Private CSV Analysis in Your Browser: No Upload, No Install

Most data tools ask you to install a desktop app, connect a database, or wait for something to download before you can see a single number. AskCSV is the opposite: it is a website. You open it, open a CSV or Excel file, ask a question in plain English, and get an answer with a chart — on whatever computer or phone is already in your hand.

Why "nothing to install" is the real feature

Setup is where most analysis sessions die. A desktop tool means an installer, a license, and a machine that is allowed to run it. Tools that process everything on the device add a large download and a hardware requirement on top. Each of those is a reason a question never gets asked.

AskCSV removes the setup step entirely:

• Any modern browser. Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge, on Windows, macOS, Linux, ChromeOS, iOS, or Android. Nothing has to be installed or downloaded; a very large file may still exceed the browser's memory.
• No model download. There is no multi-gigabyte file to fetch and no graphics requirement before your first question.
• No account needed to try. Guests get $0.25 of credits to try it (about 5 answers). Sign in with Google to tie credits and billing to an account.
• Mobile actually works. A phone or tablet can open a CSV and read the resulting chart; keep files modest on a phone, where memory is tighter.

Where the analysis actually runs

The file opens in your browser, and DuckDB compiled to WebAssembly runs the read-only SQL there. Your file is not uploaded and AskCSV keeps no server copy of it.

AskCSV keeps what the AI sees to a minimum: OpenAI, the AI provider, gets only your question, the file's name and row count, the columns you chose to share with up to 10 sample rows, up to 100 rows of each query result plus summary figures, and the earlier messages in the chat — never the file itself. A result can hold real rows (ask for the top 10 accounts and those 10 rows go), so turn off any column the AI should not see. Totals, shares, and trends are computed in code from the query result, and every chart shows the SQL behind it so you can check the calculation yourself.

If you want the full data-handling detail, including retention and deletion, see what happens to your data.

How it works

1. Open AskCSV at / in any browser. Nothing to install.
2. Open a CSV or Excel file, or try the built-in sample if you just want to see how it works.
3. Ask a question in plain English — "What were total sales by region last quarter?" or "Which customers churned this month?"
4. Read the answer. You get a number, a table, or a chart, with the SQL that produced it.
5. Keep asking. Follow-up questions refine the same analysis, so you can narrow by date, region, or product without starting over.

Questions people ask first

• "Show me the top 10 accounts by revenue."
• "What's the average deal size for each sales rep?"
• "Flag rows where the order date is missing."
• "Break down sign-ups by month and plot the trend."

No SQL, formulas, or pivot tables are required for any of these.

Where your data goes, in one table

Retention is simple: files and chats stay in this browser until you delete them or clear the site's data, and guest credits expire 7 days after they are issued. Deleting a single file or chat is available at any time.

Try it with your own CSV

Open the AskCSV homepage, open a file you are authorized to analyze, and ask your first question. No install, no download, no sign-up required to try — and the SQL behind the answer is on screen if you want to verify it.