6 finest free options to Microsoft Excel in 2023

Google Sheets: Best for offline modifying and collaboration

Google Sheets is Google’s cloud-based reply to Microsoft Excel, and it’s able to doing the overwhelming majority of what the typical Excel consumer wants. It’s additionally hosted within the cloud and runs in an internet browser, so it’s platform impartial and might be run on Windows, macOS and Linux methods.

You by no means have to fret about dropping a single calculation, both — Google Sheets saves every part in Google Drive, making a crashed pc of no concern to your vital knowledge. As with Google’s different workplace instruments, Sheets options real-time collaboration that permits a number of customers to edit a doc on the identical time (Figure A). Users can see the cursor place of different folks within the doc, see what they’re doing as they’re doing it and chat proper within the doc window.

Figure A

Advanced options that some Excel customers want are lacking, although, so if you happen to’re an Excel energy consumer, it’s a good suggestion to seek out out if the options you want can be found earlier than migrating. There have additionally been reported problems with formulation in Excel spreadsheets breaking once they’re uploaded to Google Sheets, so remember that you may run into points transferring .xls or .xlsx recordsdata out of your pc to Sheets. On the plus facet, scripting continues to be accessible in Google Sheets, although it’s JavaScript primarily based and never Visual Basic for Applications.

Key options

• Offline modifying functionality.
• Support of file codecs, together with .xlsx, .xls, .xlsm, .xlt, .xltx, .xltxm, .ods, .csv and .tsv.
• Data evaluation and visualization.
• Sharing and collaboration.
• Version historical past characteristic, which helps you to see all of the adjustments you and others have made to the spreadsheet or revert to earlier variations.
• Template gallery.

Pros

• Ability for customers to obtain their recordsdata in numerous codecs, together with .pdf, .html, .ods, .xlsx and .tsv.
• Customizability — customers can add hyperlinks, feedback, charts, filters or features.
• Ability for customers to automate repetitive duties with macros.
• Real-time collaboration.

Cons

• Lags when engaged on giant knowledge.
• Difficult to pinpoint who edited the spreadsheet.

Zoho Sheet: Best for automation

Zoho Sheet is a spreadsheet software program that features collaboration, knowledge visualization and automation options that assist groups get work performed quicker. Zoho Sheet is a free, cloud-based spreadsheet device that helps a number of file sorts, together with Excel (.xls), .csv, .ods and .tsv codecs to maneuver your present sheets into Zoho Sheet simply.

Collaboration in Zoho Sheet is straightforward, with real-time updates on the sheet degree for any customers within the doc (Figure B). You can use macros and even VBA code to automate updates and velocity up work.

Figure B

Collaborators can use Data cleansing to catch errors rapidly or roll again to a earlier iteration with Version History. And Zoho Sheet can simply be used through the cell app or printed to the online with granular controls over embedded knowledge manipulation.

Zoho Sheet is a part of the bigger Zoho household of apps, which signifies that extensions and integrations are straightforward and quick. Use Zoho Forms to rapidly consolidate info in a single Sheet, and Zoho’s AI, Zia, will assist groups visualize knowledge with pivot tables, charts or graphs.

Key options

• Multi-language assist, together with Polish, Bulgarian, Dutch, Chinese (Simplified), German, English, Spanish, French, Croatian, Turkish, Japanese, Hungarian, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Swedish and Italian.
• Support for over 350 predefined features.
• Ability for customers to export .html and .pdf codecs.
• Custom and user-defined features.
• Image-to-sheet characteristic, which permits customers to scan books, receipts and invoices and mechanically convert them to spreadsheets.

Pros

• Easy to study and use.
• AI-powered insights.
• Data cleansing — duplicates, inconsistencies and lacking worth elimination.
• Integration with different Zoho apps.

Cons

• Lacks knowledge connections, evaluation and modeling functionality.
• Lacks offline assist.
• Takes a very long time to load spreadsheets.

Microsoft Office Excel Online: Best for customers preferring Excel’s interface

Not to be outdone by Google, Microsoft has created its personal on-line model of Office, which features a stripped-down model of Excel that’s nearer to Google Sheets than to the desktop model of Microsoft Office’s Excel (Figure C). It’s to not say that Excel Online is unusable or not value your time — it’s positively extra like Excel than Google Sheets, so if you happen to choose a well-known interface, it’s possible you’ll go for Excel Online as a substitute of going the Google route.

Figure C

Recommending Excel Online to the typical Excel consumer is ok; it does all of the fundamentals of the desktop model whereas including computerized cloud saving in OneDrive, and it has real-time collaboration instruments that Office 365 and Office 2019 lack.

Excel energy customers could need to keep away from Excel Online. Many of the options Excel energy customers depend on are gone, restricted or read-only — there’s no VBA scripting, no creating exterior knowledge connections, no discover and substitute, and no superior charting options. All of these capabilities exist in Excel Online, however they’re read-only.

Key options

• Power BI integration.
• Support of many file codecs, together with .docm, .docx, .pptm, .pptx, .xlsm and .xlsx.
• Copilot in Excel, which works with you to investigate and discover your knowledge.
• Ability for customers to visualise knowledge in charts and graphs.

Pros

• Collaboration functionality.
• Macros to automate common duties.
• Extensive vary of features and formulation, which allow customers to carry out complicated calculations and knowledge evaluation simply.
• User-friendly interface.

Cons

• Gets sluggish when working with giant knowledge units.
• Requires web connectivity.

Apache OpenOffice Calc: Best for personalization

When I speak to Windows customers who hate the look of Microsoft Office’s post-2007 interface, I all the time advocate Apache OpenOffice. Calc, OpenOffice’s Excel various, appears and seems like Office 2003, which is nice if you happen to’d choose a time earlier than the Office ribbon (Figure D). Prior to the arrival of the cloud and the dominance of Google’s on-line workplace instruments, OpenOffice reigned supreme amongst these searching for a free Microsoft Office various.

Figure D

Apache OpenOffice’s Calc serves numerous userbases together with freelancers, giant enterprises, midsize companies, non-profits, public administrations and small companies.

Key options

• Natural language formulation, which permit customers to create formulation utilizing phrases.
• Ready-made templates repository.
• Scenario supervisor with assist for “what if” evaluation.
• Ability for customers to export paperwork in numerous codecs, together with ​​.pdf, .odt, .doc and .html.

Pros

• Large consumer group.
• Available as open supply.
• Custom backgrounds to allow customers to create spreadsheets based on particular person preferences.

Cons

• Lacks real-time on-line collaboration.
• Needs to be up to date extra incessantly.

LibreOffice Calc: Best Excel various for options

Like OpenOffice, LibreOffice is a free workplace suite that features its personal Excel various, additionally referred to as Calc. It has the identical restrictions as OpenOffice in that LibreOffice’s Calc lacks cloud assist and real-time collaboration. What LibreOffice does have is a surprisingly sturdy checklist of options, a lot of which aren’t current in Excel (Figure E).

Figure E

LibreOffice has extra features than Excel, can examine two separate spreadsheet recordsdata, has extra cell formatting choices and might even deal with imports of legacy spreadsheets from retired functions (Microsoft Works, Lotus 1-2-3, BeagleWorks, Claris Resolve, and many others.) previously accessible on Windows and macOS.

Key options

• Scenario supervisor that permits “what if …” evaluation.
• Ability for customers to export to .pdf.
• Desktop apps for Windows, macOS and Linux.

Pros

• Open supply.
• Feature wealthy.
• Ability to learn .xlsx recordsdata created with Microsoft Office for Windows and macOS.

Cons

• Has restricted macro recording talents.
• Lacks the power to show many superior kinds of charts.
• Lacks real-time on-line collaboration options.

WPS Office Spreadsheets: Best Excel various for ease of use

When it involves sturdy options which are a real competitors for Excel, WPS Office Spreadsheets can’t be crushed, and with good cause: It’s the one freemium product on this checklist. WPS Office is a paid product, but it surely comes with a fully-featured free model with one catch — it’s ad-supported (Figure F).

Figure F

Don’t let that flip you off from giving WPS Spreadsheets a attempt; the advertisements are fast, typically lasting about 10 seconds, and solely pop up whenever you attempt to print, save to PDF or use a few of its different extra particular instruments. Once you watch an advert, that characteristic is unlocked for half-hour. If you resolve you need to eliminate the advertisements in WPS Office, it’s good to pay $9.99 for 3 months or $29.99 a 12 months.

Key options

• Data evaluation and visualization.
• Templates to handle charts, observe budgets and analyze private or enterprise funds.
• Compatibility with widespread file codecs reminiscent of .xls, .xlsx, .xlsm, .xlt and .csv.
• Ability for customers to edit Excel recordsdata on cell units, computer systems or net pages.

Pros

• Compatibility with workplace suites reminiscent of Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, LibreOffice Calc and OpenOffice Calc.
• Intuitive consumer interface.
• Ease of use.
• Support for 13 languages on PC and 46 languages on cell.

Cons

• Free model has advertisements.
• Infrequently freezes.