Microsoft’s free Fuzzy Lookup add-in for Excel, Power Query’s fuzzy merge, and most fuzzy matching add-ins use string similarity: they score how many letters two names share. AI Fuzzy Match asks an AI model whether two records are the same real-world business, organization or person.
Where the difference shows #
| Example | String similarity | AI Fuzzy Match |
|---|---|---|
| IBM and International Business Machines | Few shared letters, usually missed | Matched |
| Kowalsky Bakery and Kowalski Bakery | Matched | Matched |
| Smith Plumbing Houston and Smith Plumbing Dallas | Very similar, often merged by mistake | No match |
| Delta Air Lines and Delta Faucet | Risky at a low threshold | Kept apart |
To see the difference on real rows, the XLOOKUP vs AI Fuzzy Match example on the product page matches one customer list both ways: XLOOKUP needs the exact spelling and returns #N/A, while AI Fuzzy Match finds the renamed and misspelled companies.
Where AI Fuzzy Match gets it wrong #
It is not right on every row either. Renames and acronyms that share no letters with the name (FACEBK for Meta Platforms) are missed when List B is longer than about 200 entries, because each row is then offered only the 20 closest spellings, and they come back No match; Search thoroughly can then check those rows against every entry. A parent company and its subsidiary with near-identical names can be matched with a high confidence, so spot-check Matched rows for legal entities. How accurate is it? has the details.
Other differences #
- No match is an answer. AI Fuzzy Match says so when nothing fits, instead of returning the closest spelling.
- Confidence and review. Every row gets a confidence score and a status, and rows below your threshold (80% unless you change it) are marked for review.
- Where it runs. Fuzzy Lookup runs on Excel for Windows only. AI Fuzzy Match runs on Windows, Mac and the web.
- Cost and connection. Fuzzy Lookup is free and works offline. AI Fuzzy Match needs an internet connection, sends the columns you select to its matching service, and uses a credit per row the AI answers.
Which one to use #
- Both lists share a clean key, such as a customer number: use XLOOKUP. No fuzzy matching needed.
- Mostly typos, very large lists, no internet, or data that must not leave your computer: string similarity tools are a good fit.
- Abbreviations, renames, legal suffixes, and look-alike names where a wrong merge would be costly: that is what AI Fuzzy Match is for.