5 Open-Source Alternatives to Microsoft Excel

Finding an open-source alternate to Microsoft Excel depends connected what you are trying to accomplish: Are you tracking your monthly groceries, oregon looking for thing to underpin your concern processes? Here are immoderate spreadsheet editors for each use-case.

Excel Is Still the Big Boss successful Business

Microsoft Excel is inactive ubiquitous successful business, and the continuing popularity of Microsoft Office and Microsoft 365 successful the endeavor abstraction tin arguably beryllium credited to Excel's wide diagnostic acceptable (I'll springiness a motion to Outlook too, it inactive manages to beryllium the champion astatine what it does).

Some of the large selling points of Excel are its acquainted interface for existing users, formulas and macros (including enactment for Visual Basic scripting), information tools (pivot tables!), graphs and charts, and quality to link to outer information sources. When you nonstop a spreadsheet, it's expected to beryllium successful the Excel format.

However, you don't request all of these features successful 1 Excel-branded package, you whitethorn not request it astatine all. This is particularly existent for business—if you don't trust connected the paid Microsoft ecosystem, you whitethorn beryllium capable to premix and lucifer different products for thing that works for you, doesn't outgo a dime, and doesn't fastener you in. Many location and tiny concern users aren't adjacent alert that determination are present viable, escaped alternatives to Excel.

Additionally, if you're going to beryllium affected by the impending decease of Windows 10 and the costs of upgrading your PCs, these open-source Excel alternatives each tally connected Linux, too.

LibreOffice Calc

LibreOffice Calc is portion of a afloat open-source bureau suite that besides includes connection processing, drawing, and presumption software. If you're looking for the closest imaginable replacement to Excel, this is it.

It tin work Excel files (but, similar the different tools listed successful this article, isn't compatible with each Excel formulas oregon macros), and runs connected Windows, Mac, and Linux. It has charts, pivot tables, and supports its ain scripting situation that supports Basic and JavaScript. If you're not yet invested successful Microsoft Office, it's the astir fashionable alternate and most apt to capable that role.

Collabora is simply a cloud-hosted bureau suite based connected LibreOffice for those that privation a Google Docs-like collaboration level portion remaining successful power of their data.

Gnumeric (Linux Only)

Gnumeric is an open-source spreadsheet instrumentality for Linux. It's successful astir default repositories, truthful installing it is usually conscionable a substance of moving sudo apt instal Gnumeric. It supports formulas and charts, and uses Python for scripting.

While its diagnostic acceptable is simply a spot constricted (no pivot tables!) and its interface possibly isn't arsenic polished arsenic different Excel alternatives, it's capable for galore basal use-cases. Gnumeric is besides known for its accuracy, which has made it fashionable for immoderate technological applications.

OnlyOffice Spreadsheet Editor

OnlyOffice is an online bureau suite with spreadsheet functionality provided by the Spreadsheet Editor. You tin instal standalone desktop versions of its apps for Windows, MacOS, and Linux, but it's truly meant to beryllium utilized successful the cloud.

Docker makes this ace easy, and it takes conscionable a single bid to get OnlyOffice up and running. It tin besides beryllium run from your NAS, truthful you tin entree your cloud-hosted spreadsheets from immoderate device.

The OnlyOffice Spreadsheet Editor diagnostic database compares favorably with Excel, including pivot tables, formulas, JavaScript macros, visualization tools, successful summation to the collaborative benefits of moving successful the cloud.

Grist

Grist is simply a cloud-based spreadsheet and database tool. You tin big it successful Docker connected a server, NAS, oregon connected your MacOS, Windows, oregon Linux PC.

In summation to the accustomed laundry database of features required to suffice arsenic an Excel competitor, Grist brings other spreadsheet and information tools to your web browser. This includes chill features similar an AI-powered Python scripting assistant, the quality to make forms for information collection, and multi-user features similar permissions. It works connected a spot of a antithetic paradigm to Excel, but if it fits your usage case, and you're consenting to larn however it does things, it's a almighty tool.

While you tin run Grist arsenic a standalone app connected Windows, MacOS, and Linux, you're giving up connected the quality to collaborate connected data, link to distant sources, and entree your information remotely to enactment from anywhere.

Python

This whitethorn look similar a large leap from uncovering a elemental spreadsheet app, but if you're looking to analyse information successful a nonrecreational role, you should larn however to usage the Python programming language to bash it.

You'll astir apt inactive privation a bully spreadsheet app for quick-and-dirty tasks and browsing data, but for dense information processing and building visualizations, Python is the way. A spot of Python acquisition besides looks large connected your CV.

Free Your Productivity

In the end, which Excel alternate works for you volition beryllium connected your requirements. Conveniently, everything connected this database is 100% escaped to use, truthful with a mates of hours of investigating retired these apps, you could permanently destruct an unnecessary concern oregon household Microsoft 365 subscription.

If you're looking for much high-quality alternatives to subscription products, cheque retired our free alternatives to Microsoft 365 and Adobe subscriptions.