Frequently asked questions

Ilka is an AI Excel generator and automated reporting agent that creates or improves .xlsx workbooks and schedules recurring report packs from connected data sources.

Copilot helps while you edit inside Excel (formulas, cleanup, charts). Ilka automates recurring report operations: connect Airtable or Google Sheets, reuse a prompt, schedule delivery, and ship a fresh .xlsx by email, signed webhook, or Drive. See the full comparison at /compare/ilka-vs-copilot-excel.

The OpenAI Excel add-in is for interactive in-workbook assistance during an active session. Ilka is for standardized report packs generated on a schedule from connected data with run history and delivery channels. See /compare/ilka-vs-openai-excel.

Yes, on Pro, Team, or Agency. Connect QuickBooks Online (OAuth, read-only) or Stripe (restricted secret key) in /generate/reports, apply an improve-style prompt, and schedule recurring .xlsx delivery. See /integrations/quickbooks-excel-reports and /integrations/stripe-excel-reports.

Improve my file parses uploads in your browser — only table structure (JSON) is sent to the server, not the raw file. Connector tokens and API keys are encrypted at rest. Scheduled runs log status without exposing secrets. Read /security for architecture details and /privacy for retention policies.

Agency is $99/month: everything in Team, up to 10 seats, 100 active schedules, 2000 successful runs per month, recipient portal links with optional password and expiry, and priority onboarding. See /for-agencies and /pricing.

Create from scratch: you only type a description and Ilka builds a new workbook. Improve my file: you upload an existing .xlsx or .csv, then describe what to add, fix, or restructure (new tabs, totals, grant columns, pipeline stages, etc.). Both use the same AI pipeline and count toward the same monthly limits on your plan. On Improve my file, parsing runs in your browser and only the table structure is sent to the server as JSON — the raw file is never uploaded.

Either describe a new workbook in plain English (e.g. "Sales pipeline with stages, amount, probability, monthly forecast") or use Improve my file with an upload plus instructions. Ilka runs a two-pass AI pipeline: pass 1 drafts the workbook as JSON, pass 2 repairs anything that fails our schema validator. You then preview and download a real .xlsx.

Yes. Switch to the "Improve my file" tab, drop in an .xlsx or .csv, and describe the changes you want. The raw file never leaves your browser — only the parsed table structure is sent to the server as JSON.

A real Excel file (.xlsx) with multiple sheets, headers, typed cells, and totals where it makes sense. No screenshots, no PDFs. You can open it in Excel, Google Sheets, Numbers, or LibreOffice. Create from scratch uses sample rows to illustrate structure; Improve and scheduled runs use your parsed or connected data (with row caps on large sources).

No. Create builds layout and realistic sample rows from your description (typically a handful of rows per sheet). To transform an export you already have, use Improve my file. To refresh from live Airtable or Google Sheets on a schedule, use Scheduled reports on Pro, Team, or Agency.

Parsing runs in your browser. Very large files may be slow or refused above about 20,000 total rows. Above roughly 1,500 rows, Ilka sends at most 500 rows per sheet to the model — always review the download. Scheduled Airtable pulls are also capped at 500 records per run.

Native charts: bar, line, stacked, pie, scatter. Up to 3 charts per workbook and 6 series per chart (pie uses one value column). Combo, area, and dual-axis charts are not supported. Native OOXML charts are optimized for Microsoft Excel Desktop. LibreOffice and web viewers may render charts partially or not at all.

Scheduled reports and saved recipes require a Pro, Team, or Agency subscription.

Team adds up to five seats on one Stripe subscription with centralized billing. Each member signs in with their own account. Saved recipes, data connections, and scheduled reports from every active seat appear in the shared workspace. Teammates can run shared schedules and use shared connectors; edit and delete remain limited to the item author.

Every generation is validated against a strict schema before download. If the first pass produces invalid JSON, a second pass repairs it automatically. That said, AI output may still contain mistakes — always review formulas before using the file for important decisions.

Free: 3 generations per month, personal use only. Pro: $19/month, unlimited generations, generation history, commercial-use license. Team: $49/month, up to 5 seats. Agency: $99/month, up to 10 seats, 100 schedules, 2000 runs/month. Cancel anytime — no contract. Full details on /pricing.

On Pro, Team, or Agency you get a commercial-use license covering internal work, paid client deliverables, and resale of the generated workbook as a derivative. The full text lives on the Licenses page.

The commercial license applies to every spreadsheet generated while your Pro, Team, or Agency subscription is active. Files generated on Free remain personal use until you upgrade.

Yes — on Pro, Team, or Agency only. Your generation history is stored so you can re-download any spreadsheet from /generate/history. On Free, the file you download is yours; we keep a log of the generation but no result snapshot. Scheduled report runs log success or failure and may attach the generated .xlsx to email only — we do not store a separate binary per email beyond the usual AiGeneration result snapshot when the run succeeds.

The run can still succeed: the .xlsx is emailed when email delivery works. If Drive upload was configured and fails, the run summary records driveError and you receive a separate email explaining the Drive failure with a link to run details. Fix the folder ID or reconnect Google for Drive scope.

On Pro, Team, or Agency, open /generate/reports: add an Airtable connection (personal access token + base and table) or authorize Google (Sheets + optional Drive upload), then create a schedule with a cron preset and an improve-style prompt. Due reports are processed by Inngest on about a 15-minute cadence (UTC), invoking your app at /api/inngest. Tokens are encrypted at rest using ILKA_SECRETS_KEY (64 hex characters). Each successful run counts toward your plan’s monthly scheduled run cap and uses the same AI generation quota as manual runs. Delivery defaults to your Clerk primary email unless you set an override on the schedule. If we add Google Drive upload to your schedule, reconnect Google once so the consent screen includes Drive file scope.

Yes — use Improve my file with the exported .xlsx or .csv. Ilka is designed to take flat, noisy exports and return a structured workbook (for example an executive summary sheet plus detail). Presets in the generator suggest stakeholder-style prompts. Always review numbers before sharing.

When you use "Improve my file", parsing happens in your browser. Only the JSON structure (sheet names, headers, rows) is sent to our server for the AI call. The raw file is never uploaded.

Open your account menu, click Billing, and you will be redirected to the Stripe Customer Portal where you can cancel, update your payment method, or download invoices. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period.

The Team plan covers up to 5 seats for $49 / month. For larger teams, custom plans, or invoicing requirements, contact us via the contact page.

Email support@ilka.co for technical questions. We typically respond within one business day.