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

Compare 7 free and open-source alternatives to Microsoft Excel: Apache OpenOffice Calc, EtherCalc, and Gnumeric (+4 more). Pros, cons, pricing, and screenshots tested 2026.

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 Screenshot 1
Apache Open Screenshot 2

✓ 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 Screenshot 1
EtherCalc Screenshot 2

✓ 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 Screenshot 1

✓ 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 Screenshot 1
G Screenshot 2

✓ 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 Screenshot 1

✓ 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 Screenshot 1
OnlyOffice Screenshot 2

✓ 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 Screenshot 1
Quadr Screenshot 2

✓ 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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