Overview

Socials:

Columns AI is an end-to-end data automation platform that unifies extraction, workflows, and visualization.

Built to eliminate the manual grind of data prep, Columns replaces complex spreadsheets with an intuitive, AI-driven engine.

Through three core pillars (Drive, Flow, and Graph), we empower users of all technical levels to transform raw files into stunning, branded insights.

Key Features

Connect To Many Common Sources Like Google Sheets
Extract Structured Data From Images And Pdf Files
Just Speak To Clean And Transform Data
Support Multiple Dataset Union And Join

Releases

Columnsv2

ColumnsInitial

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Columns v2

Mar 4, 2025

Columns Flow: data automation platform built for everyone.

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Author

Shawn Cao

@shawncao

Help people master data-driven business growth.

columns.ai

Company

Columns Ai

🇺🇸 United States

Stats

3 tools

9karma

Beginner

Joined: February 2024

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Freemium

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Pay-as-you-go

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No Refunds

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Business Intelligence Columns

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Comments(3)

Shawn Cao

🛠️ 3 tools 🙏 9 karma

May 5, 2026

@v2.0

Rated it

@Columns

Columns is now a full data automation platform that support all data prep and wrangling work including transformation, join, union, aggregation. All powered by AI through plain language. In addition to connect to many known sources like Google sheets, Airtable, API and SQL DB, its new product Columns Drive becomes your cloud drive that focuses on data extraction, simply drop your images or pdfs, it will output extraction in structured data based on your hints. The data is ready to download or plug in a flow for further processing. As a small-mid sized business, you do not need spend big $ on Snowflake or Databricks, simply plug Columns in your existing workflow.

1 Reply Share Delete Report

Poojitha Bandaru

🙏 10 karma

Dec 26, 2025

@v2.0

Rated it

@Columns

UI Experience is fast & good with free account limited data (100 csv records) but no 3rd party integrations and limited data connection and no 3D /funnel many more chart visualizations are missing.

3 Reply Share Delete Report

Shawn Cao

🛠️ 3 tools 🙏 9 karma

May 5, 2026

@v2.0

Rated it

@Columns

Columns now is a data platform to support data extraction, data automation and data visualization. Please check out the latest updates.

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Pros and Cons

Pros

Real-time data visualization

Collaboration in real-time

Natural language inputs

Fine-grained access controls

Self-serve data storytelling

JavaScript based

Integration capabilities

Instant data visualizations

Wide template range

Pre-built visualization tools

Variety of chart types

Library of design elements

Slack and Github Integrations

Facilitates data sharing

Management of data catalogs

Speech-based querying

Flexible data queries

Automated data interpretation

Inclusivity of public data

Offers popular data searches

Community tips and practices

Multiple platform visibility

Communicates data effectively

Access via website

Seamless tool integration

User-friendly interface

Newsletter for data storytellers

Flexible data storytelling

Visualizing vast data types

Data platform exploration feature

In-built data research feature

Supports multiple chart forms

Tools for data beautification

Fast data visualization platform

View 29 more pros

Cons

Requires Javascript

Limited integration options

Relies on GPT-3

No desktop app

Real-time collaboration issues

Limited icon library

Unclear data management system

Limited template variety

No mentioned multi-language support

Potentially steep learning curve

View 5 more cons

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Q&A

What is Columns?

Shawn Cao

🛠️ 3 tools 🙏 9 karma

wrote:

Columns is a data analysis and visualization platform that helps you to create, manage, and share data insights with your audience. It is a lightweight, AI-powered solution designed for speed, simplicity, and effortless collaboration.

Who are the ideal users of Columns?

Shawn Cao

🛠️ 3 tools 🙏 9 karma

wrote:

Anyone who loves data storytelling! But it’s especially great for: • Media professionals – Journalists, editors, and content creators. • Business leaders – To track KPIs and make data-driven decisions. • SMB owners – To generate professional insights and seamlessly embed them.

Why should I not just use Excel or Google Sheets instead?

Shawn Cao

🛠️ 3 tools 🙏 9 karma

wrote:

Think of Columns as a powerful visual layer on top of your data. Here are some benefits: • It makes sharing clean, professional graphs effortless while keeping them automatically updated. • Columns processes thousands of rows in sub-seconds, whereas spreadsheets can become cumbersome and slow when handling large datasets. • It makes a lot more beautiful and visuals than Spreadsheets.

Why not Tableau or Power BI?

Shawn Cao

🛠️ 3 tools 🙏 9 karma

wrote:

The simple answer: They're overkill. • Traditional BI tools have a steep learning curve. • They lack AI-assisted workflows for a seamless experience. • Sharing and embedding insights is cumbersome.

What kind of data sources can I connect?

Shawn Cao

🛠️ 3 tools 🙏 9 karma

wrote:

Live connections include Google Sheets, Airtable, Notion Database, HTTP API, SQL database, and Excel/CSV files upload.

What types of charts and graphs can I create?

Shawn Cao

🛠️ 3 tools 🙏 9 karma

wrote:

Columns supports a wide range of charts, including bar, line, pie, scatter, map, table, gauge, word cloud, and more. You can also apply transformations and use chart tools to customize your visualizations in ways that are difficult to achieve elsewhere. More: https://medium.com/data-science-collective/mastering-data-visualization-common-charts-and-their-variants-90d6502711bc

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How do I use the AI chat?

Shawn Cao

🛠️ 3 tools 🙏 9 karma

wrote:

AI chat lives in each creating session, it is a full-context conversation, so you can ask questions or follow up with changes like talking to an assistant. Here are a few examples to get you started: • show me some data samples • what charts can I create? • could you suggest a minimalistic design? Demo: https://youtu.be/1cugv1C8Ji0

What templates and tools does Columns offer for creating charts and graphs?

Columns offers a wide range of templates and pre-built tools for creating charts, graphs, and visualizations. This makes the data visualization process easier and faster, and lets users focus on data analysis and interpretation.

How can I keep my saved story up to date?

Shawn Cao

🛠️ 3 tools 🙏 9 karma

wrote:

In your workspace, open the story menu, select "Schedule," and set up automatic updates. Columns will sync your story with your data to keep it up to date. More: https://docs.columns.ai/docs/tutorial/schedule

How does Slack integration work with Columns?

The Slack integration with Columns facilitates real-time collaboration and sharing of insights across teams. For example, you can send data visualizations directly to Slack channels or individual members, and they can respond and engage with the data from within the Slack environment.

What is the role of icons, images, and shapes in Columns?

Icons, images, and shapes in Columns are tools for users to create visually appealing and informative data stories. They add aesthetic value and meaning to data visualizations and make them more comprehensible and engaging for the audience.

Can I customize a Columns chart?

Shawn Cao

🛠️ 3 tools 🙏 9 karma

wrote:

Yes! A Columns story is a flexible canvas with a main chart and various decorative elements. You can move, edit, and customize them as needed. Decorative elements include text, images, arrows, widgets, shapes, and more.

How do I analyze data in Columns?

Shawn Cao

🛠️ 3 tools 🙏 9 karma

wrote:

Start by asking AI for help! The AI chat can quickly generate a query for you. As you become more familiar with Columns, you can build queries yourself using these key components: • Metrics – The values you want to measure (usually numbers). • Keys – The dimensions to group by (usually text or time). • Rules – The conditions to apply. • Timeline – The time range to analyze.

Do you have an official FAQ?

Shawn Cao

🛠️ 3 tools 🙏 9 karma

wrote:

Yes. Read here - https://columns.ai/faq

How can I use Columns to share insights with my team?

You can share insights with your team using Columns through its collaborative features and integrations with different tools. It facilitates simultaneous real-time work on visualizations and allows users to share their work directly through platforms like Slack.

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Columnsv2.0

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Shawn Cao

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