Spreadsheets & Databases

Our top three spreadsheet and database tools

The first two are close. Google Sheets comes first because it is free with a Google Account and several people can edit the same file at once in a browser. Microsoft Excel adds Windows and Mac apps, with PivotTables and Power Query, but those apps need a subscription or a one-time purchase. Grist is third for data that has outgrown a single sheet and needs linked tables. LibreOffice Calc narrowly missed: it is a free, open-source desktop spreadsheet, but it has no cloud version. Numbers is free on Apple devices and sits outside only because it has no Windows or Android app.

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   First: Google Sheets

   Free plan · from $7/mo

   For: Most people

   Google Sheets is a spreadsheet that runs in a browser and in iPhone and Android apps. It is free with a personal Google Account: anyone signed in can create, edit and share spreadsheets, several people can work in one file at the same time, and revision history restores earlier versions. Excel files can be edited directly. Its iPhone and iPad app averages 4.8 from about 1.9 million ratings. Know the limits: no Windows or Mac desktop app is listed, a spreadsheet is capped at 20 million cells or 100 MB, and editing offline on a computer needs Chrome or Edge with an extension. The business version comes only with Google Workspace, from $7 per user a month with a 1-year commitment.

   iPhone and iPad app: 4.8 out of 5 on the App Store

   Google Sheets pricing and details
2. 2

   Second: Microsoft Excel

   Free plan · from $9.99/mo

   For: People who need a full spreadsheet as a desktop app

   Excel has Windows and Mac apps, which Google Sheets' listing does not, with PivotTables, Power Query for importing and reshaping outside data and, on eligible Microsoft 365 plans, Python formulas in the grid. It also runs on the web, iPhone and Android, where it is free for 1 person with sharing, real-time collaboration and 5 GB of cloud storage. Its iPhone and iPad app averages 4.7 from about 1.5 million ratings. It is second because the desktop apps cost money: Microsoft 365 Personal is $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year, and Office Home 2024 is $179.99 once for 1 PC or Mac. The web and mobile versions have many, but not all, desktop features, and macros do not run in a browser.

   iPhone and iPad app: 4.7 out of 5 on the App Store

   Microsoft Excel pricing and details
3. 3

   Third: Grist

   Free plan · from $8/mo

   For: People whose data has outgrown a single sheet

   Grist is a spreadsheet-database hybrid: each document holds several linked tables, formulas take Python as well as Excel-style functions, and access rules can limit who sees or edits data down to a single cell. The free plan allows unlimited documents with up to 5,000 records each and 10 team members, and Pro is $8 per user a month, billed annually. It is open source: a free Community edition runs on your own server, and a desktop app for Windows, macOS and Linux works on local files. It is third because it suits fewer people than the two above: no iPhone or Android app is listed, and Automations start on Business at $24 per user a month, billed annually, with a 5-user minimum.

   Grist pricing and details

Ranked on Oct 6, 2026 from what each listing shows and what people say about the tool, not from our own testing. How we rank