Microsoft Excel is the gold standard of spreadsheet software, and some may argue it is equally expensive as gold. But if you’re not willing to pay the premium price, what are your alternatives? When making any price comparison (especially when comparing to a free option), you have to assess what the opportunity cost may be of switching to a free or lower-cost spreadsheet.

Excel has the basic functionality of all spreadsheets: rows, columns and cells. Aside from its basic capabilities, it also allows users to create pivot tables, use a scenario manager, create charts, analyze statistical information and even program using Visual Basic for Applications (VBA).

Microsoft Excel has come a long way from its beginnings. Recently, Microsoft (MSFT) made Office 365 (a suite of software that includes Excel) available across multiple devices including PC, Mac, Windows tablet, iOS (iPad and iPhone) as well as Android (phones and tablets). Microsoft gives users the option to make a one-time purchase for any Office suite, or to purchase an Office 365 plan. The difference is that the one-time payment option expires in a year (one-time purchase for Office suite), while paying a fee every year, or every month allows you to receive continual software updates (Office 365).

Microsoft excels (pun intended) in its extensive tutorials, blogs, forums and support centers. But are there viable Excel alternatives that are either free or less-expensive? Is Microsoft Excel really your only option?

With the advent of cloud-computing came cloud-based spreadsheets. The main names in the game are Google Docs, Zoho and now Microsoft Office Online. By harnessing the power of the cloud, you can create a spreadsheet and work on it with others collaboratively, as opposed to “traditional” Microsoft Excel where only one person can have the file open at a time. Additionally, these cloud spreadsheets now have companion applications that can be downloaded to your phone or tablet and perform some basic spreadsheet functions.

In addition, there are alternative desktop spreadsheet programs that compete with Excel. Depending on what you need to do with a spreadsheet, an alternative may be a viable option. In this installment of Spreadsheet Corner, we explore some of these alternatives and how they stack up against Excel.

Discussion

Frederick Schmidt from Missouri posted over 10 years ago:

I thought OpenOffice was not being maintained, and that most of the developers of OpenOffice decamped to LibreOffice. I checked out the OpenOffice website, and saw no news or evidence of update since October 2014. And my local independent computer store confirms this story. I think that Oracle took over Open Office and that's what led to the exodus to (or beginning of) LibreOffice.

M. R from NC posted over 10 years ago:

This otherwise nicely organized article lapsed when if did not review in comparable fashion Libre Calc, part of the Libre Office suite which I have found offers a quite satisfactory alternative to MS Office, for which I have pad several separate times in the last 10-15 years. Libre office, as noted in the comment by F.S. did receive an infusion of talent, and perhaps code, from Open Office. That said I have found that these two suites over the past decade or so have done almost everything I have wanted from replicating formula, providing tabbed sub-pages, letting me create macros, handling window freezes, having a good choice of canned formulas and the capability to create others. I could go on. Yes, they have small differences from the MS products, but mostly a transition is seamless. Libre Calc and its companions are updated regularly. I have never caught a virus from them. I have much more to learn about their capabilities. Versions are available for Windows and Linux, which I use. And of course, it reads and writes files in Windows format as needed. If good performance without being forced to pay in advance or at all, please consider the Libre suite. Make a donation if you feel so inclined. {Disclaimer: I am purely a user. and have no financial stake in Libre Office}

Kirk Z. from UT posted over 10 years ago:

Libre Office and Open Office are open source and there is a Mac as well as Linux and Windows. I started with Open Office and switched to Libre Office due to the reasons already mentioned.

Terry I from AZ posted over 10 years ago:

Excellent and worthwhile article. I have not read it in detail yet because I am not currently looking for an alternative. My current Excel 2007 version meets my needs. I was surprised you did not cover LibreOffice and Ability Office in detail. Those are products I hear more about than a couple of the ones you covered. Also, I did not see much information on usability, errors and stability of the products. I would to know if the products you reviewed are viable alternatives. From a functionality standpoint they seem to be. Thanks for the article.

Terry I from AZ posted over 10 years ago:

Useful article. I would like to see a similar article on alternatives to Quicken if there are any.

Jaclyn McClellan from IL posted over 10 years ago:

Thanks for the feedback! I mentioned LibreOffice in the conclusion, but for some reason was under the impression that OpenOffice was a more popular alternative. Within the next couple weeks I will analyze LibreOffice and add it into this write up.

Chuck W from Virginia posted over 10 years ago:

Two items-- I agree that it is a personal decision as to which tools to use. That said, I don't think there is just one tool, especially for investors. Your Google Sheets spreadsheet in the Oct 2014 Spreadsheet Corner should be in every investor's toolkit. The automatic updating feature to current prices is invaluable when looking at different lists and criteria for purchase candidates. I have adapted your spreadsheet to assist my own option spread trading, in particular calculation of trigger points that calculate using the current stock price. Hope you are working on an extension and improvement to the 2014 spreadsheet. Second, I agree strongly that LibreOffice is good, not perfect, but generally good enough. I particularly like the suite because it includes a technical drawing tool similar to Microsoft Visio. I looked at both OpenOffice and LibreOffice. Choose Libre because its reputation for completness and updating seemed to surpass OpenOffice. Cheers, Chuck W

Jaclyn McClellan from IL posted over 10 years ago:

Chuck, I'm really happy to hear you use the Google Sheets portfolio tracker that I put together! I have been looking into expanding it but definitely appreciate the feedback. It's much easier for me to design it if I know what members are looking for. I will look into the features you mentioned for Libre Office when analyzing it. It appears that Libre Office is gaining more popularity and I'm glad people are mentioning it here. It's useful to hear about what people like, but also what they don't like. It makes the comparison... more informative! Thanks again.

Danny Maguire from IL posted over 10 years ago:

How can I find the Google Sheets portfolio tracker? It sounds very useful.

BILL BOWERS from INDIANA posted over 10 years ago:

Google Docs has a LONG way to go. When they get there, that's where I'm going. I make a living working on Excel all day long. MS Office 2013 is a step backwards for Microsoft, in my opion; at least for my needs.

Jaclyn McClellan from IL posted over 10 years ago:

Mr. Maguire, To find the google sheets tracker copy this link into your browser: http://www.aaii.com/computerized-investing/article/spreadsheet-ci-portfolio-tracker-with-google-sheets

B Miller from NY posted over 10 years ago:

Apple Numbers? Excel on the Mac has not been a pleasant experience.

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