5 Free Alternatives To Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Excel is one of the most commonly used applications in the world of computing, but as you might already know, it isn’t free. Excel is part of the Microsoft Office “suite” of programs which, while it isn’t that expensive to purchase — $9.99 per month or $99 per year for the Microsoft 365 suite — it’s still an unnecessary cost for many of today’s fledgling businesses.
When you boil it down, Microsoft Excel is simply a spreadsheet program, for which there are many alternatives. Even better, many of those alternatives are free!
But just how good are these free alternatives to Excel? And which ones are the best? Here’s a roundup of what we consider to be the five absolute best free alternatives to Microsoft Excel.
1. Google Sheets
Chances are you already use a lot of Google products on a daily basis (e.g., Gmail, Google Drive, Google+, etc.) and therefore, you likely already have a Google account. If this is the case, you’ll have access to the Google Sheets spreadsheet application without any extra effort at all.
Essentially, Google Sheets is Google’s own version of an Excel-like spreadsheet application; the only differences are that it’s available for free, without having to download anything to your desktop.
Google Sheets looks pretty similar to Excel. However, as you’ll notice, it actually operates inside your web browser. It has pretty much the exact same functionality as Excel, including a range of charts and the ability to create formulas, so it’s a pretty good alternative if you’re looking to save that bit of extra money on previous Microsoft Excel expenses.
What’s more, you can actually use Google Sheets anywhere you are, so long as you have an internet connection. This makes working remotely on your spreadsheets easier than ever, as you can be sure that your files are backed up online automatically too.
2. Zoho Sheet
Zoho Sheet is another cloud-based application (like Google Sheets and Excel), so keep in mind that you’ll need an internet connection in order to use it.
Zoho offers a lot of cloud-based web apps, many of which aren’t free. But luckily for us, Zoho Sheet is. All you need to do is create a free account with Zoho and then sign in. Once you’re in, you can simply select the “Sheet” app from the list of available tools to get started..
Zoho Sheet looks very similar to Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets. It gives you the option of importing local files on your computer from Excel or Google Sheets into Zoho if you prefer. And of course, you can also create new spreadsheets from scratch in the Zoho Sheet app.
For most small business owners, this is yet another great alternative as it offers most of the functionality that you’ll be familiar with from Excel.
3. LibreOffice Calc
LibreOffice Calc is another free spreadsheet solution that functions similarly to Excel. It’s a downloadable program that operates locally on your personal computer, much like Excel, and works across Windows, Mac OSX and Linux operating systems.
The Calc tool is compatible with Microsoft Excel files. In other words, if you already have the Microsoft 365 suite, you can easily open, edit, and save Excel spreadsheets in Calc without losing formatting or functionality. And Calc includes an array of added features for businesses and individuals, like flexible cell formatting and spreadsheet templates. It also includes more advanced features like incorporating data from scripting languages like Python and JavaScript, and allows you to pull in raw data from outside databases.
4. Apple Numbers
Apple Numbers is Apple’s response to Microsoft Excel. Automatically included on most Mac computers, spreadsheets in Apple Numbers begin with a variety of templates to choose from, such as home budget, business invoice and more. Users can then replace the template’s charts and data with their own content and add new tables, formulas, and more.
The Numbers interface is similar to Excel and LibreOffice Calc, in that it’s a downloadable program that operates offline. But Numbers can integrate with Apple’s iCloud, allowing users to work on spreadsheets across all their Apple devices. It can also create interactive charts that automatically update when changes are made to the underlying data.
Numbers also has collaboration features similar to Google Sheets, allowing users to invite others to work on spreadsheets together. Everyone with an invitation to access the spreadsheet can see changes as they’re made.
5. AI-Powered Spreadsheet Tools
A newer category of Excel alternatives has emerged with the rise of generative AI. Popular AI tools like ChatGPT and Google Gemini can perform powerful tasks like collecting data from various websites and compiling them into spreadsheets that it generates within its interface. However, it’s worth noting that the paid versions of these tools — about $20 per month for both ChatGPT and Gemini — offer more advanced features like better formatting options and the ability to handle larger datasets. Additionally, performing complex tasks like creating or changing formulas requires downloading or pasting the outputs into another spreadsheet tool like Google Sheets or Excel.
There are also a variety of spreadsheet-specific AI tools on the market that are either free or offer free trials, such as GPT Excel and Numerous.ai.
For any AI tool, however, it’s important to remember to carefully verify any output the AI provides. AI can sometimes present inaccurate data as accurate, so it’s essential to double-check calculations, formulas and results. These tools work best when used as assistants rather than replacements for traditional spreadsheet software.
Conclusion
Once upon a time, there were virtually no good alternatives to Microsoft Excel. But these days, things are entirely different. All of the alternatives mentioned in this list offer just about all the functionality that SME’s (subject matter experts) are likely to need from their spreadsheet application.
Sure, they might not offer absolutely everything that Excel offers, but they come pretty darn close. And to be honest, the difference isn’t worth paying for unless you use Excel’s more in-depth functions on a regular basis.
