Microsoft Excel alternatives

3 tools to consider instead of Microsoft Excel, shown against it.

Microsoft Excel Google Sheets Airtable Quadratic
Vendor Microsoft Google Airtable, Inc. Quadratic Inc.
Pricing model Subscription Free tier + paid plans Free tier + paid plans Free tier + paid plans
Free tier Yes Yes Yes Yes
Deployment Cloud Cloud Cloud Cloud, Self-hosted
Open source No No No No (Quadratic Source Available License)
Best for Analysts and business users who need ad hoc modeling, pivot analysis, and statistical calculations in a familiar spreadsheet. Teams needing free or low-cost, real-time collaborative spreadsheets with a direct line into BigQuery. Teams that need a flexible, no-code database with a spreadsheet-like interface for tracking projects and structured data. Analysts and data teams who want to combine code (Python/SQL) with a spreadsheet interface for larger, reproducible analyses.
Pricing

A limited free web version of Excel is available with a Microsoft account; full Microsoft 365 plans with desktop Excel start at $9.99/month.

Microsoft 365 Personal $9.99/month or $99.99/year
Microsoft 365 Family $12.99/month or $129.99/year
Microsoft 365 Premium $19.99/month or $199.99/year

Prices read from the vendor's own page on September 21, 2026. Vendors change prices; check the source before you budget.

Free with a personal Google account; paid Google Workspace plans add pooled storage, admin controls, and enterprise features.

Business Starter $7/user/month, billed annually
Business Standard $14/user/month, billed annually
Business Plus $22/user/month, billed annually
Enterprise Custom quote

Prices read from the vendor's own page on September 21, 2026. Vendors change prices; check the source before you budget.

Free for individuals and small teams; paid Team and Business plans are billed per editing seat, with Enterprise custom-quoted.

Free $0
Team $20/seat/month, billed annually
Business $45/seat/month, billed annually
Enterprise Scale Custom quote

Prices read from the vendor's own page on September 21, 2026. Vendors change prices; check the source before you budget.

Free Personal plan with limited AI usage; paid Pro and Business plans are billed per user, with custom Enterprise pricing.

Personal (Free) $0
Pro $18/user/month, billed annually
Business $36/user/month, billed annually
Enterprise Custom quote

Prices read from the vendor's own page on September 21, 2026. Vendors change prices; check the source before you budget.

Features
  • Power Query for data import and transformation
  • PivotTables and PivotCharts
  • Analysis ToolPak add-in for regression and statistical analysis
  • Power Pivot data model for multi-table analysis with DAX
  • Dynamic arrays and native statistical/lookup functions
  • Python in Excel for advanced analytics
  • Conditional formatting and data validation
  • Co-authoring and version history via OneDrive/SharePoint
  • Formulas and Apps Script for custom automation
  • Pivot tables
  • Connected Sheets for live BigQuery queries at billions of rows
  • Explore panel for AI-assisted analysis and chart suggestions
  • Real-time multi-user collaboration
  • Data validation and conditional formatting
  • Built-in charting
  • Offline editing
  • No-code relational database with spreadsheet interface
  • Grid, Kanban, calendar, gallery, and Gantt views
  • Automations for workflow triggers
  • Interfaces for building custom apps
  • Sync to pull in data from other bases and external sources
  • AI-powered field generation and summarization
  • Extensive template library
  • REST API and webhooks
  • Native Python, SQL, and JavaScript cells alongside formulas
  • AI assistant that generates formulas, code, and charts from natural language
  • Live connections to Postgres, MySQL, Snowflake, and BigQuery
  • Multiplayer, auditable collaboration
  • Support for far larger datasets than a traditional spreadsheet
  • Optional self-hosting on Enterprise plans
  • SOC 2 and HIPAA compliance

In the index now