The Future of VBA in USA: Is It Still Relevant in 2025?

When people in the U.S. talk about automation in 2025, big names come up—Power Automate, Python, AI, and cloud platforms like Azure. But there’s one tool that rarely gets mentioned: VBA (Visual Basic for Applications). Many think of it as outdated—a relic of a bygone tech era.

Yet step into a finance team in New York, a government office in Washington D.C., or an energy company in Houston, and chances are you’ll find VBA quietly doing its job behind the scenes. It may not grab headlines, but it’s still automating essential tasks: generating reports, cleaning up messy data, and powering custom Excel solutions. Best of all? It does all this fast, reliably, and at no extra cost.

Here’s the paradox: VBA doesn’t trend on LinkedIn, it won’t headline tech conferences, and it doesn’t make viral tech news. But when tight deadlines hit or large datasets need cleaning, VBA often becomes the unsung hero that keeps things running smoothly.
 

This isn’t about claiming VBA is the future of automation in the U.S. Instead, it’s about giving VBA its due credit in 2025—and understanding where it fits alongside modern tools like Power Automate and Python.

Why Some Think VBA Is Outdated

If you follow U.S. tech circles or business blogs, you’ve probably heard claims that VBA is “no more.” The arguments typically sound like this:

• The Rise of Power Automate: Microsoft keeps pouring resources into Power Automate and Power Apps—modern, cloud-friendly tools built for easy automation.
• Python’s Popularity: With powerful libraries like Pandas and NumPy, Python has become the go-to for analysts, data scientists, and engineers.
• Shift to the Cloud: As American businesses increasingly move workflows online, desktop-based tools like VBA can seem out of step.

At first glance, these points make sense. But what’s trendy doesn’t always equal what’s practical—especially in real-world business settings.

Why VBA Still Matters in the U.S. in 2025

Even with newer alternatives, VBA continues to thrive across American industries for very practical reasons:

• It’s Already Everywhere
  Most businesses—whether financial services firms in New York, logistics companies in Chicago, or healthcare providers in Boston—heavily rely on Excel with VBA. Rebuilding these systems in Power Automate or Python isn’t just time-consuming; it demands budgets and skills many organizations don’t have.
  Example: A logistics firm in Atlanta uses a VBA macro to auto-generate shipment schedules every morning. Migrating that workflow to Power Automate would take months. The VBA macro? It runs in seconds, day after day, without fail.
   
• Excel-Friendly Learning Curve
  Many U.S. professionals already know Excel inside and out. VBA offers an approachable way to add automation without diving into full-on software development. Accountants, data analysts, and office managers find it’s a natural next step.
   
• Works Offline
  Not every industry in the U.S. has reliable internet access. Think rural manufacturing, mining operations, or remote energy projects in Alaska. VBA doesn’t need a constant connection, making it a solid, dependable solution in places where cloud tools can’t always keep up.
   
• Cost-Effective
  VBA comes bundled with Microsoft Office, already used by millions of American businesses. No extra licenses, no surprise fees—ideal for small businesses and government departments operating on tight budgets.

The Balanced Approach

So, should professionals in the U.S. still invest time in learning and using VBA in 2025? The answer is Yes—with some context.
 

• For Everyday Excel Users: VBA is a game-changer, eliminating hours of repetitive work.
• For Career Growth: VBA alone isn’t enough. Pair it with Power Automate, Python, or SQL to future-proof your skills while still leveraging what makes VBA great.

Think of it like driving a manual transmission car. Automatics (like Power Automate) dominate U.S. roads today, but knowing how to handle stick shift gives you extra control and flexibility.

Final Thoughts

For more than a decade, people have predicted “the end of VBA.” Yet in 2025, VBA remains alive and well in American industries—finance, government, healthcare, logistics, energy, and beyond.

Is VBA the future of automation? Probably not.
Is VBA still relevant in the U.S.? Absolutely.
 

If you’re just starting out, record a macro and explore the code—you’ll see how much time you can save. For advanced users, go deeper with custom functions. And if you’re pursuing a career in automation, balance VBA with modern tools. In today’s competitive job market, having expertise in both “old reliable” and “new exciting” makes you twice as valuable.

Editor’s Note

At Excelgoodies, we’re passionate about helping American professionals bridge the gap between Excel and advanced automation. Our course, Microsoft Excel Reporting: Business Reporting & Model Building, turns spreadsheets into powerful insights.

👉 Start your journey today with our Excel VBA Macro Programming course and become an Excel power user.

Courtesy: Excelgoodies Power Users.
 

VBA & Python