Although designed as a spreadsheet program, hardly any other computer program today is used for as many different applications as Microsoft Excel. If you don't want to be tied to the US quasi-monopolist, you are spoiled for choice! Calc, Google Sheets, Apple Numbers and SoftMaker Office are just the best known of the numerous Excel alternatives. A newcomer among the online spreadsheet applications is SeaTable, which as an Excel alternative offers a significantly extended range of functions compared to other solutions and is thus revitalizing the competition.
Function and feature comparison
If you just want to get a quick overview, the following table compares the key features and functions of the most important Excel alternatives. A detailed description of these programs follows below after a categorization of the spreadsheet programs considered here.
Only local applications that support at least two operating system platforms were included in this comparison. For this reason, Apple Numbers as a pure Excel alternative for MacOS/iOS is not included, nor is Gnumeric, whose developers stopped providing Windows installation files in 2014 and which is now a pure application for Linux.
Calc | Planmaker | Google Sheets | Zoho Sheet | Ethercalc | SeaTable | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Developer | LibreOffice and OpenOffice | Softmaker GmbH | Google Inc. | Zoho Corp. Pvt. Ltd. | Community | Seafile Ltd. |
Platform | Windows, Mac, Linux | Windows, Mac, Linux | Browser-based | Browser-based | Browser-based | Browser-based |
File format | ODS | PMDX or XLSX | ||||
Costs | free of charge | Purchase: 100€ Rent: 30€ p.a. | free option | free option | free of charge | free option |
Capture | ||||||
Text fields | ||||||
Number fields | ||||||
Date fields | ||||||
Formulas | ||||||
Single selection | ||||||
Multiple selection | ||||||
Formatted text | ||||||
Files | ||||||
Images | ||||||
Position data | ||||||
Creator | ||||||
Creation time | ||||||
Last editor | ||||||
Processing time | ||||||
Relations | ||||||
Max. Columns Max. rows | 1.024 1.048.576 | 16.384 1.000.000 | 5,000,000 cells | 256 65.536 | n/a | 2,000 to ∞ depending on subscription |
Evaluation | ||||||
Data validation | ||||||
Sorting | ||||||
Filter | ||||||
Grouping | ||||||
Conditional formatting | ||||||
Target value search | ||||||
Pivot tables | ||||||
Diagrams | ||||||
Map view | ||||||
Gallery view | ||||||
Timeline view | ||||||
Integrations | ||||||
External data | ||||||
API | ||||||
Plugins | ||||||
SDK |
Classification of Excel alternatives
Not included in the tabular comparison are the two properties operating mode and availability of the source code. We will now make up for this! A matrix covering these two criteria provides you with an overview and a decision-oriented classification.
A comparison of spreadsheets 15 years ago would have compared only local applications such as Calc and Apple Numbers from the two lowest quadrants with Excel. With the triumph of cloud computing, browser-based spreadsheets have gained enormous market share and are increasingly the leading applications today. It is no coincidence that Excel Online is now also available as a web application in the Microsoft 365 package alongside classic Excel.
Advantages of cloud solutions
The advantages of server-hosted solutions cannot be denied either. For one thing, cloud applications are independent of location and device. A browser is all you need. The end device and its operating system no longer play a role. Whether desktop or mobile device, at work or on the move: you always have access to your data.
Equally important is the topic of collaboration. Changes made by one user are immediately visible to others - you work together as if you were sitting in front of the spreadsheet together. All cloud and self-hosted solutions support real-time collaboration on spreadsheets. Last but not least: cloud solutions are unprecedentedly convenient for administrators and users alike, as there is no need for decentralized installation and maintenance of the software on the workstations.
Advantages of local solutions
Local table solutions may be a thing of the past, but they still have a right to exist. The most important argument on their side is their independence from Internet access. Anyone who wants to make a few changes while traveling with an unstable Internet connection will not be able to avoid them for the time being. Another argument, albeit one that is losing importance, is the wider availability of extensions, such as the macros that are indispensable in many companies. In many cases, these are only available for the desktop versions. The same applies to reference management systems, which are indispensable in science.
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Calc
The open source spreadsheet of the LibreOffice and OpenOffice Suite
Before the boom in cloud-based spreadsheet solutions, Calc was the undisputed Excel alternative and is still very popular with private users today. Then as now, Calc impressed with its many functions, broad platform support with installation media for Windows, Mac and Linux and a large user community that offers extensive documentation. Another plus for Calc: you can use it free of charge both privately and commercially.
Calc can be found in a similar, but not identical, form in the OpenOffice and LibreOffice suites. The reason for this lies in the shared past of the two suites. In 2010, LibreOffice split off as a separate project from OpenOffice, which was dominated by Oracle at the time and paid little attention to the project. Since then, the development of LibreOffice has continued independently of The Document Foundation. Oracle withdrew completely from the project shortly afterwards and handed it over to the Apache Software Foundation, which has since given OpenOffice its name.
Range of functions: Full-fledged Excel alternative
In terms of core functions, Calc is in no way inferior to its role model Excel! If you take a closer look, you will also find some features that Excel does not offer. Calc shows a particular strength in the area of formulas. Calc's formula wizard knows around 30 more functions than its Microsoft competitor. As an open source alternative, Calc also offers good support for the OpenFormula standard. Calc is also flexible when it comes to formatting. In addition to the usual cell formatting, Calc knows cell and page styles, which can be used to quickly create attractive and uniform tables.
True to the open source paradigm, Calc also promotes data portability: Apple Numbers and Gnumeric files can be imported as well as numerous older formats (e.g. MS Works, Lotus 1-2-3). The ability to compare two spreadsheet files is another Calc function that Excel users have been waiting for in vain. Administrators also appreciate the ability to start and run OpenOffice and LibreOffice directly from a USB stick without installation.
Disadvantages of Calc as an Excel alternative
However, the truth is that Calc only offers limited macro support and is not flexible when it comes to connecting external data sources. This makes it unsuitable for many commercial users. For heavy users, the lack of multithreading capability and the absence of Power Pivot are further weighty arguments against Calc. Less ambitious users will most likely notice the reduced selection of chart types. Waterfall charts and histograms, for example, are not available.
If you only work a little with the advanced functions, you will have no problems getting started or switching to Calc. The Calc user interface is clear and the menus are logically structured. It is a different story for experienced Excel users. They will see their work efficiency decrease at the beginning as they have to search for the desired functions more frequently. It is not the less modern look of the user interface that is decisive here, but the different organization of functions and how they work.
Another obstacle to switching to the Excel alternative Calc is the incomplete support of the XLSX file format used by Excel. XLSX documents can be opened in Calc, but formatting and functions may be lost in the process. The LibreOffice developers themselves describe the support for importing from and exporting to Microsoft's OOXML files as "partial". The standard file format of LibreOffice and OpenOffice is ODS, a manufacturer-independent document format according to the Open Document Standard.
PlanMaker
The Excel alternative from Softmaker
PlanMaker is the spreadsheet application in the SoftMaker Office Suite from Nuremberg-based SoftMaker Software GmbH. In addition to PlanMaker, the Office Suite from Germany also includes the word processor TextMaker and the application Presentations.
If you are looking for a free Excel alternative, you will be disappointed with PlanMaker at first: the purchase license for five private or one business computer costs around €100. You can also rent the SoftMaker Suite for €3 per month or €30 per year. If you don't want to spend anything at all, you can find a function-limited version of the SoftMaker Office Suite under the name FreeOffice, which you can use permanently free of charge.
Same range of functions as Excel
However, if you want to move away from Excel out of antipathy to Microsoft and are looking for a powerful, convenient Excel alternative, PlanMaker is an excellent choice. PlanMaker offers a comprehensive feature set, an attractive user interface that closely resembles Excel, and excellent compatibility with Excel's XLSX file format. In fact, SoftMaker Suite applications can use Microsoft's OOXML file formats for file storage by default. In this respect, PlanMaker eliminates many of the disadvantages that speak against Calc as an Excel alternative.
PlanMaker can also score points against Excel in another area: PlanMaker runs on all major desktop platforms, making it an attractive Excel alternative for Mac and Linux. The free FreeOffice is also available for the three operating system families.
Google Sheets
The online spreadsheet from Google
Sheets is the spreadsheet web application from Alphabet. It offers an appealing user interface, extensive data analysis functions and practical team functions. All you need to get started with Sheets is a (free) Google account - and who doesn't have one? So it's no wonder that Google Sheets is probably the most popular Excel alternative at the moment!
Collaborative Excel alternative for the browser
With Sheets, the developers at Google have created an application in which both beginners and demanding users feel equally at home. The web-based interface runs smoothly, the menus are well organized and even dedicated users will hardly have any functional wishes unfulfilled. On the other hand, it is precisely the absence of some functions that makes Google Sheets attractive for beginners.
Sheets can play its trump card as a web application, especially when the focus is on collaborative work on spreadsheets. Google Sheets spreadsheets are saved in Google Drive, which is also linked to your Google account. From there, you can share the spreadsheets with other users with just a few clicks. When editing simultaneously, all users can see the cursor positions and other users' entries in real time. An integrated chat allows direct exchange with colleagues.
Only small compromises compared to Excel
While Google Sheets shines when it comes to collaboration, you have to accept certain limitations when it comes to advanced functions compared to Excel. Especially when it comes to visualization, the possibilities are not quite at the level of the original. The options for creating high-quality, standardized diagrams are much more versatile in Excel.
Google is well on the way to catching up with the top dog Excel. Since its humble beginnings in 2006, Sheets has developed rapidly. And the development continues. At the beginning of 2020, for example, a version history of changes was integrated. If the existing Sheets functions are not enough for you, you can add further features such as the target value function and solver as add-ons from the G Suite Marketplace.
Newcomers will probably find Sheets easier to use than Excel. New users will also quickly find their way around after a short familiarization phase. The biggest problem when switching is not so much the use as the data migration. It is impressive how many Excel features Google Sheets recognizes and imports. However, there are still reports of formulas no longer working or broken charts after import.
Zoho Sheet
The online spreadsheet of the Zoho Office Suite
Zoho Sheet is the web spreadsheet from the Indian Zoho Corporation and part of the Zoho Office Suite. It has attracted a lot of attention in recent years, not least because private individuals can use it free of charge. Other parts of the Online Office Suite are Zoho Writer (word processing), Zoho Show (presentations) and Zoho Notebook (notes). In addition, Zoho's offering includes more than 40 integrated, web-based office apps and thus presents itself as a G Suite alternative. So it's definitely worth taking a closer look.
Clear orientation towards Google Sheets
If you suspect further similarities to Google Sheets because of the similarity in name and the claim to be a G Suite killer, you are right: at first glance, Zoho Sheet appears to be a clone of Google Sheets. The menu structure is virtually identical; differences only become apparent at second glance. Zoho Sheet and Google Sheets are also close when it comes to a direct comparison of functions. Web forms, pivot tables, conditional formatting, versioning and extensive collaboration functions including sharing, real-time collaboration and chat are available in both. Anyone who gets on with Google Sheets will have no trouble with Zoho's Excel alternative.
But you would be doing Zoho Sheet an injustice if you denied it individuality! In the area of data analysis, Sheet offers more than its Google counterpart with a solver and a target value function. Due to its less market-dominating role, it is also pleasingly integrative. You can save tables created in Zoho Sheet in your own online storage - Zoho Docs for individuals, Zoho WorkDrive for teams - or in an integrated account from Google Drive, Box, OneDrive or Dropbox. File export is possible in .csv, .xlsx and .ods files.
Advantages and disadvantages as an Excel alternative
One of Zoho Sheet's strengths, which makes it particularly recommendable as an Excel alternative for new users, is its macro support, which also includes support for Visual Basic for Applications (VBA). The powerful scripting engine of Google Sheets requires JavaScript-based scripts for Google Apps macros. For Excel users who previously developed in VBA, this means a massive adjustment or learning a new programming language.
The race between Zoho Sheet and Google Sheets is a close one and the question of which is the superior Excel alternative cannot be answered without the context of the specific application. Zoho Sheet offers fewer options than Google Sheets, especially when it comes to data visualization. Zoho also does not support drawing. For some users, the limitation to 65,000 rows and 256 columns may also be a significant restriction. In any case, Zoho Sheet is a good Excel alternative for all those newcomers who do not consider an Excel sheet without a macro to be a real Excel spreadsheet.
Ethercalc
The open source spreadsheet for easy collaboration
The lesser-known Ethercalc is a simple, web-based spreadsheet application developed by a small community. As open source software, you can download Ethercalc free of charge and use it without restrictions. The developers provide packages for all major server platforms including a Docker image. Here you can test and use the application without registering as a user.
Limited range of functions
At first glance, Ethercalc's rudimentary, somewhat dusty-looking user interface is noticeable. The functions provided by Ethercalc are also rather limited compared to Excel and the other cloud-based Excel alternatives. This is already noticeable when it comes to formatting and simple data analyses such as sorting. While the wizards in Excel and similar programs make this work easy and convenient, Ethercalc requires a lot of clicking in the associated menus. The options for data visualization are very limited and there is no filter function at all.
In terms of functionality and convenience, Ethercalc is not on a par with the other Excel alternatives. This is partly due to the small developer community, but also to the general objective of the project. Ethercalc does not focus on the evaluation of large data sets, but on collaboration and location-independent data collection.
No installed program is required for the web spreadsheet; instead, adjustments can be made on the go via cell phone or tablet and, thanks to real-time support, all changes are immediately visible to all other users in Ethercalc. An export function is then available for evaluating the recorded data, which enables simple transfer to XLSX, ODS, CSV and HTML.
SeaTable
The collaborative Excel alternative for more than numbers and text
SeaTable is the latest application in the group of Excel alternatives considered here. Like Google Sheets, Zoho Sheet and Ethercalc, SeaTable is a web-based spreadsheet that combines an attractive user interface with powerful analysis and collaboration functions. In addition, SeaTable enables many new use cases that are not possible in Excel and the like.
The fact that SeaTable does things differently from other spreadsheets is obvious from the very first time you open a spreadsheet. Instead of a uniform table grid that only understands text, numbers and formulas, you can also save images and files, checkboxes, position data and user references in a SeaTable table. Other column types offered by SeaTable are single and multiple selections.
Single selection fields are similar to the drop-down lists that you can display in Excel via data validation, but are more flexible and easier to use. Multi-select fields, which have no equivalent in Excel, help with the categorization and keywording of data. With these extended column types, all conceivable types of information can be stored in a table. Different storage locations for different data types are therefore a thing of the past.
Spreadsheets with the power of a database
Another SeaTable function that is not available in any of the other applications is links. Links can be used to relate data records to each other and map dependencies and affiliations (not to be confused with cell references in Excel). This is possible both within a table and across all tables in a database. The associated analysis functions make it easy to evaluate the linked data graphically and in tabular form in the browser-based Excel alternative. SeaTable brings functionalities that are otherwise only known from databases into an intuitively operable form.
SeaTable beginners will initially have to get used to defining the column types before entering data and to thinking in terms of database logic across tables. However, the intuitive spreadsheet user interface makes this challenge manageable. Migration from Excel is made easier with import functions for CSV and XLSX files. However, due to the data formats used by SeaTable, information may be lost during import.
More visualization options than other Excel alternatives
Of course, SeaTable also has the classic functions of a spreadsheet: filters, sorting and grouping bring data into the desired order, pivot tables can also be used to quickly evaluate large data sets and the various chart types display data visually. But as with the supported data types, SeaTable also goes one step further than the other Excel alternatives when it comes to display options.
SeaTables plugins offer extended visualization options for non-numerical data types: In the map plugin, address and geolocation data can be displayed on a map and the gallery plugin displays the image data stored in a table clearly in tiles. Appointment data entered in a table can be displayed in the calendar or timeline plugin and the Kanban plugin displays workflows with different phases, as is otherwise only known from project management applications.
In the cloud or on your own servers
As a flexible all-purpose weapon, SeaTable makes no compromises when it comes to operating mode. SeaTable can be used conveniently in the cloud or as a self-hosted solution. Unlike the other web-based Excel alternatives, SeaTable is also available as software for your own server. In this way, SeaTable is ideal for all those who are confronted with strict data protection requirements.
The Free subscription is permanently free and sufficient for private use. The Plus and Enterprise versions, which are subject to a charge, offer extended functions for corporate use, such as user-defined releases, automations and customizing. The Dedicated Cloud also has central user authentication and object storage support.
SeaTable follows a similar path to Google Sheets - pleasantly conventional for developers - when it comes to extensions. Extensions such as automations, integrations and functional additions can be developed with manageable effort via API and SDK. Given the young age of the solution, it will be exciting to see what new features will be added in the future.
Rich selection of good Excel alternatives
If you want a powerful spreadsheet application, you don't have to use Excel! The available alternatives have nothing to hide in terms of functionality or usability. The free alternatives are also impressive.
The well-known Excel alternatives in this comparison are functionally similar to Excel and offer a similar user experience. The cloud solutions are fully-fledged Excel alternatives that map the majority of Excel functions and also score points with collaboration functions. SeaTable stands out from the crowd thanks to its extended data formats, database functions and views. SeaTable is the only application in this comparison that is available both as a cloud and self-hosted application. This means that every user is free to choose between data sovereignty and convenience.
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