LibreOffice 25.8: New features
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Best Free Spreadsheet Software 2026: 7 Options Compared
Best free Spreadsheet Software compared: Google Sheets, Microsoft Excel, LibreOffice, ONLYOFFICE and 3 more, with free-plan limits, platforms and prices from official pages checked October 23, 2026.
•3 min read•Office, Docs & Presentations
Quick comparison
| Tool | Price | Platforms | Best for | Tested |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Sheets | Free (Free with a personal Google Account; some Gemini features need a Workspace plan) | Web, Mobile apps | Collaborative spreadsheets | Docs only |
| Microsoft Excel | Free (Excel for the web is free with a Microsoft account and 5 GB of OneDrive; files must be saved in OneDrive) | Web | Files that must stay Excel-compatible | Docs only |
| LibreOffice | Free (download and use at no cost per its site) | Windows, macOS, Linux | Offline work and open formats | Docs only |
| ONLYOFFICE | Free (Startup cloud plan with up to 3 admins, unlimited users and guests, 12 rooms and 2 GB of storage); paid from $20 per admin/month (Business cloud plan; only admins are paid) | Web, Self-hosted, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android | Teams that want high Excel compatibility | Docs only |
| WPS Office | Free (Free WPS Standard: 1 user, 1 GB cloud storage, limited AI tools) | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Web browser | People who want an Excel look-alike | Docs only |
| SoftMaker FreeOffice | Free (Free for personal and business use) | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android | A free desktop suite for business use | Docs only |
| Zoho Sheet | Free (Page says spreadsheets can be created for free) | Web, Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Chromebook | Teams already on Zoho | Docs only |
Independent comparison. Paid placements are labelled separately; editorial links earn no affiliate commissions. Learn more.
See the tools in action
Images from the linked documentation. Versions and features may differ from current plans.
LibreOffice Calc — official interface example
The Document Foundation · Source · CC BY-SA 3.0
Good fit if
- You share a sheet live with ten people (Google Sheets is the pick)
- You must exchange .xlsx files with a client (Microsoft Excel is the pick)
- You work offline and want no account (LibreOffice is the pick)
- You want a self-hosted office suite (ONLYOFFICE is the pick)
Not ideal if
- You need paid-tier features, uptime guarantees or support that these free plans leave out
For most people the right free spreadsheet is the one that opens the files others send you. Excel for the web is free with a Microsoft account and 5 GB of OneDrive, but files must be saved in OneDrive and the advanced features of the desktop app are missing. Google Sheets is free with a Google account and is the best for sharing and live collaboration, with some Gemini features reserved for Workspace plans. LibreOffice Calc is the strongest offline choice, open source under MPL-2.0 and happy with .xlsx, though very large workbooks with macros may misbehave. ONLYOFFICE offers a startup cloud plan for up to 3 admins and unlimited users with 2 GB of storage, and can be self-hosted. WPS Office and SoftMaker FreeOffice are free desktop suites that look and behave like Excel, with WPS limiting AI tools and cloud storage on its free tier. Zoho Sheet is free on the web and fits teams in the Zoho suite. Before switching, test your own file with the most complex formulas, pivot tables and macros you use, because compatibility problems appear there first. The seven tools below are free at the level described.
Google Sheets
Free with a personal Google account; real-time collaboration and sharing links are its strongest points. Some Gemini features need a paid Workspace plan.
Price: Free (Free with a personal Google Account; some Gemini features need a Workspace plan) (Google Sheets pricing, checked 2026-10-23).
Platforms and license: Web, Mobile apps. Proprietary.
Best for: Collaborative spreadsheets.
Compare: Google Sheets alternatives
Microsoft Excel
Excel for the web is free with a Microsoft account and 5 GB of OneDrive. Files must be saved in OneDrive and desktop-only features are missing.
Price: Free (Excel for the web is free with a Microsoft account and 5 GB of OneDrive; files must be saved in OneDrive) (Microsoft Excel pricing, checked 2026-10-23).
Platforms and license: Web. Proprietary.
Best for: Files that must stay Excel-compatible.
Compare: Microsoft Excel alternatives
LibreOffice
Calc is free under MPL-2.0 for Windows, macOS and Linux, and works offline with no account. Excel macros and some formatting may not carry across.
Price: Free (download and use at no cost per its site) (LibreOffice pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Windows, macOS, Linux. MPL-2.0 (open source).
Best for: Offline work and open formats.
Worth knowing: Desktop suite of Writer, Calc, Impress, Draw, Base and Math; it has no built-in cloud storage or email.
ONLYOFFICE
Startup cloud plan: up to 3 admins, unlimited users, 12 rooms and 2 GB of storage; open-source editors can be self-hosted. Business cloud costs $20 per admin a month.
Price: Free (Startup cloud plan with up to 3 admins, unlimited users and guests, 12 rooms and 2 GB of storage); paid from $20 per admin/month (Business cloud plan; only admins are paid) (ONLYOFFICE pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Web, Self-hosted, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android. AGPL-3.0 (Docs server) (open source).
Project activity: 7.1k GitHub stars · latest release v10.0.0 (Oct 12, 2026) · last commit Oct 26, 2026
Best for: Teams that want high Excel compatibility.
WPS Office
Free WPS Standard for 1 user with 1 GB of cloud storage and limited AI tools, across desktop and mobile. Interface closely mirrors Excel.
Price: Free (Free WPS Standard: 1 user, 1 GB cloud storage, limited AI tools) (WPS Office pricing, checked 2026-10-23).
Platforms and license: Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Web browser. Proprietary.
Best for: People who want an Excel look-alike.
SoftMaker FreeOffice
PlanMaker is free for personal and business use on Windows, macOS, Linux and mobile, with good Microsoft Office format support. Fewer collaboration features than web tools.
Price: Free (Free for personal and business use) (SoftMaker FreeOffice pricing, checked 2026-10-23).
Platforms and license: Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android. Proprietary.
Best for: A free desktop suite for business use.
Worth knowing: Word processor (TextMaker), spreadsheet (PlanMaker) and Presentations; compatible with Microsoft Office formats.
Zoho Sheet
Spreadsheets can be created free on the web, according to the page. We did not capture limits; best if your team already uses Zoho.
Price: Free (Page says spreadsheets can be created for free) (Zoho Sheet pricing, checked 2026-10-23).
Platforms and license: Web, Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Chromebook. Proprietary.
Best for: Teams already on Zoho.
Which one to pick
- You share a sheet live with ten people: Google Sheets
- You must exchange .xlsx files with a client: Microsoft Excel
- You work offline and want no account: LibreOffice
- You want a self-hosted office suite: ONLYOFFICE
Limits of this review
Docs-only for Google Sheets, Microsoft Excel, LibreOffice, ONLYOFFICE, WPS Office, SoftMaker FreeOffice, Zoho Sheet: we did not install or run them, so feature claims come from vendor pages. Vendor prices and free limits change; confirm on the linked pricing page before you commit.
Related guides
More in Office, Docs & Presentations
- Microsoft Excel alternatives
- Microsoft Office alternatives
- Google Sheets alternatives
- Microsoft Word alternatives
Sources
Kevin Fan
Kevin Fan is a SaaS founder. He runs Free Instead Of, which tracks free and open-source alternatives to paid software and checks each price and free-plan limit against the vendor's own pages.
Methodology
Based on official pricing, license and product pages checked between 2026-10-22 and 2026-10-23: Google Sheets, Microsoft Excel, LibreOffice, ONLYOFFICE, WPS Office, SoftMaker FreeOffice, Zoho Sheet. Prices, free limits and licenses are the figures shown on those pages on those dates. No tool on this page was installed or run. No accounts were created.