Top 37 Excel Alternatives Compared

Welcome to the definitive source for selecting the best alternatives to Microsoft Excel. We’ve performed comprehensive research to identify all possible 37 alternatives and looked at 43 features for each. Our research analysts have collected more than 500 data points, over 1500 feature points, which adds up to over 2100 total points researched.

In our research, we’ve included Excel alternatives that are able to do most common computational, database and reporting, and basic automation functions that are regularly being utilized for home, office, and semi-enterprise institutions/companies. For example, a spreadsheet program specifically designed for accounting or investment banking (and not easily adaptable to other general use cases) would not be included.

Spreadsheets are used by many businesses and individuals today. Some are finding problems with Excel such as: conversion issues, errors with large strings, numerical precision issues and other quirks. Perhaps you don't need all the functions that Excel provides. (There's less that can go wrong with a simpler spreadsheet.) Whatever your reason for looking elsewhere, our comprehensive research can help.

Frequently, with spreadsheets, there is a need to graphically represent various data. If this interests you, check out: Data Visualization Tools.

We reached out to a cohort of industry experts to get some initial feedback on what features are most important in a spreadsheet tool. We’ve ranked the top ten tools in our research according to their responses. This top ten list is continually updated as we get more feedback. But we highly suggest you participate in our custom Excel alternatives survey so you can layer in your own importance prioritization for each feature:

TAKE SURVEY FOR CUSTOM REPORT

Top Ten
Excel Alternative Platform
as of April 2021

Apache OpenOffice Calc 4
LibreOffice Calc 7
OnlyOffice Spreadsheet
Excel for the Web
Zoho Sheet
Numbers for Mac
Google Spreadsheet
Smartsheet
Gnumeric 1.12
GrapeCity Spread

Note: If we mark a specific solution as not having a particular feature, that only means we did not see that feature advertised in their public marketing content. We focus almost exclusively on publicly verifiable facts in our research.

Spreadsheet Feature Strength is a number that was calculated by looking at how many features each tool had, and the relative, subjective importance of each feature. You’ll definitely want to take our survey to layer in your own feature importance scoring before deciding on a solution.

Likewise, Spreadsheet Business Strength is a number that was derived from certain business-related qualities of each company, and our own (subjective) scoring of the importance of those qualities. There too, you’ll want to give your own importance rating to derive your own, custom scatter plot:

Click here to interact!

Of special importance is the field titled, Top Five Other Excel Alternatives with Most Similar Features, in Order. For each tool, we looked at the feature sets of competitors to come up with their top closest competitors from a data-driven, feature-focused perspective.

You can also click here to jump straight to the list of features that we’ve uncovered for each spreadsheet.

We built a custom framework around this data, so it is almost trivial for us to add, remove, or update the data as spreadsheet tools change over time. If you see anything that is missing or incorrect, please let us know in the comments below.

Click on each of these to expand the ordered list:

Approximate Age of Software/Company

Tool	Age
Corel Quattro Pro 2020	24.5 Years
WPS Office Spreadsheets	24.3 Years
SoftMaker PlanMaker 2021	24.0 Years
Quip Spreadsheet	24.0 Years
Smartsheet	22.3 Years
Ashampoo PlanMaker Free	21.4 Years
Ashampoo Office 8	21.4 Years
Siag	21.1 Years
Airtable	21.0 Years
Apache OpenOffice Calc 4	20.7 Years
Gnumeric 1.12	20.5 Years
GrapeCity Spread	19.3 Years
OfficeSuite Sheet	18.4 Years
Polaris Sheet 2015	17.0 Years
Zoho Sheet	15.2 Years
Spread32	15.1 Years
Numbers for Mac	12.8 Years
Sheetster	12.6 Years
LibreOffice Calc 7	10.6 Years
Bime Analytics	10.3 Years
Google Spreadsheet	10.0 Years
Calligra Sheets 2.9	9.8 Years
EtherCalc	8.7 Years
Samepage	8.2 Years
Excel for the Web	7.1 Years
Azquo	7.1 Years
Odoo 14 Spreadsheet	6.9 Years
OnlyOffice Spreadsheet	6.8 Years
Grist Labs	6.5 Years
TreeGrid SpreadSheet	5.0 Years
Sheetgo	4.5 Years
SSuite Axcel Professional 2.4	3.5 Years
FreeOffice PlanMaker	2.9 Years
Stackby	2.7 Years
Scoro	2.4 Years
pyspread	1.3 Years
Hancom Cell	1.1 Years

Domain Authority

Tool	Score
Google Spreadsheet	98
Numbers for Mac	97
Excel for the Web	92
Sheetster	92
Zoho Sheet	91
Apache OpenOffice Calc 4	90
Smartsheet	90
Odoo 14 Spreadsheet	90
Airtable	89
LibreOffice Calc 7	87
Quip Spreadsheet	78
Ashampoo PlanMaker Free	77
Hancom Cell	77
Ashampoo Office 8	77
WPS Office Spreadsheets	76
OnlyOffice Spreadsheet	75
GrapeCity Spread	74
Gnumeric 1.12	72
Polaris Sheet 2015	70
FreeOffice PlanMaker	70
Scoro	68
Calligra Sheets 2.9	67
SoftMaker PlanMaker 2021	66
Samepage	66
Corel Quattro Pro 2020	65
Bime Analytics	64
Spread32	60
Sheetgo	59
EtherCalc	54
Siag	51
OfficeSuite Sheet	51
SSuite Axcel Professional 2.4	46
pyspread	43
Stackby	40
TreeGrid SpreadSheet	36
Azquo	10
Grist Labs	6

Raw Feature Count

Tool	Count
OnlyOffice Spreadsheet	41
LibreOffice Calc 7	40
Google Spreadsheet	38
Apache OpenOffice Calc 4	38
Excel for the Web	35
Zoho Sheet	34
Smartsheet	32
Numbers for Mac	32
Hancom Cell	32
Airtable	31
WPS Office Spreadsheets	31
Quip Spreadsheet	30
GrapeCity Spread	30
SoftMaker PlanMaker 2021	28
Gnumeric 1.12	28
FreeOffice PlanMaker	28
Bime Analytics	27
Polaris Sheet 2015	27
SSuite Axcel Professional 2.4	26
Samepage	26
Calligra Sheets 2.9	26
Ashampoo PlanMaker Free	25
OfficeSuite Sheet	24
Corel Quattro Pro 2020	24
Sheetgo	23
Scoro	23
Grist Labs	23
Stackby	22
EtherCalc	22
Spread32	21
Odoo 14 Spreadsheet	21
TreeGrid SpreadSheet	19
Ashampoo Office 8	18
Sheetster	16
pyspread	14
Siag	13
Azquo	13

Business Score

Tool	Score
Numbers for Mac	15.88
Excel for the Web	15.68
Sheetster	15.68
Zoho Sheet	15.64
Apache OpenOffice Calc 4	15.6
Smartsheet	15.6
Odoo 14 Spreadsheet	15.6
LibreOffice Calc 7	15.48
Ashampoo PlanMaker Free	15.08
OnlyOffice Spreadsheet	15
GrapeCity Spread	14.96
Gnumeric 1.12	14.88
Calligra Sheets 2.9	14.68
SoftMaker PlanMaker 2021	14.64
Corel Quattro Pro 2020	14.6
Google Spreadsheet	13.92
Airtable	13.56
Quip Spreadsheet	13.12
Ashampoo Office 8	13.08
WPS Office Spreadsheets	13.04
Polaris Sheet 2015	12.8
Samepage	12.64
FreeOffice PlanMaker	12.55
Spread32	12.4
EtherCalc	12.16
Hancom Cell	12.08
Siag	12.04
OfficeSuite Sheet	12.04
Sheetgo	10.86
pyspread	10.72
Scoro	10.47
Azquo	10.4
Grist Labs	10.24
Stackby	9.35
SSuite Axcel Professional 2.4	9.34
Bime Analytics	8.56
TreeGrid SpreadSheet	6.94

Software Score

Tool	Score
OnlyOffice Spreadsheet	105
LibreOffice Calc 7	104
Apache OpenOffice Calc 4	104
Google Spreadsheet	97
Excel for the Web	94
Zoho Sheet	90
Hancom Cell	89
Numbers for Mac	87
WPS Office Spreadsheets	86
Airtable	83
Quip Spreadsheet	82
Smartsheet	81
Gnumeric 1.12	81
FreeOffice PlanMaker	79
Polaris Sheet 2015	77.5
GrapeCity Spread	77
SoftMaker PlanMaker 2021	75
Calligra Sheets 2.9	75
Bime Analytics	73
SSuite Axcel Professional 2.4	72
Sheetgo	71
Corel Quattro Pro 2020	71
EtherCalc	69
Grist Labs	69
Ashampoo PlanMaker Free	68
OfficeSuite Sheet	67
Samepage	65
Spread32	64.5
Odoo 14 Spreadsheet	63
Stackby	59
Scoro	58
TreeGrid SpreadSheet	55
Ashampoo Office 8	55
Sheetster	49
pyspread	43.5
Azquo	41
Siag	29

TAKE SURVEY FOR CUSTOM REPORT

We hope this publication will save you dozens of hours of research in your quest for the alternative spreadsheet that serves you best. Bookmark this page, and be sure to share it with your colleagues. What other tools or features have we missed? Please engage with us in the comments below. We love your feedback!

FEATURE DESCRIPTIONS
Create and Edit Charts Create various charts such as pie-charts, bar graphs, line graphs, etc. to help easily compare, analyze, and process data. Number of Excel Alternatives that have this feature: 36
Create Formula / Employ Functions Ability to create mathematical, analytical, and/or text manipulation operations using defined and predefined formulas or functions. Number of Excel Alternatives that have this feature: 36
Import / Export / Save as: Excel file Works or edits or reads or extracts or saves .xls or .xlsx files. Number of Excel Alternatives that have this feature: 34
Refer Cell Values Ability to refer the value of a cell or cell range onto a different worksheet cell or cell range (within or across the spreadsheets). Number of Excel Alternatives that have this feature: 34
Data Filtering / Sorting Ability to sort and show or hide selected data sets in rows, columns, or tables. Number of Excel Alternatives that have this feature: 34
Templates Pre-formatted document that can be revised as a startup point to create a new file. Number of Excel Alternatives that have this feature: 33
Formatting / Styling Option Lets you apply a style to a combination of formatting attributes and are worksheet specific. Number of Excel Alternatives that have this feature: 33
Password Protection / Document Restriction Protects/restricts the spreadsheet from unauthorized access. Number of Excel Alternatives that have this feature: 32
Print Optimization Adhering to document printing standards and best practices using efficient methods and/or devices. Number of Excel Alternatives that have this feature: 32
Date / Calendar Function Able to perform date and time functions. Number of Excel Alternatives that have this feature: 30
Insert Image Ability to insert an image for better reporting. Number of Excel Alternatives that have this feature: 29
Insert Notes / Comment Allows users to add comments attached to a given cell in the spreadsheet that doesn't change the contents, formulas, formatting, or data of the cell. Essentially another layer on top of the spreadsheet used for abstract comments. Number of Excel Alternatives that have this feature: 29
Cloud Services Ability to save, access, and store files in the cloud (servers). Number of Excel Alternatives that have this feature: 28
Conditional Formatting Conditional Formatting allows color, font, or other formatting to be applied based on the contents of the cell or other nearby comparative data. Number of Excel Alternatives that have this feature: 28
Statistical Analysis Process and execute statistical functions and provide analytical results. Number of Excel Alternatives that have this feature: 27
Publish to Web / HTML Ability to publish in a webpage. Number of Excel Alternatives that have this feature: 27
Multi-Language Support Provides support for more than one language, beyond just English. Number of Excel Alternatives that have this feature: 27
Export to PDF File Allows exporting / converting data to a Portable Document Format (PDF), a file format used to save a file that cannot be easily modified but can be shared or printed. Number of Excel Alternatives that have this feature: 27
Pivot Table (to Reorganise Data) Table of statistics that summarizes the data into a more understandable and simpler representation of a more extensive table. Number of Excel Alternatives that have this feature: 26
Android Compatible Compatible with Android Operating System Number of Excel Alternatives that have this feature: 24
Browser Platform Runs on internet browsers. Number of Excel Alternatives that have this feature: 24
Sharing Share the document, with applicable permission, to other users and viewers. Number of Excel Alternatives that have this feature: 24
Create and Edit Forms Ability to create and modify forms for specific purposes. Number of Excel Alternatives that have this feature: 24
Remote and Data Application Programming Interfaces An Application Programming Interface (API) is a computing interface which defines interactions between multiple software intermediaries. It defines the kinds of calls or requests that can be made, how to make them, the data formats that should be used, the conventions to follow, etc. Number of Excel Alternatives that have this feature: 24
Real-time Collaborative Edit Simultaneously editing and working on the document in real-time. Number of Excel Alternatives that have this feature: 23
Data Security Standards Compliance Meets General Data Protection Regulation and International Organization for Standardization standards. This certifies the company's data protection. Number of Excel Alternatives that have this feature: 23
Windows Compatible Compatible with Windows Operating System Number of Excel Alternatives that have this feature: 22
iOS Compatible Compatible with iPhone/iPad Operating System Number of Excel Alternatives that have this feature: 21
Email Function Send the file directly to email. Number of Excel Alternatives that have this feature: 21
Custom Functions Create user-defined new functions or formulas that can be used and reused across the spreadsheet. Number of Excel Alternatives that have this feature: 19
Macros or Scripts Allows users to create more complex computer code to do special functions not normally supported by the spreadsheet tool. Number of Excel Alternatives that have this feature: 19
Mac OS Compatible Compatible with Mac Operating System Number of Excel Alternatives that have this feature: 17
Automatically Saves Version History Everytime the application opens for file writing, the system automatically creates a new instance of the file with a version number. Number of Excel Alternatives that have this feature: 16
View Edit History Ability to view a document's revision or edit history (track changes). Number of Excel Alternatives that have this feature: 16
Open Source Code Source code available for open development. Number of Excel Alternatives that have this feature: 16
Linux Compatible Compatible with Linux Operating System Number of Excel Alternatives that have this feature: 15
Training Provide training, guidance and assistance for proper software deployment or operation. Number of Excel Alternatives that have this feature: 14
Single Sign On An authentication process that grants users access without providing their passwords directly. A unique password, instead, is generated for each application without revealing the user’s main password; eliminating the need for employees to maintain multiple passwords. Number of Excel Alternatives that have this feature: 11
Data Cleaning Automatically detect, correct, and/or remove data anomalies from the record set, table, or database. Number of Excel Alternatives that have this feature: 11
Sparklines / One-Cell Graphs A very small chart in a worksheet cell that shows a condensed representation of the data. Number of Excel Alternatives that have this feature: 11

Blog

Top 37 Excel Alternatives Compared

Top Ten Excel Alternative Platform as of April 2021

Approximate Age of Software/Company

Domain Authority

Raw Feature Count

Business Score

Software Score

Excel alternative software/tools are in no particular order.

LibreOffice Calc 7

LibreOffice Calc 7 Comparison Details

List of 40 LibreOffice Calc 7 Features in order of popularity

Google Spreadsheet

Google Spreadsheet Comparison Details

List of 162 Google Spreadsheet Integration/s

List of 38 Google Spreadsheet Features in order of popularity

Apache OpenOffice Calc 4

Apache OpenOffice Calc 4 Comparison Details

List of 38 Apache OpenOffice Calc 4 Features in order of popularity

Excel for the Web

Excel for the Web Comparison Details

List of 35 Excel for the Web Features in order of popularity

Sheetgo

Sheetgo Comparison Details

List of 2 Sheetgo Integration/s

List of 23 Sheetgo Features in order of popularity

Smartsheet

Smartsheet Comparison Details

List of 168 Smartsheet Integration/s

List of 32 Smartsheet Features in order of popularity

Zoho Sheet

Zoho Sheet Comparison Details

List of 91 Zoho Sheet Integration/s

List of 34 Zoho Sheet Features in order of popularity

TreeGrid SpreadSheet

TreeGrid SpreadSheet Comparison Details

List of 19 TreeGrid SpreadSheet Features in order of popularity

Bime Analytics

Bime Analytics Comparison Details

List of 120 Bime Analytics Integration/s

List of 27 Bime Analytics Features in order of popularity

Polaris Sheet 2015

Polaris Sheet 2015 Comparison Details

List of 27 Polaris Sheet 2015 Features in order of popularity

SSuite Axcel Professional 2.4

SSuite Axcel Professional 2.4 Comparison Details

List of 26 SSuite Axcel Professional 2.4 Features in order of popularity

SoftMaker PlanMaker 2021

SoftMaker PlanMaker 2021 Comparison Details

List of 1 SoftMaker PlanMaker 2021 Integration/s

List of 28 SoftMaker PlanMaker 2021 Features in order of popularity

Samepage

Samepage Comparison Details

List of 19 Samepage Integration/s

List of 26 Samepage Features in order of popularity

Quip Spreadsheet

Quip Spreadsheet Comparison Details

List of 3 Quip Spreadsheet Integration/s

List of 30 Quip Spreadsheet Features in order of popularity

Airtable

Airtable Comparison Details

List of 25 Airtable Integration/s

List of 31 Airtable Features in order of popularity

Stackby

Stackby Comparison Details

List of 26 Stackby Integration/s

List of 22 Stackby Features in order of popularity

Calligra Sheets 2.9

Calligra Sheets 2.9 Comparison Details

List of 26 Calligra Sheets 2.9 Features in order of popularity

Numbers for Mac

Numbers for Mac Comparison Details

List of 32 Numbers for Mac Features in order of popularity

Ashampoo PlanMaker

Ashampoo PlanMaker Comparison Details

List of 25 Ashampoo PlanMaker Features in order of popularity

Siag

Siag Comparison Details

List of 13 Siag Features in order of popularity

Azquo

Top Ten
Excel Alternative Platform
as of April 2021