In the world of data analysis and spreadsheet management, Microsoft Excel has long been the go-to software for both personal and professional use. It’s great for organizing data, creating charts, and making auto-calculations. But while it has many uses, it might not be a suitable program for you.
For example, you might not be willing to pay for an Office 365 subscription only to use Excel. Limitations and compatibility issues with your macOS count as valid reasons, too.
Luckily, there are a lot of Excel alternatives for Mac that you can opt for. These software options provide powerful and user-friendly alternatives to Excel, allowing you to manage your data more efficiently and effectively.
If you’re ready to break away from Excel and explore new possibilities, here are the 8 best Excel alternatives for Mac (both free and paid) in 2024.
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Best Excel Alternatives for Mac
Many people complain about Excel’s lack of convenient collaboration features. To be specific, users usually email others to collaborate on a file. Another downside is that it has a pretty steep subscription fee.
In this post, we have listed Excel-like programs that counter these issues. Particularly, they offer better collaboration features, low fees, and powerful functions.
1. Google Sheets
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If you’re using any Google product, such as Gmail, you are likely already familiar with Google Sheets. It’s a cloud-hosted spreadsheet software program that you can use for free with your Google account.
While it is an excellent option to use when you’re dealing with small data sets, its features are pretty limited. Moreover, it runs on a web browser, whose performance may suffer when dealing with large data sets.
What’s truly attractive about Google Sheets is its handy sharing and collaboration features. For one, you can generate a share link that you can send to others. There are also options to adjust their viewing and editing access.
2. LibreOffice Calc
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LibreOffice Calc is an open-source spreadsheet software you can install on your Mac. By the word “open-source,” we mean “free.”
One thing you might like about Calc is its easy-to-navigate features. This makes it a popular option among beginners. While it’s pretty simple, it does have advanced functions for professional-level applications.
Here are other functions that LibreOffice Calc offers:
- Drag-and-drop data from cell to cell
- Side-by-side comparison of two files
- Save files in Open Document Format (.ODS)
- Export and import files in Excel-compatible formats (.XLSX)
- Export worksheets in Portable Document Format (.PDF)
- Advanced DataPilot technology
3. Microsoft Excel Online
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If you can’t bear to part with Excel’s familiar interface, why not use its web-based counterpart? This version and Excel for Mac only differ in a few points:
- Excel Online saves your spreadsheets to your OneDrive storage, allowing you to save your files offline.
- More advanced functions are available on Excel for Mac only.
- Excel Online is free.
Excel Online is pretty similar to Google Sheets and highlights online collaboration and sharing (as opposed to emails).
Below are other useful pieces of information you might want to know:
- Excel Online supports 400+ functions.
- File formats supported include .ODS, .XLS, .XLSB, .XLSM, and .XLSX.
4. Apple Numbers for Mac
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Apple Numbers, part of iWork, is a great Excel equivalent for Mac if you only need to do basic computing tasks. It’s a free program that comes pre-installed on your computer.
Numbers provides a good collection of templates you can use for your work. For example, there might be templates for budgeting and checklists. These are already pre-formatted with text, tables, and other elements.
Another feature to covet about Numbers is the capability to insert multimedia content. For example, you can actually add music files, videos, and images to your worksheets.
This option also supports multiple file formats, including the following:
- Comma Separated Values (.CSV)
- Numbers ’09
- Open XML (.XLSX)
- Portable Document Format (.PDF)
- Tab Separated Values (.TSV)
5. Zoho Sheet
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When your work deals with a lot of data visualization tasks, you might want to consider Zoho Sheet. It comes with Zia, an AI-powered assistant of the same brand that can auto-generate graphs based on your data. All you need to do is drag and drop the generated visual chart.
Besides this, Zoho Sheet also offers two other features you might find useful:
- Data Cleaning tool: This allows you to pre-process your data before doing any advanced work. For example, you can check for duplicates or wrong entries in your data set with it.
- Cell-locking: You can prevent users from editing certain cells that may contain important data.
Additionally, you can import spreadsheets in many file formats, such as .XLSX, .CSV, .ODS, .SXC, and import file sizes up to 10 MB per file.
6. Quip
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Quip isn’t a spreadsheet tool per se, but it does feature the functionality of one. It’s marketed by Salesforce as a collaboration tool. Here, team members can chat, create text documents, and work on spreadsheets together.
However, you cannot create separate spreadsheets in Quip. Instead, you can only insert one (which you can export as a spreadsheet file) into an existing document you’re working on. This allows you to link certain cells with different pieces of text in your document. So, any update you do on the spreadsheet is automatically modified to the linked parts of your document too.
Source: Quip
7. Sheetster
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Another Excel for Mac alternative you can consider is Sheetster. This is an open-source web-based software that functions almost like Excel. Here’s a list of what you can do with it:
- Import and export spreadsheets in .XLS and .XLSX formats
- Use almost all functions supported in Excel
- Collaborate with other users in real-time
- Setup conditional formatting and split panes
- Export files as PDFs
While it’s good for personal use, it’s more commonly utilized by developers. Particularly, as they use Sheetster when integrating spreadsheet files with the web apps they create.
8. WPS Office Spreadsheet
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WPS Office Spreadsheet is another free Excel alternative (with paid versions available). While it isn’t nearly as feature-rich as the latter, it does win with its encryption and collaboration functionalities.
It offers 200+ functions you can use on your spreadsheet files and also supports the creation of graphs and the setting up of conditional formatting.
WPS Office Spreadsheet handles files in the following formats: .CSV, .ODS, and .XLS, and .XLSX.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is the Best Free Mac Spreadsheet?
Google Sheets is the best Excel alternative for Mac. You can use it on virtually any Mac model with an up-to-date browser. On top of that, it’s also free to access and comes with handy collaboration features.
Is Microsoft Excel Free on Mac?
No. Mac users who want to access the Microsoft Excel program must pay the standard fees set by the company. Or they can opt to use Excel Online, a free cloud-hosted alternative to the former that’s also from Microsoft.
Can Mac Numbers Open Excel Files?
Yes, Mac Numbers can open Excel files. To do this, launch Apple Numbers on your Mac first. Then, go to “File” > “Open” and choose your specific Excel spreadsheet. Dragging the file to the Numbers icon in the Dock works too.
No Excel? No Problem!
Microsoft Excel offers many features that make it a leading spreadsheet software today. Unfortunately, you might encounter issues installing it on your Mac. Or you’re not yet ready to start paying subscription costs. Under such situations, these 8 Excel alternatives for Mac would be excellent choices to consider.
On the hunt for spreadsheet templates to use Google Sheets and Excel? Get them at 50% off using the code “SSP” on our Gumroad page today.
Related:
- How to Convert Excel to Google Sheets (Step-by-Step)
- Google Sheets vs. Excel – Which Is Better?
- How to Convert Google Sheets to Excel [Easy Guide]
- The 7 Best Free Spreadsheet Software
- Excel vs Numbers: Which Is the Superior Spreadsheet Program?
- 10 Best Excel Courses Online [Free + Paid]
- How To Use “Does Not Equal” in Excel [Easy 10 Min Guide]
