Microsoft Excel
The spreadsheet that finance and analytics teams build their models in.
- Verified facts
- 4 of 4
- Alternatives ranked
- 8
- Approved reviews
- 0
- Visits sent from here
- 0
About Microsoft Excel
Excel is the spreadsheet most businesses run on. Beyond formulas and charts, the desktop version includes PivotTables, Power Query for pulling and cleaning data, Power Pivot data models, dynamic arrays, LAMBDA functions, VBA macros and, more recently, Python in Excel and Copilot. A worksheet can hold over a million rows, and many financial models, reports and internal tools quietly depend on it. A free web version handles everyday editing and live co-authoring with a Microsoft account; the full desktop features come with a Microsoft 365 subscription. It runs on Windows, macOS, iOS, Android and the web, though the Windows desktop app is still the most complete and some features arrive there first. The flip side of that power is fragility: large workbooks get slow, version control is weak, and complex sheets are easy to break. For collaborative, lighter work many teams now pair it with or switch to Google Sheets.
Best for: Analysts and finance teams who need PivotTables, Power Query and large models.
Pros and cons
What works
- Deepest feature set of any spreadsheet, including Power Query and data models
- Huge pool of templates, training and people who already know it
- Free web version for basic editing and co-authoring
Why people leave
- Windows desktop is the most complete; Mac and web lag on some features
- Large workbooks get slow and are easy to break
- Full features need a Microsoft 365 subscription
Top Microsoft Excel alternatives
See all 8- 1
Google Sheets66.5Free and browser-based with the easiest real-time collaboration on shared sheets.
- 2
LibreOffice62.6LibreOffice Calc is a free desktop spreadsheet that opens most .xlsx files.
- 3
Apple Numbers59.6Free on Apple devices, with a canvas layout that suits budgets and simple reports.
- 4
Zoho Sheet57.2Free online spreadsheet with AI data cleaning and offline apps.
- 5
ONLYOFFICE55.3Open-source spreadsheet editor with an Excel-like interface and strong .xlsx support.
Why people left Microsoft Excel
In reviewers' own words, from reviews of the apps they moved to. These are their opinions, not ours.
No switching stories yet. If you moved away from Microsoft Excel, review the app you switched to and tell us why.
Reviews
No approved reviews yet. How we verify reviewers
Write a review of Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Excel: common questions
Is Microsoft Excel free?
Microsoft Excel has a free plan and paid plans. Free version: Excel for the web (checked on Microsoft Excel's own site).
Is Microsoft Excel open source?
No, Microsoft Excel is not open source. Open-source alternatives include LibreOffice, ONLYOFFICE and Gnumeric.
What platforms does Microsoft Excel run on?
Microsoft Excel is available for Web, Windows, macOS, iOS and Android.
What are the best alternatives to Microsoft Excel?
The highest-ranked Microsoft Excel alternatives right now are Google Sheets, LibreOffice and Apple Numbers. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.