7 Free & Open Source Alternatives to Microsoft Excel (2026)

Microsoft Excel is the world's most widely used spreadsheet application, offering powerful formulas, pivot tables, charting, and data analysis tools for business and personal use. Below are the best free replacements we've tested.

Microsoft Excel

Freemium ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 4.0

Microsoft Excel is the world's most widely used spreadsheet application, offering powerful formulas, pivot tables, charting, and data analysis tools for business and personal use.

Freemium
7 free options
Productivity Tools
4 / 5
Why people look for alternatives Microsoft Excel has a free tier with limitations. Many users seek fully free or open-source alternatives that offer the same capabilities without paywalled features or usage caps.
Microsoft Excel spreadsheet Visit Microsoft Excel →

Quick Comparison

Tool Pricing Best for Rating
Apache OpenOffice Calc
Free & Open Source Completely free alternative with basic Excel compatibility ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 4.0
EtherCalc
Free & Open Source Quick collaborative editing without account creation ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 4.0
Gnumeric
Free & Open Source Fast, lightweight spreadsheet software ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 4.0
Grist
Freemium (Open Source) Spreadsheet-database hybrid for data-heavy applications ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 4.0
LibreOffice Calc
Free & Open Source Free desktop Excel alternative with strong compatibility ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 4.0
OnlyOffice Spreadsheet
Freemium (Open Source) Teams needing real-time Excel collaboration ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 4.0
Quadratic
Freemium (Open Source) Data scientists needing code integration in spreadsheets ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 4.0

Detailed Reviews

Apache OpenOffice Calc

Free open-source spreadsheet application that's part of the Apache OpenOffice suite with Excel compatibility.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 4.0
Free & Open Source Best for: Completely free alternative with basic Excel compatibility

Completely free and open source with no commercial offerings

2 screenshots — click to enlarge

Apache Open Main interface
Apache Open Settings view

✓ Pros

  • Completely free with no restrictions or paid tiers
  • Good compatibility with Microsoft Excel file formats

✕ Cons

  • Development updates are less frequent than LibreOffice
  • May lack some modern features found in newer alternatives

EtherCalc

Web-based open-source spreadsheet that enables real-time collaboration without requiring user accounts.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 4.0
Free & Open Source Best for: Quick collaborative editing without account creation

Completely free and open source, can be self-hosted

2 screenshots — click to enlarge

EtherCalc spreadsheet Main interface
EtherCalc Settings view

✓ Pros

  • No account required - start editing instantly with just a URL
  • Real-time collaboration with multiple simultaneous editors

✕ Cons

  • Limited features compared to full desktop spreadsheet applications
  • Data persistence depends on server availability

Gnumeric

Lightweight open-source spreadsheet program focused on accuracy and speed, part of the GNOME desktop project.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 4.0
Free & Open Source Best for: Fast, lightweight spreadsheet software

Completely free and open source with no paid options

1 screenshot — click to enlarge

Gnumeric spreadsheet Main interface

✓ Pros

  • Exceptionally fast performance with low system resource usage
  • High mathematical accuracy with extensive function library

✕ Cons

  • Limited advanced features compared to full office suites
  • Interface may feel dated compared to modern alternatives

Grist

Open-source spreadsheet-database hybrid that combines spreadsheet flexibility with database robustness for data organization.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 4.0
Freemium (Open Source) Best for: Spreadsheet-database hybrid for data-heavy applications

Free community edition, Pro plan at $8/user/month for teams

3 screenshots — click to enlarge

Grist Main interface
G Settings view

✓ Pros

  • Combines spreadsheet flexibility with relational database capabilities
  • Supports Python formulas and custom widget development

✕ Cons

  • Steeper learning curve for users unfamiliar with database concepts
  • Documentation can be insufficient for complex implementations

LibreOffice Calc

A powerful open-source spreadsheet application that's part of the LibreOffice suite, offering extensive compatibility with Excel files.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 4.0
Free & Open Source Best for: Free desktop Excel alternative with strong compatibility

Completely free and open source with no paid tiers

1 screenshot — click to enlarge

LibreOffice Calc homepage screenshot Main interface

✓ Pros

  • Excellent compatibility with Microsoft Excel file formats including .xlsx and .xls
  • Completely free with no limitations on features or usage

✕ Cons

  • May lack some advanced Excel features used by power users
  • Interface can feel less polished compared to Microsoft Office

OnlyOffice Spreadsheet

Open-source office suite with a spreadsheet editor that supports real-time collaboration and Excel file compatibility.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 4.0
Freemium (Open Source) Best for: Teams needing real-time Excel collaboration

Free desktop editors, cloud plans start at $5/user/month

3 screenshots — click to enlarge

OnlyOffice Main interface
OnlyOffice Settings view

✓ Pros

  • Real-time collaborative editing with multiple users simultaneously
  • Extensive file compatibility with Microsoft Excel formats

✕ Cons

  • Self-hosted deployment requires technical expertise
  • Cloud version has limitations in free tier

Quadratic

Open-source data science spreadsheet with Python, SQL, and AI integration for advanced data analysis.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 4.0
Freemium (Open Source) Best for: Data scientists needing code integration in spreadsheets

Free open source version, Pro plan at $20/user/month with AI credits

3 screenshots — click to enlarge

Quadratic Main interface
Quadr Settings view

✓ Pros

  • Direct integration of Python, SQL, and JavaScript within spreadsheet cells
  • AI-powered code assistance and debugging tools

✕ Cons

  • Requires programming knowledge to utilize full capabilities
  • Limited to Python and SQL with JavaScript support planned

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