Livedocs
The AI that reads your spreadsheet, writes the SQL itself, and hands back the chart.
By Thiago Lourenço Martins
Ask in plain English, get a chart back — no Excel required
Livedocs is an AI data-analysis workspace. You upload a spreadsheet (CSV, Excel) or connect a real database — Postgres, ClickHouse, and on paid plans even Snowflake and BigQuery — then ask your question in plain language. The AI writes the SQL or Python behind the scenes, runs it against your data, and hands back the answer with a chart, right on screen.
The difference from a regular chatbot: it isn't guessing from generic training data. It reads the data YOU connected and shows the work — if you can code, you can open the code it generated and check it line by line.
While the report is still pending, the decision waits too
You ask a simple number — "how many customers churned this month?" — and the answer disappears into the data team's queue. Three days later a spreadsheet lands that you still have to open, understand and cross-reference with another one. The meeting already happened.
That's how much you need to write to ask that question in Livedocs. Upload the file, type the question in plain English, and the AI hands back the chart right away — the SQL stays visible if you want to check it, but nobody's asking you to know how to write one.
Who'd leave a spreadsheet open in that prompt box
Uploads the CRM export as a CSV and asks "which customers used to buy every month and disappeared in the last 30 days?" — without waiting for an analyst to open a pivot table.
Uploads the cash-flow spreadsheet as an Excel file and asks it to flag the 3 months with the biggest out-of-pattern spend, with a hypothesis for each one.
Connects the Postgres database where campaign data already lives (Postgres is included even on the free plan) and asks which channel brought in the cheapest customer this quarter.
From a CSV sitting on your desktop to your first chart, no install
- Go to livedocs.com
Before even creating an account, you can click one of the "Here's some inspiration" cards to see the tool running on sample data.
- Click "Get started"
Create an account with email or Google. The site itself says: "No credit card required".
no card needed for the free plan - Connect your data
On the "What do you want to work on today?" screen, click "connect data sources" (or the "+" icon) to upload a CSV/Excel file, or hook up a database — Postgres, ClickHouse and Motherduck are already included on the free plan.
- Type your request in the prompt box
In plain English: "which products sold the least this quarter compared to the previous one?"
- Send it and wait
Click the up-arrow button (or press Enter). Livedocs writes the SQL or Python behind the scenes, runs it against your data, and hands back an answer and a chart — the code stays visible, but you don't have to touch it.
- Pick it up later in the "Docs" tab
Open the saved document and use the floating bar at the bottom (or the "+" between cells) to add a new question without losing what already ran.
- Share it without showing code
Click the "Doc / App" toggle at the top of the editor, then "Share" — you can invite people by email or generate a view-only link.
A ready-made request to drop into the prompt box
I'm giving you a sales spreadsheet. Analyze it and tell me, in plain language: what are the 3 numbers that changed the most in the last 30 days, a hypothesis for each change, and one concrete action I should take this week. Close with a chart of those 3 numbers over time.
You get the 3 highlights, a hypothesis for each one, a suggested action and the chart, ready — no formulas, no ticket opened with the data team.
What gets a good answer — and what burns through your free credit
Do this
- Upload the file (or tag the table with @) before you ask — the AI answers better when it already knows exactly which data to use
- Ask for the chart in your first question ("...and show it as a line chart") — saves you a second round of AI credit asking again later
- Publish it as an "App" when the goal is just to show the result to the team — viewers never even see a code cell
Avoid
- Relying on the free plan's AI credit for daily use: it's only $5 a month, with no option to buy more on this plan
- Expecting to connect Snowflake, BigQuery or Google Drive without paying — those "premium" sources only unlock on the Pro plan, $30/month and up
- Expecting non-English support or interface — signup, menus, docs and support are English-only; only the question you type understands other languages
Upload a real spreadsheet and try it now
Grab a file you already have — a CRM export, an expense spreadsheet, this month's sales base — as CSV or Excel. Go to livedocs.com, create a free account and upload that file into the prompt box.
Ask: "Summarize this spreadsheet in 3 bullet points and show me 1 chart." It worked if you get the 3 bullets along with a chart generated automatically, without typing a single formula or line of code.
Is it worth trading your analyst for a prompt?
I uploaded a simple sales spreadsheet, as a CSV, and asked it to find the product that dropped the most this quarter. It came back with the right answer and a chart, without me touching a single formula. Nice — except the whole interface is in English, and setting up the first database connection made me wish I had someone more technical around.
For people who already live with data — finance folks glued to spreadsheets, analysts, a small business with Postgres — it's a great tool: reactive notebooks, one-click published apps, a database connection included for free. But for a manager who just wants to open it and ask, with zero onboarding, the English-only screen and the free plan's short credit leash hold back some of the initial excitement.
Tested and checked against official sources on July 31, 2026.
What works in its favor
- Ask in plain language, get a chart back — the AI writes the SQL and Python by itself, so you don't need to know either
- Reactive notebooks: change one cell and everything downstream recalculates on its own, like a spreadsheet — no more forgetting to rerun something
- Connects a real database for free — Postgres, ClickHouse and Motherduck are included even on the Free plan, not just file uploads
- Publishes any notebook as an "App" with one click, hiding the code — you can send a link to your boss without them seeing a single line
Where it struggles
- The free plan's AI credit is only $5 a month, with no option to pay for more — anyone asking complex questions daily hits the ceiling fast
- The Free plan caps out at 3 notebooks — enough to really try it, not enough to run a whole company's operation
- "Premium" sources (Snowflake, BigQuery, Databricks, MySQL, Google Drive) only unlock on Pro, starting at $30/month plus $20 per extra member
- Signup, interface, docs and support are 100% in English — only the question you type accepts other languages
What it costs to stop waiting on a report
Yes, it's free, and no card required — but the ceiling is close. The Free plan is enough for a real trial, including connecting a database, it just won't carry the daily workload of a whole operation.
$0 — solo (no additional members), up to 3 notebooks, $5 of AI credits per month, 4 GB RAM / 0.5 vCPU, basic sources (files, Postgres, ClickHouse, Motherduck).
$15/month — solo, up to 5 notebooks, $5 of AI credits included then pay-as-you-go, 8 GB RAM / 2 vCPU, same basic sources as Free.
$30/month + $20 per additional member — unlimited notebooks, 16 GB RAM / 4 vCPU, unlocks premium sources (Snowflake, BigQuery, Databricks, MySQL, Google Drive), scheduling, terminal and real-time collaboration.
Let's talk — on-premise deployment, SSO and custom authentication, custom environment, dedicated support and onboarding.
Important detail: every price is in dollars, with no local-currency option, and the annual plan comes with a 20% discount over paying monthly. Official prices as of July 2026 (subject to change).
Who Livedocs actually solves a problem for
Really worth it if you…
- Are a manager or small business owner who gets a spreadsheet and wants an answer right away, without opening a ticket with the data team
- Already have a database (Postgres, say) and are tired of asking an analyst for the same ready-made report every week
- Want to publish a simple dashboard for the team to follow, with nobody touching code or spreadsheet formulas
Think twice if you…
- Don't read English at all — signup, menus and docs exist only in that language
- Need a "premium" source (Snowflake, BigQuery) but won't subscribe to Pro
- Just want a general-purpose AI chat — Livedocs is data-focused and won't replace a general chatbot for everyday use
When another app solves it faster
If your problem is just chatting with a spreadsheet or PDF you already have, with no notebook or database connection needed, ChatGPT and Claude handle that right in a regular chat — simpler to start with, but without the reactive notebook or publishable app that Livedocs offers. Want something built exactly for that middle ground, chat-style instead of notebook cells? Julius AI was built specifically for that: it chats with your spreadsheet and hands back ready-made charts and summaries, also with a free plan to get started. And if the data volume is big, technical, and needs to become a permanent company dashboard, a traditional BI tool still wins there — Livedocs is built more for the quick, one-off question than for the company's definitive dashboard.
Questions from people who've never run a line of SQL
Is Livedocs actually free?
There's a permanent Free plan, no card required: up to 3 notebooks, $5 in AI credits per month (no option to buy more on this plan), 4 GB of RAM, and connections to files, Postgres, ClickHouse and Motherduck. Paid plans start at $15/month for more.
Do I need a credit card to start?
No. The site itself advertises "Sign up for free • No credit card required" on the signup screen. A card is only needed if you decide to subscribe to Builder, Pro or Custom.
Does it work in Portuguese or other languages?
You can type your question in Portuguese, Spanish or any other language and the AI understands and answers accordingly. But the interface around it — menus, buttons, docs and support — is English-only; there's no language switcher for the screen itself.
Can I use it without knowing SQL or Python?
Yes, that's the whole point: you ask in plain language and the AI writes the SQL or Python behind the scenes. If you do know how to code, you can open the generated code and edit it directly — both ways coexist in the same notebook.
Does it work on mobile?
It opens in a phone browser, but that's not the focus: it's a notebook with code cells, charts and a terminal, built for a computer screen. We didn't find a native mobile app on the official pages.
Is my data safe when I connect my database?
The company publishes its own privacy policy and lets you connect your database directly, without exporting files. Still, as with any tool that touches real business data, it's worth reading the official policy before connecting sensitive information — we didn't go beyond what Livedocs itself publishes.
Is it only for tech companies, or can I use it with a normal spreadsheet?
You can use it with plain CSV and Excel files, supported on every plan, including the free one. Connecting a technical database (Postgres, Snowflake, etc.) is a bonus for those who already have one, not a requirement to get started.
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