A free Excel alternative is any spreadsheet program that opens and edits the same kind of data as Excel, without a Microsoft 365 subscription. The best-known one, by a wide margin, is Google Sheets – free with any Google account, browser and mobile based, and genuinely different from Excel in a handful of its own functions rather than just a copy of it. Two others come up often enough to be worth a shorter look: LibreOffice Calc, a free desktop program, and WPS Spreadsheets, a free-with-ads program built to look and feel as close to Excel as possible.
This guide covers Google Sheets in real depth, since it is the one most people actually mean when they say “free Excel alternative”, with a shorter, honest overview of LibreOffice and WPS afterward. Every claim about what Excel does or does not accept was run for real through Excel’s own automation interface; every claim about Google Sheets’ own functions reflects real formulas run in a live Google Sheet as part of building this site’s Google Sheets quiz questions.
In this guide
The short version
- Google Sheets shares almost all of Excel’s everyday functions and adds its own (QUERY, IMPORTRANGE, ARRAYFORMULA, SPLIT), none of which Excel recognises.
- FILTER, SORT and UNIQUE are not Sheets exclusives – Excel 365 has all three, and confirmed live in this guide, but with small differences in edge-case behaviour.
- LibreOffice Calc is a free, permanently offline desktop program; WPS Spreadsheets is free with ads and cloud-storage limits but visually closest to Excel’s own ribbon.
- None of these fully replace Excel’s VBA macros, its Power Query and Data Model, or very large workbook performance, which remain genuine reasons to keep using Excel itself.
Google Sheets in depth
Google Sheets runs entirely in a browser (with an offline mode through a Chrome extension, and native mobile apps), saves automatically and continuously rather than needing a manual save, and supports several people editing the same file at the same time with changes appearing for everyone within a second or two – the same idea as Excel’s co-authoring, but built in from the very first version rather than added later.
What carries over directly
Ordinary formulas – SUM, IF, VLOOKUP, INDEX and MATCH, COUNTIFS, text functions like LEFT and CONCATENATE, most date functions – work identically in both programs, same syntax, same results. Someone comfortable with everyday Excel formulas can open a Google Sheet and be productive immediately; the differences only start to matter with a smaller set of more advanced functions.
Functions that exist only in Google Sheets
| Function | What it does in Google Sheets |
|---|---|
| QUERY | Runs a small SQL-like query (select, where, group by, order by, limit, label, format) directly over a range; HAVING is not supported and fails with #VALUE! |
| IMPORTRANGE | Pulls a range of cells from a completely different Google Sheet by its URL, after a one-time “Allow access” permission click |
| ARRAYFORMULA | Forces an ordinary formula written for one cell to calculate across a whole range and spill the results, without needing a separate array function |
| SPLIT | Breaks a single cell of delimited text into separate cells; by default it silently drops empty pieces unless told not to |
| REGEXEXTRACT / REGEXMATCH / REGEXREPLACE | Full regular-expression matching and replacement inside a cell, something Excel has no built-in equivalent for at all |
| C | |
|---|---|
| 1 | #NAME? |
| 2 | #NAME? |
| 3 | #NAME? |
| 4 | #NAME? |
| 5 | #NAME? |
SPLIT is rejected even earlier than the rest – Excel refuses the formula the moment you try to enter it, before it can even show a #NAME? error, because “SPLIT” collides with how Excel parses a Text to Columns style operation at entry time. IMPORTRANGE is the function most people search for first when moving between spreadsheets: in Google Sheets itself it returns the same #REF! error for three completely different reasons – access not yet granted, a sheet name that doesn’t exist, or a mistyped spreadsheet ID – so a #REF! from IMPORTRANGE always needs checking by hand, not just re-typing.
Functions Excel also has, just with different edge-case behaviour
FILTER, SORT and UNIQUE are commonly assumed to be Google-Sheets-only, because they were added to Sheets first, but Excel 365 has had all three for years, run for real here as proof:
| A | B | C | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | 1 | |
| 2 | 1 | 2 | |
| 3 | 2 | 3 | |
| 4 | 1 |
| A | B | C | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | 3 | |
| 2 | 1 | 2 | |
| 3 | 2 | ||
| 4 | 1 |
| A | B | C | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | a | b | c |
The behaviour that actually differs is what happens when there is nothing to return. The exact same FILTER formula with a condition nothing matches:
| A | B | C | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | #CALC! | |
| 2 | 1 | ||
| 3 | 2 | ||
| 4 | 1 |
So a formula written to catch a FILTER-with-no-matches case (with IFERROR or IFNA) needs the right error type checked for whichever program it runs in. Excel’s TEXTSPLIT is also its own function, not literally named SPLIT, and its argument order and defaults differ slightly from Sheets’ SPLIT.
LibreOffice Calc, briefly
LibreOffice Calc is the spreadsheet program inside LibreOffice, a free, open-source office suite that installs as a normal desktop application on Windows, macOS and Linux, with no subscription, no account and no ongoing internet connection required. Its native file format is ODS (OpenDocument Spreadsheet), but it opens and saves .xlsx files directly, and for everyday formulas – SUM, VLOOKUP, IF, pivot tables, basic charts – compatibility with Excel is very good.
Where it tends to fall behind is the newest additions to Excel: dynamic array spilling and functions like XLOOKUP and LET arrived in Calc only in specific recent versions, later than in Excel 365, so a workbook built with the newest Excel functions may not behave identically if opened in an older LibreOffice install. Real-time multi-person co-authoring exists only through the separate, self-hosted or paid Collabora Online product, not the desktop app most people actually install; on its own, LibreOffice Calc is a single-user, offline-first tool, which suits someone who wants a permanent free alternative more than someone who needs live collaboration.
WPS Spreadsheets, briefly
WPS Spreadsheets is part of WPS Office, a free suite whose interface deliberately mirrors Excel’s ribbon layout closely enough that switching over needs almost no relearning – menu names, icon positions and keyboard shortcuts are all close matches. It is free to use with ads and a limited amount of free cloud storage, with a paid tier removing both; it reads and writes .xlsx natively and has broad day-to-day formula compatibility with Excel.
The trade-offs are the free tier’s ads and periodic upgrade prompts, and that some of Excel’s more advanced automation (VBA macros in particular) is only partially supported. It is a reasonable pick for someone who wants the most Excel-like experience possible without paying for Microsoft 365, especially on Android or iOS where its mobile app is one of the more capable free options.
A few others worth knowing about
A handful of other programs come up less often but are worth knowing exist. Zoho Sheet is a free, browser-based spreadsheet from the Zoho suite, with strong automation and API hooks if the rest of a workflow already runs on Zoho’s other apps. OnlyOffice is a free, open-source suite (also self-hostable) whose interface and file compatibility both lean heavily toward matching Excel exactly. Apple Numbers is free on Mac and iOS but is not really an Excel clone at all – it is built around a more visual, canvas-style layout and converts to and from .xlsx with some formatting loss, so it suits someone already committed to Apple’s ecosystem more than someone specifically looking for an Excel substitute.
Feature comparison
| Google Sheets | LibreOffice Calc | WPS Spreadsheets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free (Google account) | Free (open source) | Free with ads, paid tier available |
| Runs | Browser + mobile, offline via extension | Installed desktop app | Installed desktop app + mobile |
| Real-time co-authoring | Yes, built in | No (needs separate Collabora Online) | Limited, cloud-account based |
| Native file format | .gsheet (cloud), exports .xlsx | .ods, opens/saves .xlsx | .xlsx, .et |
| Automation/scripting | Google Apps Script (JavaScript-based) | LibreOffice Basic (VBA-like) | Limited VBA-style macro support |
| Closest to Excel's own feel | No, its own UI | No, its own UI | Yes, deliberately close |
Which one should you actually use?
If the people you share spreadsheets with already use Google Workspace, or several people need to edit the same file live, Google Sheets is the easiest choice and the one with the deepest set of its own useful functions (QUERY especially can replace a surprising amount of manual filtering and summarising). If a permanent, fully offline, no-account desktop tool matters more than live collaboration, LibreOffice Calc is the more natural fit. If the priority is the smallest possible relearning curve coming straight from Excel’s own ribbon and shortcuts, WPS Spreadsheets is the closest visual match of the three.
None of the three fully replaces Excel’s VBA macro ecosystem, its Power Query and Data Model tooling, or its performance on very large, formula-heavy workbooks – which is exactly why many people end up using more than one of these tools for different jobs, rather than picking a single permanent replacement.
Common mistakes
Mistake 1: assuming a .xlsx file behaves identically everywhere it opens
The base formulas usually do, but VBA macros, some of the newest functions, and exact formatting details can all shift slightly when a workbook moves between Excel, Sheets, LibreOffice and WPS. A workbook that depends on macros in particular should be checked carefully after moving it out of Excel.
Mistake 2: thinking FILTER, SORT and UNIQUE only exist in Google Sheets
All three have been part of Excel 365 for years. What actually differs between the two programs is what an empty result looks like (#CALC! in Excel, #N/A in Sheets), not whether the functions exist at all.
Mistake 3: expecting IMPORTRANGE to work the first time
A brand-new IMPORTRANGE formula returns #REF! until the source sheet’s owner grants access once, through a permission dialog that appears the first time the formula runs. That one-time click is easy to miss and gets mistaken for a broken formula.
Mistake 4: picking a tool by price alone
All three alternatives here are free, but they are not interchangeable. LibreOffice trades live collaboration for being fully offline; WPS trades a completely ad-free experience for looking the most like Excel; Sheets trades offline-first use for the deepest built-in collaboration and its own extra functions.
Cheat sheet
| If you need this… | Reach for… |
|---|---|
| Live collaboration with several editors at once | Google Sheets |
| A one-line SQL-style filter, group and sort over a range | Google Sheets' QUERY |
| Data pulled live from a different spreadsheet file | Google Sheets' IMPORTRANGE |
| A completely offline desktop program, permanently free | LibreOffice Calc |
| The smallest possible relearning curve from Excel's own ribbon | WPS Spreadsheets |
| VBA macros, Power Query, Data Model, or huge workbooks | None of these fully replace Excel here – stay in Excel |
Try it yourself
Work out each answer first, then open the solution.
1. You type =ARRAYFORMULA(A1:A3*2) into a plain Excel worksheet, no add-ins installed. What happens?
Show solution
Excel shows #NAME?, because ARRAYFORMULA is a Google Sheets function that Excel does not recognise at all. In Excel 365, the equivalent result needs no special wrapper – a formula like =A1:A3*2 spills its results natively.
2. A FILTER formula in Google Sheets and the equivalent FILTER formula in Excel both match zero rows. Do they show the same error?
Show solution
No. Google Sheets shows #N/A, while Excel shows #CALC!. A formula that wraps FILTER in IFERROR or IFNA to catch the empty case needs the right error type checked for whichever program it runs in.
3. An IMPORTRANGE formula has the correct spreadsheet URL and a correct sheet name, but still shows #REF! the first time it is entered. What is the most likely cause?
Show solution
Access has not been granted yet. The very first time an IMPORTRANGE formula points at a given source spreadsheet, Google Sheets shows a one-time “Allow access” prompt that has to be accepted before the formula will return anything.
Frequently asked questions
Is Google Sheets really free?
Yes, fully free with any Google account, including for commercial use, with generous storage limits shared across a Google account’s other services.
Can I open an Excel file in Google Sheets without losing anything?
Ordinary formulas, formatting and charts convert well. VBA macros do not carry over at all, since Sheets uses Google Apps Script instead, and some very new Excel functions may need to be rewritten.
Do FILTER, SORT and UNIQUE exist in both Excel and Google Sheets?
Yes, both programs have all three. The difference is in edge cases, such as what error appears when nothing matches (#CALC! in Excel, #N/A in Sheets), not whether the functions exist.
What is the closest free alternative to Excel if I want something that looks and feels the same?
WPS Spreadsheets, whose ribbon, icons and shortcuts are deliberately built to match Excel closely, at the cost of ads on its free tier.
What is the closest free alternative if I want a permanent offline desktop program with no account?
LibreOffice Calc, which installs like a normal desktop application and needs no sign-in or ongoing internet connection.
Can any of these free tools fully replace Excel?
For everyday formulas and formatting, largely yes. For VBA macro automation, Power Query and Data Model style data transformation, and performance on very large workbooks, none of the three covered here fully match Excel.
Test yourself
Timed questions on Google Sheets Formulas, with an explanation for every answer.
