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6 Best Free Spreadsheet Programs
Microsoft Excel alternatives you'll love
By Stacy Fisher Stacy Fisher Technology Educator Emporia State University Stacy is a professional technology educator with over 25 years' experience. She has published hundreds of articles, co-authored a book, and has appeared on national and local TV. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on January 1, 2021 Reviewed by Jessica Kormos Reviewed by Jessica Kormos Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College Jessica Kormos is a writer and editor with 15 years' experience writing articles, copy, and UX content for Tecca.com, Rosenfeld Media, and many others. lifewire's editorial guidelines Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Apps Best Apps Payment Services There are several free spreadsheet programs that have the capabilities of Microsoft Excel without the price tag. These free spreadsheet programs have all the spreadsheet functions you'd expect as well as features such as Excel file compatibility, clean interfaces, automatic spell check, macro creation, and auto-saving. 01 of 06 Google Sheets
What We Like Offers functions and a design similar to Excel. Work is saved to the cloud. Part of the broader Google Docs framework. What We Don't Like Google's lack of privacy. Its cloud-first design means taking extra steps to keep local copies of content. Although it's not a desktop application like the others listed here, Google Sheets is a popular alternative to Microsoft Excel—in both its online and offline variants. Sheets works like any other spreadsheet. However, because it's a cloud-based service, by default, it saves your work in near-real-time and stores your files in your Google Drive. You must log in with a Google account to create new spreadsheets, but once logged in, the tool is free to use. Sheets is a cloud-based service that supports real-time collaboration and document sharing features that desktop-based solutions generally cannot match. Access Google Sheets 02 of 06 WPS Office Spreadsheets
Gregor Schuster / Getty Images What We Like Cross platform. Works on iOS and Android mobile devices. Smaller install footprint. Simple interface. What We Don't Like Lacks advanced Excel features such as spell check. Only the paid version has a full suite of features. Must download the full suite. WPS Office Spreadsheet is a great free spreadsheet program. Its beautiful, intuitive interface is simple to use, and it supports many features. It works with the same file types as nearly every version of Microsoft Excel, including the XLSX, XLS, and CSV formats. You can open these common file types and save to these file types. This free spreadsheet software supports more than a hundred formulas for working with data. Download WPS Office 03 of 06 OpenOffice Calc
What We Like Works with most spreadsheet file formats. Extra extensions and templates are available. What We Don't Like The Help section isn't very extensive. An overly simplistic interface. OpenOffice Calc has many of the same features as Kingsoft Spreadsheets, including support for common file formats. However, it isn't as easy to use. It does offer unique advantages, such as support for creating macros and an automatic spell check feature. Also, OpenOffice Calc allows different toolsets to be detached from the main program window to provide more space for working while providing tons of useful features. The Extension Manager lets you add features to OpenOffice Calc that aren't included in the default program, which is another way to customize the program to your liking. Download OpenOffice 04 of 06 Gnumeric
What We Like Simple and easy to use interface. Quick and responsive. Free to download and use. What We Don't Like Doesn't include all the functions available in Excel. Graphs and charts lack style. Gnumeric is an advanced spreadsheet program. There are numerous tools you won't find in some of the other software from this list. Though there are advanced features like auto-saving workbooks, it also supports the common ones you'd expect to find in a spreadsheet program. Microsoft Excel 2003 and 2007 formats are supported, and data can be imported from a text file and then filtered in Gnumeric. Download Gnumeric 05 of 06 Spread32
What We Like Free to download and use. Hundreds of functions. Stores a lot of data. What We Don't Like Only available for Windows. Doesn't open Excel files. Like all these spreadsheet programs, Spread32 supports hundreds of functions and all the regular formatting tools. Still, the program interface is easy to use and provides a clean working space. Files save to your computer in many formats, including XLS, XLT, PXT, CSV, and BMP. Spread32 is portable, which means you don't have to install it to use it. Also, it can run from portable media like a flash drive. It takes up less space than the other programs in this list; the size is under a few megabytes. Download Spread32 06 of 06 SSuite Accel
What We Like Fast download. Has an effective formula search utility. It's easy to connect data sources. What We Don't Like Installs extra utilities automatically. Cluttered toolbars. Supports limited file formats. SSuite Accel doesn't look nearly as nice as the other programs from this list, but it's a working spreadsheet program that performs many of the same functions. Files save to formats like XLS and CSV but also to some Accel-specific ones like VTS and ATP. SSuite Accel connects to external database files and supports opening files directly from Dropbox and other online storage services. Download SSuite Accel Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire CSV File (What It Is & How to Open One) 10 Best Free Photo Editing Programs XLTM File (What It Is & How to Open One) 4 Best Free Document Converter Software Programs How to Convert Excel Documents to the PDF Format 9 Best Free Microsoft Office Alternatives XLR File (What It Is & How to Open One) ET File (What It Is and How to Open One) How to Use Google Sheets The 21 Best Free Data Recovery Software Tools (Oct. 2022) XLS File (What It Is & How to Open One) XAR File (What It Is and How to Open One) What Is an XLSX File and How to Open One? 11 Best Free Disk Partition Software Tools (Oct. 2022) 26 Best Free Video Converter Tools How to Create, Edit, and View Microsoft Excel Documents for Free Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies