You don't need to force yourself to love Power Query. The question isn't which tool is objectively better, it's which one actually fits the way you work.
The user who posted this is stuck in a familiar tension. They have a recurring data task: join a few spreadsheets, apply some filters, repeat. Power Query is the obvious native answer inside Excel, but they don't enjoy using it. That discomfort matters more than most tutorials admit. When a tool feels like a chore, you use it less, you learn it slower, and you eventually resent the workflow itself. The real cost isn't the subscription or the learning curve, it's the friction you carry every time you open the file.
So what should you do? Start with a honest audit of your actual needs. The task involves joining and filtering a few spreadsheets on a regular basis. That's a narrow, repeatable pattern. It doesn't require a full enterprise ETL platform or a deep dive into M code. There are no-code workflow tools, some built specifically for spreadsheet users, that handle exactly this kind of transformation without the overhead of Power Query's interface. They let you point, click, and schedule. If the task is simple and the frequency is predictable, a purpose-built tool will get you out of the spreadsheet faster than mastering a complex one.
But there's a second question here that's worth asking yourself: is the resistance to Power Query about the tool, or about the mental model? Power Query is powerful, but its logic is different from traditional spreadsheet thinking. It assumes you want to build a repeatable query, not tweak a formula cell by cell. If you've only used it a few times, you might be judging it by the steep part of the learning curve. Give yourself a real trial, say, three consecutive weeks where you use it for this specific task. If it still feels wrong, move on without guilt. Not every tool deserves your persistence.
The practical answer is this: explore a no-code workflow tool that matches the scale of your problem. If it saves you time and frustration, use it. If you later outgrow it, you'll know exactly what you need from a more advanced solution. The goal isn't to master the most powerful option, it's to stop feeling stuck.