More than half a billion people use spreadsheets and Excel is, by far, the most popular. However, there are useful alternatives that are worth looking at. Here, we show you the best free Excel alternatives from a data-driven perspective. Articles exist that only provide a random or subjective ordering of “Best” software tools, but not here. After intensive research of more than 35 Excel alternatives, we, at Doakio have gathered extensive data and evidence. All features and company attributes were compared and contrasted to come up with these top 5.
Depending on your own individual needs, you may come up with a different selection of free Excel alternatives. We’ve made it possible to layer on your own feature-specific importance rating for each feature. By participating in our custom Excel alternatives survey you can layer in your own importance prioritization for each feature.
Our domain authority data serves as an effective indicator of overall popularity. If you think of any tools that we have not included in our comparison analysis, please let us know in the comments below.
We found 14 free Excel alternatives. We list the top five tools here, along with three runners up.
As of this writing, we are not incentivized in any way by any of these software companies. Also, be sure to see our original research publication on Excel Alternatives that is always kept up-to-date.
Now, without further ado, here is our evidence-backed listing of the top five free Excel alternatives, along with three runners up:
Remote and Data Application Programming Interfaces
Real-time Collaborative Edit
Data Security Standards Compliance
Email Function
Custom Functions
Macros or Scripts
Automatically Saves Version History
View Edit History
Open Source Code
Training
Single Sign On
Data Cleaning
Portability / No Install
Apache OpenOffice Calc 4 provides the important tools needed to quickly format cells and insert formulas. Some users report that the visual format could use updating but this tool is straightforward and flexible.
Remote and Data Application Programming Interfaces
Real-time Collaborative Edit
Data Security Standards Compliance
Email Function
Custom Functions
Macros or Scripts
Automatically Saves Version History
View Edit History
Open Source Code
Training
Single Sign On
Data Cleaning
Sparklines / One-Cell Graphs
Portability / No Install
Play and Insert videos
LibreOffice Calc 7 allows saving the users work in convenient formats for multiple operating systems. Although there is a learning curve involved with LibreOffice Calc 7, users like that it provides the ability to run advanced scripts.
Remote and Data Application Programming Interfaces
Real-time Collaborative Edit
Data Security Standards Compliance
iOS Compatible
Email Function
Custom Functions
Macros or Scripts
Automatically Saves Version History
View Edit History
Data Cleaning
Sparklines / One-Cell Graphs
Great user interface with complete version history, Zoho Sheet is a very good collaboration tool. While sometimes slow with loading, it provides instant updates and has everything you need on one platform.
Numbers comes with most Apple devices, including mobile devices. It gives the user freedom to organize data any way they choose and provides templates that are ready to use.
Remote and Data Application Programming Interfaces
Email Function
Custom Functions
Macros or Scripts
Open Source Code
Portability / No Install
Gnumeric 1.12 is a high-quality, flexible tool. While it is not as customizable as some others, users enjoy the many useful features and that it’s powerful yet lightweight.
Remote and Data Application Programming Interfaces
Email Function
Macros or Scripts
Automatically Saves Version History
Open Source Code
Calligra Sheets 2.9 allows the automation of formula creation using economic, scientific, or other formula lists. It also provides easy to use tools like shapes for notes, or flowchart creation.
Remote and Data Application Programming Interfaces
Real-time Collaborative Edit
Data Security Standards Compliance
iOS Compatible
Open Source Code
Data Cleaning
While some users report that customer support could be improved, Odoo 14 Spreadsheet enables projections, and commission calculations. Enjoy real-time data, just a click away.
