Quick takeaway
Research-backed reviews of spreadsheet tools: compare editor ratings, real pricing and features to find the right fit for your data work.
Spreadsheet Software
Independently reviewed
Updated

Research-backed reviews of spreadsheet tools: compare editor ratings, real pricing and features to find the right fit for your data work.
Collaborative, AI-powered spreadsheets - free with a Google account Google Sheets is the spreadsheet most of the internet learned collaboration on.
Google Sheets earns its rating as the most accessible collaborative spreadsheet available. Real-time co-editing remains the benchmark, the free tier is genuinely full-featured for individuals, Gemini AI features are integrated directly into the grid rather than bolted on, and the Workspace plans bundle Sheets with email, storage and meetings at transparent per-user prices with a 14-day trial. For shared spreadsheet work, nothing is easier to adopt.
Free web spreadsheets or full desktop power with Microsoft 365 and Copilot AI Microsoft Excel is the spreadsheet most of the world learned on, and it now comes in two distinct forms: a free version that runs in a browser and on mobile with a Microsoft account, and the full desktop application bundled with a Microsoft 365 subscription.
Excel earns its rating as the deepest spreadsheet engine in this category, with a free web tier that covers everyday use and desktop apps through Microsoft 365 for serious analysis. Copilot AI assistance is built into the paid plans, real-time collaboration works across web and mobile, and Microsoft Graph gives developers a full API. Backed by Microsoft - founded 1975, 223,000 employees - it is the safest long-term bet in spreadsheets.

Spreadsheet-style work management platform for projects, portfolios and processes at scale.
Spreadsheet-style work management platform for projects, portfolios and processes at scale. Smartsheet is a work management platform that takes the spreadsheet interface most teams already know and builds a full project, portfolio and process management system around it.
Smartsheet earns its rating by turning the spreadsheet interface into a governed work management platform without losing what makes spreadsheets approachable. The 30-day Business-plan trial, unlimited sheets and reports on every tier, a real API and deep integrations make it the safest enterprise-ready pick in this category.
Spreadsheet-database hybrid for flexible workflows Airtable looks like a spreadsheet and behaves like a database.
Airtable hits the sweet spot when Excel is too rigid and a full database is overkill.
Free collaborative spreadsheet with an AI data analyst, part of Zoho Workplace. Zoho Sheet is the spreadsheet app inside Zoho’s productivity lineup, and its pitch is aggressive: a full collaborative spreadsheet your team can use for free, powered by an automated data processor, an AI-assisted data analyst called Zia, and what the vendor describes as 1,000+ integration possibilities – a vendor-reported figure.
Zoho Sheet earns its rating as the best-value collaborative spreadsheet: free for individuals, team plans from $3/user/mo through Zoho Workplace, an AI data analyst, a documented API and mobile apps. It trails category leaders on ecosystem depth, published support channels and enterprise standardization.
AI-first spreadsheet with live data integrations and a plain-language AI Analyst. Rows is a modern web spreadsheet that pitches itself as your new AI Data Analyst: a grid where you can extract data from PDFs, import business data from the tools you already use, and analyze it with plain-language AI instead of SQL queries or BI dashboards.
Rows earns its rating as the AI-first connected spreadsheet: live integrations with dozens of business tools, a plain-language AI Analyst, a free plan, and paid plans from $6 per user per month billed annually. It trails incumbents on modeling depth and ecosystem size.
Plain-language AI that analyzes, summarizes and answers questions about the data in your spreadsheet.
Pull data from dozens of business tools across marketing, finance, CRM and databases, from Notion to Google Analytics…
Import data manually or automate refreshes on a schedule, from daily to per-minute depending on the plan.
Formulas, charts, pivot tables, sharing and collaboration for everyday spreadsheet work.
Extract data from PDFs into spreadsheet tables with AI.

Open-source relational spreadsheet-database with Python formulas, granular permissions and self-hosting
Open-source relational spreadsheet-database with Python formulas, granular permissions and self-hosting Grist is a relational spreadsheet-database: a familiar grid on the surface with a real database underneath, built around linked tables, custom views and Python formulas.
Grist earns its rating as the open-source power pick among spreadsheets: a real relational database under a familiar grid, Python formulas, granular access rules, and genuine no-lock-in with self-hosting, a free hosted plan and an open-source community edition.
A familiar grid with a real database underneath: typed columns, linked tables and reference columns.
Formulas use Python instead of a proprietary syntax, keeping complex logic readable and portable.
Layouts built from linked widgets - tables, card views, charts and forms - that filter and update together.
Control who can see or edit specific rows, columns and tables.
The grist-core engine is open source on GitHub, and the whole product can be self-hosted.

Open-source office suite with spreadsheet, document and presentation editors, free desktop apps and a cloud collaboration platform
Open-source office suite with spreadsheet, document and presentation editors, free desktop apps and a cloud collaboration platform ONLYOFFICE is an open-source office suite built by Ascensio System SIA, a company registered in Riga, Latvia.
ONLYOFFICE earns its rating as the open-source office suite pick: its Spreadsheet Editor is highly compatible with Microsoft Office formats, the desktop editors are free on Windows, macOS and Linux, and the project states GDPR compliance with code on GitHub. For teams wanting cloud collaboration, DocSpace offers a free Startup plan and a Business plan at $20 per admin per month, and everything can also be self-hosted.
Full spreadsheet editing with strong Microsoft Office format compatibility, co-editing, plugins and macros.
Free document, spreadsheet and presentation apps for Windows, macOS and Linux, plus iOS and Android.
Room-based cloud collaboration where teams co-edit documents and spreadsheets in real time.
ONLYOFFICE Docs runs on your own server for privacy-sensitive organizations and product embedding.
Source code published on GitHub under an open license, with an active contributor community.
Free, open source desktop spreadsheet from The Document Foundation. LibreOffice Calc is the spreadsheet application inside LibreOffice, the free and open source office suite developed by The Document Foundation, a charitable foundation under German law headquartered in Berlin.
LibreOffice Calc earns its rating as the free-forever desktop spreadsheet: open source under MPL 2.0, available on Windows, macOS and Linux, with pivot tables, charts, hundreds of functions and Excel file compatibility. It trails cloud-native rivals on real-time collaboration, published support channels and automation APIs.
Transparent criteria and editorial standards behind every score in this guide.
We evaluate each app on features, ease of use, value for money, integrations, and real user feedback. Apps are ranked by overall editor score within this category, with manual adjustments when hands-on testing reveals a clear winner.
| Feature | Google Sheets | Microsoft Excel | Smartsheet | Airtable | Zoho Sheet | Rows | Grist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Editor rating | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.6 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 4.4 |
| Pricing | Free+Paid | Free+Paid | Paid Subscription | Free+Paid | Free+Paid | Free+Paid | Free+Paid |
| Starting price | From $7 | From $99.99/year | From $9/user/mo | From $20/seat/mo | $3/user/mo annual | $6/user/mo annual | $8/user/mo annual |
| Free plan | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| Free trial | Yes (14 days) | Yes | Yes (30 days) | No | No | No | Yes (30 days) |
| Platforms | Web app, iOS (iPhone & iPad), Android | Web app, iOS (iPhone & iPad), Android, macOS, Windows | Web app, iOS (iPhone & iPad), Android, macOS, Windows | Web app, iOS (iPhone & iPad), Android, macOS, Windows | Web app, iOS (iPhone & iPad), Android | Web app | Web app, Self-hosted / On-premise |
Quick answers about the best Spreadsheet Software software.
Our editors rank Google Sheets #1 for most teams in Spreadsheet Software based on features, value, and user feedback. See the full ranked list above for alternatives.
Yes — many Spreadsheet Software apps offer free plans or trials. Use the pricing filter in our directory to browse free and freemium options.
We evaluate each app on features, ease of use, value for money, integrations, and real user feedback. Apps are ranked by overall editor score within this category, with manual adjustments when hands-on testing reveals a clear winner.
Spreadsheet-style work management platform for projects, portfolios and processes at scale. Smartsheet is a work management platform that takes the spreadsheet interface most teams already know and builds a full project, portfolio and process management system around it.
Spreadsheet-database hybrid for flexible workflows Airtable looks like a spreadsheet and behaves like a database.
Collaborative, AI-powered spreadsheets - free with a Google account Google Sheets is the spreadsheet most of the internet learned collaboration on.
Free web spreadsheets or full desktop power with Microsoft 365 and Copilot AI Microsoft Excel is the spreadsheet most of the world learned on, and it now comes in two distinct forms: a free version that runs in a browser…
Free collaborative spreadsheet with an AI data analyst, part of Zoho Workplace. Zoho Sheet is the spreadsheet app inside Zoho’s productivity lineup, and its pitch is aggressive: a full collaborative spreadsheet your team can use for free, powered by an…
AI-first spreadsheet with live data integrations and a plain-language AI Analyst. Rows is a modern web spreadsheet that pitches itself as your new AI Data Analyst: a grid where you can extract data from PDFs, import business data from the…
Open-source relational spreadsheet-database with Python formulas, granular permissions and self-hosting Grist is a relational spreadsheet-database: a familiar grid on the surface with a real database underneath, built around linked tables, custom views and Python formulas.
Open-source office suite with spreadsheet, document and presentation editors, free desktop apps and a cloud collaboration platform ONLYOFFICE is an open-source office suite built by Ascensio System SIA, a company registered in Riga, Latvia.
Free, open source desktop spreadsheet from The Document Foundation. LibreOffice Calc is the spreadsheet application inside LibreOffice, the free and open source office suite developed by The Document Foundation, a charitable foundation under German law headquartered in Berlin.
Open-source office suite with spreadsheet, document and presentation editors, free desktop apps and a cloud collaboration…
Open-source relational spreadsheet-database with Python formulas, granular permissions and self-hosting
AI-first spreadsheet with live data integrations and a plain-language AI Analyst.
Free, open source desktop spreadsheet from The Document Foundation.