5 Alternatives to Microsoft Excel
August 20, 2009 by Srikanth AD, Guest Blogger 
4 Comments
Today, 40Tech is pleased to present another guest post from Srikanth AD from the Tech Inspiration blog.
Microsoft Excel may be the standard among spreadsheet applications, but if you're looking to save a few dollars, there are many alternative applications available. Most of these applications are free to download and use, and are very similar to Microsoft Excel in terms of usage and features. Some of these applications are cloud-based, and run from within your web browser. Others are traditional desktop applications that you install much like you would install any other program.
Online Spreadsheet Applications
Google Docs Spreadsheet is a very productive alternative to Microsoft Excel and works just like it. It is very simple to use. You can load any Excel spreadsheet into it, and edit and make changes to it. You can even track changes to the spreadsheets. Google Docs has an auto-save feature that automatically saves changes done to the spreadsheet in real time, so you're not at risk for losing any information if you accidentally close your browser.
EditGrid is an online spreadsheet service. It is free for personal use, and is very effective and easy to use. EditGrid has all of the features of normal spreadsheet software. In addition, it also has extra features like online collaboration and shared access. Its real-time update feature allows multiple users to use the application at the same time and see the changes done by others in the spreadsheet. This online application also has other features like charting, revision history, multiple access, permalinks and much more. All told, there are about 500 features in this online spreadsheet application.
Expresso Spreadsheet is another online spreadsheet application. It allows users to view and make changes to the spreadsheet in real time. Anyone can upload or create a spreadsheet and invite others to access it and make changes. The owner of the spreadsheet can set permissions on the spreadsheet to control who can perform certain tasks, such as viewing, copying, and downloading. The application has a "Cell watch" feature that will alert the member when the value or the formula of a selected cell is changed. It automatically records all the changed details done to the spreadsheet.
Other online spreadsheet applications are: BadBlue.com, Blist.com, Inputwebwizard.com
Desktop Spreadsheet Applications
OpenOffice provides many alternatives to Microsoft Office products. Openoffice's Calc is one such product, offering a perfect replica of Microsoft Excel. All the features of this spreadsheet application are similar to Excel, including cell arrangement, row arrangement and the number of cells and rows present. This open source software works on many platforms. Using this application you can view and edit spreadsheets saved in various formats, such as .XLS, .CVS, and many more. This application can be used for managing statistical and financial functions.
Gnumeric is a free spreadsheet program. It was developed to replace major spreadsheet software like MS Excel and other paid spreadsheet programs. It has many features, and supports various file formats such as CSV, .xls, HTML, lotus1-2-3, and many more. Files created using this program will have the file extension .gnm. There are many functions that are unique to Gnumeric. Gnumeric is ideal for the use of statistical analysis and scientific studies. You can easily create a graph using this program.
Other desktop spreadsheet applications include zCube Calci, Lotus 1-2-3, Framework.
Guest blogger Srikanth writes on the Tech Inspiration blog about tips, gadgets, and technology. Check out his other guest post, 8 Twitter Tools for Windows Mobile.
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Thanks for the guest post, Srikanth. I don’t use spreadsheets too often, but the easiest one for me is probably the Google option, only because I already have a Google account. I almost feel guilty about that, because I’m sure I’m overlooking some strong choices (plus part of me thinks I shouldn’t contribute to giving Google so much power).
I’ve used OpenOffice (X11 version for OSX) and it was pretty good.
My wife likes something about the MS GUI, though, so we run Office. Faculty/staff discount made the financial cost reasonable, but it really seems to be a resource hog, as it make everything else run slower when it is running. We’ll be upgrading the Office 2008 very soon (over the weekend of early next week). Crossing my fingers that this will make things better, rather than worse.
Sliding off onto a database tangent, I like MySql as a free database product. After losing Access on the home computers a while back, I rewrote my birthday/anniversary calendar (I have a BIG family) from ASP/Access to PHP/MySql. (Why not use an out-of-the-box product for? Because Excite.com lost my data a decade ago, and I still don’t trustn anyone with my data :)
Google Docs will have to be my favorite online version of Excel. You can export the spreadsheet to different formats like doc, pdf.
@ Evan It was my pleasure to write for 40tech.
Cheers