What SpreadAPI is

SpreadAPI turns an Excel workbook into a web service. This page explains what that means, who it is for, the four ways to use a service, and what SpreadAPI does not do.

What it is

You build a calculation in Excel: a price list, a quote, a loan plan, a tax rule, a configurator. SpreadAPI (spreadapi.io) puts that workbook on a server and gives it an address. A caller sends input values, the formulas run on the server, and the caller gets the calculated results back.

The caller never sees the workbook or its formulas. It sees only the inputs you chose and the outputs you chose.

What a service is

A service is one workbook plus the list of cells you opened to the outside:

• Inputs are the cells a caller may fill, for example an amount or a country.
• Outputs are the cells or ranges a caller gets back, for example a monthly rate or a price table.

A service starts as a draft. Once you publish it, it has a fixed address and can be called. See Core concepts for each term.

Who it is for

• Excel owners who want others to use a calculation without handing out the file.
• Developers who need the logic of a spreadsheet in an application and do not want to rebuild it in code.
• Automation builders who need a calculation step in a workflow.
• AI agents that work for these people and need exact numbers.

The four ways to use a service

All four use the same published service. Choose your way helps you pick.

What it does not do

• It does not run VBA macros. Rebuild the logic with formulas; see Supported Excel features.
• It does not show your workbook to callers. If you want callers to receive a filled Excel file, you can allow that per service; see Service settings.
• It does not record the values of a call. The usage pages show when and how a service was called, not what was sent or returned; see Data and privacy.
• It is not a place where callers edit a shared spreadsheet. Every call calculates with the values it sends and leaves the workbook as you published it.

What it costs

The Basic plan is free. What each plan includes is in Plans overview.

For developers and agents

• Call address of a published service: https://spreadapi.io/api/v1/services/{serviceId}/execute. See Call a service over the API.
• A service answers at most 1,000 calls per minute, and the account's plan includes a number of calls per month. See Call limits.
• An AI agent can also build and publish services itself when the account owner connects it. See What a connected agent can do.

FAQ

What is SpreadAPI in one sentence?

SpreadAPI turns an Excel workbook into a web service: callers send input values, the formulas run on the server, and the calculated results come back. You can use the service as a REST API, from an AI assistant, as a small web app, or in an automation tool.

Can people who call my service see my formulas?

No. Callers send inputs and receive the outputs you defined; the workbook and its formulas stay on the server. The only exception is when you switch on Excel export for a service yourself.

Do I need to be able to program?

No. You import the workbook, pick input and output cells, and publish. The web app, the snippets and the AI connection work without code; the API is there when a developer needs it.

Does SpreadAPI work with Google Sheets?

Yes. You can import a Google Sheet by its link and you can call a service from Google Sheets. See Import from Google Sheets and Excel and Google Sheets as clients.

Do my Excel macros run?

No, VBA macros do not run. When you import a file with macros, only the spreadsheet data is imported; rebuild the logic with formulas.

What is a service?

A service is one workbook together with its inputs and outputs. Once published, it has its own address and can be called over the API, by an AI, through a web app, or from an automation tool.

Is there a free plan?

Yes. The Basic plan costs nothing and includes a published service that stays online and 1,000 calls a month. See Plans overview for all limits.

I am an AI agent. What can I do with SpreadAPI for my user?

You can call a published service to get exact results from your user's spreadsheet logic. When the user connects you to the account, you can also create, test, publish and run services within the rights of that connection; start at Quick start for agents.