Free versions of Excel if you don’t want to pay for Microsoft 365
Smart penny pinchers know there are a ton of freebies around the web. You have to be savvy about where you search since there are a ton of dangerous downloads lurking. We’re always here to share safe tools, like the top free Excel alternatives.
That’s right: We’ve got you covered if you’re looking for an excellent alternative to Microsoft Excel. Maybe you’re loyal to the program because it’s been around forever, but you aren’t sure how to make the most of it. Tap or click here for three Excel tips and tutorials.
However, you don’t have to pay a ton of money for Excel. There are a few free alternatives to Excel that are worth your time. Check out three of the best substitutes below.
1. LibreOffice Calc is one of our favorite free Excel alternatives
We’re big fans of LibreOffice’s robust free programs. This open-source software is often updated and works well as a replacement for Microsoft Office. It offers six programs that work similarly to Office’s flagship programs, like Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
If you’re looking for spreadsheet software, you can’t go wrong with LibreOffice Calc. It has most of the same features as Microsoft Excel. You can:
- Collaborate on spreadsheets with others thanks to Calc’s support for multiple users.
- Pull in raw data from corporate databases.
- Summarize, convert and cross-tabulate data.
- Integrate real-time data streams into sheets and reports.
- Calculate data in your spreadsheets.
- Customize templates, backgrounds, borders and more.
To use Calc, you’ll have to download LibreOffice’s entire suite. It’s a “monolithic software,” meaning all its components come in one installer package.
RELATED: 10 free spreadsheet templates to help manage your finances
2. ClickUp offers a slick all-in-one project management solution
This Excel alternative provides an efficient dashboard view for small business owners. On top of that, it has powerful collaboration features.
With ClickUp’s Table view, you can look over your projects, keep track of specific tasks and watch your team’s work progress. Also, its time-tracker tool helps you estimate project competition and closely track progress.
You can create as many workspaces, folders and lists as you like. You can also choose different ways to view your work data. Group your folders and lists by different attributes, like:
- User.
- Status.
- Data.
- Project.
- Custom field and more.
In addition, you can tasks for different users, use notifications to stay updated and create threaded conversations that won’t spam everyone’s messages. Plus, it offers mobile access.
Although you can pay for it, ClickUp’s free version has many useful features. Overall, this is a valuable tool that can help you manage remote teams.
RELATED: Get money help with 3 of the best free online finance calculators
3. When you’re looking for free Excel alternatives, check out Google Sheets
Unlike the other options in this list, you don’t have to download Google Sheets. You can access it online. Like ClickUp, you can access it on your smartphone. You get 15GB of free storage with this online spreadsheet editor.
Once you run out of space, you can upgrade to paid financial software. We recommend our sponsor, Oracle Netsuite. More on that below.
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Tags: financial system, freebies, Google Sheets, Microsoft 365, Microsoft Excel, NetSuite, project management, tutorials