LibreOffice 25.8: New features
By LibreOffice - The Document Foundation ·
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Best Open-Source Spreadsheet Software 2026: 6 Options Compared
Best open-source Spreadsheet Software compared: LibreOffice, ONLYOFFICE, Gnumeric, Grist and 2 more, with licenses, platforms and prices from official pages checked October 24, 2026.
•3 min read•Office, Docs & Presentations
Quick comparison
| Tool | Price | Platforms | Best for | Tested |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LibreOffice | Free (download and use at no cost per its site) | Windows, macOS, Linux | Everyday spreadsheets and Excel files | 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 | Team editing of .xlsx files | Docs only |
| Gnumeric | Free (Free and open source spreadsheet) | Desktop | Linux number crunching | Docs only |
| Grist | Free (grist-core (Community edition) is free to self-host; hosted plans were not checked) | Web, Self-hosted | Spreadsheets with linked tables | Docs only |
| Baserow | Free (Free plan: 3,000 rows and 2 GB of storage per workspace); paid from $10 per user/month, billed yearly ($12 billed monthly; Premium) | Web, Self-hosted | Databases that look like sheets | Docs only |
| CryptPad | Free (Source is free and open; hosted instances and any paid tier were not checked) | Web, Self-hosted | Confidential shared sheets | 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 need an Excel replacement for local files (LibreOffice is the pick)
- Your team edits .xlsx files together on its own server (ONLYOFFICE is the pick)
- Your sheet has turned into a database (Grist is the pick)
- You want an Airtable-style grid with forms (Baserow is the pick)
Not ideal if
- You cannot host, patch and back up a server yourself and want a vendor to run it
Open-source spreadsheets split into classic desktop programs and database-style web tools. LibreOffice Calc is the desktop default, with pivot tables, charts and a large function library; Gnumeric is a lighter GNOME spreadsheet that statisticians like for its numerical accuracy. For browsers and teams, ONLYOFFICE and CryptPad edit spreadsheets in real time, ONLYOFFICE with stronger Excel compatibility and CryptPad with end-to-end encryption. Grist and Baserow blur the line between spreadsheet and database: Grist is a relational spreadsheet that lets columns reference other tables, and Baserow gives you spreadsheet-like tables with forms and an API. If you mostly open files from Excel users, LibreOffice or ONLYOFFICE are the safest, though complex macros and some chart formats rarely transfer perfectly. If your sheet has become a pseudo-database with lookups everywhere, Grist or Baserow will serve you better. Gnumeric is a good choice on Linux if you want fast calculations without heavy menus. Self-hosted web tools need a server, backups and an update routine; desktop programs need only an installer. Licences and free limits below come from each project's own pages as of the check date, and no spreadsheets were benchmarked.
LibreOffice
MPL-2.0 desktop suite whose Calc spreadsheet is the standard open-source Excel substitute. Free to download with no account.
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) (license source).
Best for: Everyday spreadsheets and Excel files.
Worth knowing: Desktop suite of Writer, Calc, Impress, Draw, Base and Math; it has no built-in cloud storage or email.
ONLYOFFICE
AGPL-3.0 server with a spreadsheet editor aimed at Microsoft-format fidelity. Hosted startup plan has 12 rooms and 2 GB.
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) (license source).
Project activity: 7.1k GitHub stars · latest release v10.0.0 (Oct 12, 2026) · last commit Oct 26, 2026
Best for: Team editing of .xlsx files.
Gnumeric
GPL v2 or v3, free GNOME spreadsheet. Lighter than LibreOffice Calc and focused on calculation.
Price: Free (Free and open source spreadsheet) (Gnumeric pricing, checked 2026-10-24).
Platforms and license: Desktop. GPL-2.0 or GPL-3.0 (your choice) (open source) (license source).
Best for: Linux number crunching.
Worth knowing: COPYING says it is available under GPL version 2 or version 3.
Grist
Apache-2.0 grist-core is the free Community edition: a relational spreadsheet you host. Hosted plans were not checked.
Price: Free (grist-core (Community edition) is free to self-host; hosted plans were not checked) (Grist pricing, checked 2026-10-24).
Platforms and license: Web, Self-hosted. Apache-2.0 (grist-core) (open source) (license source).
Project activity: 12k GitHub stars · latest release v1.7.21 (Oct 9, 2026) · last commit Oct 27, 2026
Best for: Spreadsheets with linked tables.
Worth knowing: README: a relational spreadsheet that combines spreadsheet flexibility with a database; grist-desktop edits spreadsheets stored locally.
Baserow
MIT core database with spreadsheet-like tables. Free hosted plan has 3,000 rows and 2 GB per workspace.
Price: Free (Free plan: 3,000 rows and 2 GB of storage per workspace); paid from $10 per user/month, billed yearly ($12 billed monthly; Premium) (Baserow pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Web, Self-hosted. MIT (core) (open source) (license source).
Project activity: 6.2k GitHub stars · latest release 2.4.1 (Oct 13, 2026) · last commit Oct 27, 2026
Best for: Databases that look like sheets.
CryptPad
AGPL-3.0-or-later encrypted suite whose tagline lists spreadsheets. Fewer features than desktop programs, but the server cannot read your data.
Price: Free (Source is free and open; hosted instances and any paid tier were not checked) (CryptPad pricing, checked 2026-10-24).
Platforms and license: Web, Self-hosted. AGPL-3.0-or-later (open source) (license source).
Project activity: 8k GitHub stars · latest release 2026.10.0 (Oct 21, 2026) · last commit Oct 27, 2026
Best for: Confidential shared sheets.
Worth knowing: README: end-to-end encrypted collaboration suite that synchronizes edits in real time; tagline lists spreadsheets, documents and presentations.
Which one to pick
- You need an Excel replacement for local files: LibreOffice
- Your team edits .xlsx files together on its own server: ONLYOFFICE
- Your sheet has turned into a database: Grist
- You want an Airtable-style grid with forms: Baserow
Limits of this review
Docs-only for LibreOffice, ONLYOFFICE, Gnumeric, Grist, Baserow, CryptPad: 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
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- Microsoft Word alternatives
- Microsoft Excel 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 2026-10-24: LibreOffice, ONLYOFFICE, Gnumeric, Grist, Baserow, CryptPad. 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.