one sheet you have open: a formula, a cleanup, a quick summary.
You'd rather work from inside Google Sheets than from the Claude app.

Use Sheets MCP when

The data comes from a script, an API or files on your computer.
The answer lives across several spreadsheets, or several Google accounts.
A sheet should keep itself up to date on a schedule.
You work in Claude Code, or you're on the free Claude plan.
You want spreadsheets-only access with nothing in between you and Google.

Three jobs the built-in integration isn't built for

Real runs with made-up data.

Pull data from an API, then keep it updated

"Pull our Stripe charges for the last 30 days into a new Daily revenue tab, with a total and a chart. Then keep it updated every morning at 7." Claude writes a small script, runs it, fills in 30 days of gross, refunds and net, charts it, and sets up a 7am task that adds each new day.

Answer a question that spans three spreadsheets

"Here are our Sales, Marketing Spend and Support Tickets sheets. Which region gives us the best return on marketing, and is any region's support load a warning sign?" Claude reads all three, about 1,300 rows, joins them by region and builds a new spreadsheet: one region returned $8.40 of new revenue per marketing dollar, while another cost $1,000 per customer and got 7.1 support tickets each, twice any other region.

Reconcile a sheet against files on your computer

"Reconcile September: check every invoice marked Paid against the Stripe export and the bank statement in my Downloads." Claude reads the sheet and both CSVs, ties every payout to the bank, and writes a Mismatches tab: three invoices to look at, with what's wrong with each.

Common questions

Is Claude's Google Sheets integration free?

No. It's in beta for Claude Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise plans. Sheets MCP is free and open source, and works on the free Claude plan in Claude Desktop.

Can I use both?

Yes. Use Claude's sidebar for quick edits in the sheet you have open, and Sheets MCP when the job involves scripts, APIs, files, several sheets or a schedule.

Can Claude refresh a Google Sheet on a schedule?

With Sheets MCP, yes: a Claude Desktop scheduled task can refresh a sheet every morning, as long as your computer is on. Claude's built-in integration can't create triggers or scheduled refreshes.

Can Claude work across several spreadsheets at once?

Sheets MCP reads and writes as many spreadsheets as you point it at, and can create new ones. The built-in integration works on the file it's opened in, and sees other Drive files only if you turn on the Google Drive connector.

Does Sheets MCP see my whole Google Drive?

No. It asks Google for access to spreadsheets only. Your sign-in stays on your computer and there's no Sheets MCP server in between. Data Claude reads becomes part of your Claude conversation, as with any Claude tool.

Does Sheets MCP work on claude.ai or the Claude phone app?

Not directly. It runs on your computer, in the Claude desktop app on Mac and Windows and in Claude Code.

Try Sheets MCP

Download Sheets MCP 1.3.9 for Claude Desktop, then double-click the file. Using Claude Code? Run claude mcp add --scope user google-sheets -- npx -y @sheetsmcp/server. The setup guide walks through it in about two minutes.