ToolGPAOctober 2026

Spreadsheets & Databases

The Insider’s Guide

Spreadsheets and no-code databases for structured data.

Google Sheets
Microsoft Excel
Grist
Zoho Sheet
Numbers
LibreOffice Calc

Every one we grade, what they cost, the best buy at each budget and the three to look at first.

Checked Oct 10, 2026 · toolgpa.com

22graded

01WelcomeWhat these tools do, how many we grade and what to know before choosing
02Our top threeThe three we'd look at first, and who each one suits
03What they costWhat paid plans start at, the best buy at each budget and the free plans
04The gradesThe highest graded, and how the whole category does on each subject
05Keep or make?Which are worth paying for, and which you could make yourself
06Every toolAll of them, best graded first, with what each costs
07Quick answersThe questions people ask when choosing, each answered in a line or two
08About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it

ToolGPA put this guide together from each tool’s own pages, their app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on the Spreadsheets & Databases page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 10, 2026.

Part 01 · Overview

Welcome

What these tools do, how many we grade and what to know before choosing

22

spreadsheet and database tools we grade, from their own pages

Spreadsheets and no-code databases for structured data.

Before you choose, here are 7 things to know about spreadsheet and database tools, worked out from every one we grade.

1
We grade 22 spreadsheet and database tools
18 of them are free or have a free plan, and 4 more let you try before paying. Everything in this guide comes from their own pages and our grades.
2
Paid plans start at $8 a month in the middle
From $1.08 (Tap Forms Pro) to $31 (Ninox), going by what each one's paid plans start at.
3
Best value: Microsoft Excel, Zoho Sheet and LibreOffice Calc
Nothing on our chart scores higher than these without costing more.
4
8 of 22 have iPhone and Android apps
18 run in a web browser and 10 have a Windows app. Check the one you need before you fall for anything.
5
The middle GPA is 2.6
7 score 3.0 or higher. The highest is Zoho Sheet, at 3.6.
6
Best free option: Zoho Sheet
Zoho Sheet has the highest GPA of the free ones, 3.6. Collaborative online spreadsheet with a free version.
7
22 worth keeping, 0 you could make
By our keep-or-make rules, 22 do something you couldn't reasonably build yourself, 0 are simple enough to make with an AI app builder, and 0 are a close call.

Part 02 · Top three

Our top three

The three we'd look at first, and who each one suits

The three spreadsheet and database tools we'd look at first. First place suits the most people; second and third are the best picks for the people it leaves out. Each has an Insider's Guide of its own.

1st
3.4GPA
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.
The Google Sheets Insider’s Guide
2nd
3.4GPA
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.
The Microsoft Excel Insider’s Guide
3rd
2.6GPA
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.
The Grist Insider’s Guide

Part 03 · Pricing

What they cost

What paid plans start at, the best buy at each budget and the free plans

$8

A month to start, in the middle of those that charge

Going by our grades, Microsoft Excel, Zoho Sheet and LibreOffice Calc give the most for the money among spreadsheet and database tools: no tool on this chart scores higher without costing more.

Paid plans start at a middle price of $8 a month across the 21 that charge, from $1.08 (Tap Forms Pro) to $31 (Ninox). 1 more costs nothing at all.

4 of the 22 score above the category's average while starting at or below its middle price. 7 cost more than the middle price and score below the average.

The best buy at each budget

Free
LibreOffice Calc
Costs nothing. Nothing at that price or less scores higher.
Up to $5 a month
Zoho Sheet
Starts at $2.50 a month for each person. Nothing at that price or less scores higher.
Up to $10 a month
Microsoft Excel
Starts at $8.33 a month when paid by the year. Nothing at that price or less scores higher.

Price against what you get

Each dot is one of 22 spreadsheet and database tools. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. The green line is the best score at each price.

What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →

The best free ones

Zoho Sheet
Free plan · Free plan · from $2.50/mo
3.6
Google Sheets
Free plan · Free plan · from $7/mo
3.4
Microsoft Excel
Free plan · Free plan · from $9.99/mo
3.4
Numbers
Free plan · Free plan · from $12.99/mo
3.2
LibreOffice Calc
Free
3.0
Stackby
Free plan · Free plan · from $4.2/mo
3.0

Part 04 · Grades

The grades

The highest graded, and how the whole category does on each subject

3.6

The highest GPA, Zoho Sheet's

Every tool gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. Here are the 12 highest graded spreadsheet and database tools, then how the whole category does on each subject.

Tool	Value	Free	Features	Ease	Platforms	GPA
Zoho Sheet	A	A	B	B	A	3.6
Google Sheets	A	A	C	A	B	3.4
Microsoft Excel	C	B	A	A	A	3.4
Numbers	A	A	C	B	B	3.2
LibreOffice Calc	A	A	C	B	C	3.0
Stackby	B	B	B	C	A	3.0
WPS Spreadsheet	B	B	B	B	B	3.0
Proton Sheets	B	B	C	B	B	2.8
Zoho Tables	B	B	B	C	B	2.8
Baserow	C	B	B	C	B	2.6
Grist	C	B	B	C	B	2.6
NocoDB	C	B	B	C	B	2.6

How the whole category does

Each bar is every spreadsheet and database tool we grade, cut by the letter it got on that subject.

Value for money
avg 2.5
Free plan and trial
avg 2.7
Features
avg 2.9
Ease of use
avg 2.5
Platforms and integrations
avg 3.0

Part 05 · Keep or make

Keep or make?

Which are worth paying for, and which you could make yourself

0

Simple enough to make yourself, of 22

Some software does something you couldn’t reasonably build yourself. Some is simple enough that an AI app builder could make the core of it in an afternoon. Here’s where spreadsheet and database tools land, by the same rules for every tool.

22
Keep it
It does something you could not reasonably make for yourself, or it costs nothing.
0
Your call
You could make the core of it, and you would give something up.
0
You could make this
What it does is the kind of thing an AI app builder makes well, and it charges every month.

Worth keeping

Zoho Sheet
To replace Zoho Sheet you would be making a spreadsheet engine with its formulas. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
Google Sheets
To replace Google Sheets you would be making a spreadsheet engine with its formulas. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
Microsoft Excel
To replace Microsoft Excel you would be making a spreadsheet engine with its formulas. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
Numbers
To replace Numbers you would be making a spreadsheet engine with its formulas. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.

Part 06 · Every tool

Every tool

All of them, best graded first, with what each costs

22

Tools, best graded first

Every spreadsheet and database tool we grade, with its GPA and what it costs. Each one has a page of its own on toolgpa.com, with its Insider’s Guide.

Part 07 · Questions

Quick answers

The questions people ask when choosing, each answered in a line or two

9

Questions, each answered in a line or two

What are the best spreadsheet and database tools?

Google Sheets first, Microsoft Excel second, Grist third. Google Sheets is for most people.

Which spreadsheet and database tools give the most for the money?

Microsoft Excel, Zoho Sheet and LibreOffice Calc. Each is the highest-scoring tool at its price or below: LibreOffice Calc scores 2.3 out of 4 and is free; Zoho Sheet scores 3.3 out of 4 and starts at $2.50 a month for each person; Microsoft Excel scores 4.0 out of 4 and starts at $8.33 a month when paid by the year.

Which are the best free spreadsheet and database tools?

Of the 1 spreadsheet and database tools here with no paid plan at all, LibreOffice Calc scores highest, at 2.3 out of 4.

Which spreadsheet and database tools are best for under $5 a month?

Zoho Sheet, with a score of 3.3 out of 4: the highest among the 6 that start at $5 a month or less.

Which spreadsheet and database tools are best for under $10 a month?

Microsoft Excel, with a score of 4.0 out of 4: the highest among the 15 that start at $10 a month or less.

Which spreadsheet and database tools cost the most for what they offer?

On this chart, Microsoft Access (starts at $8.33 a month when paid by the year, scores 2.0 out of 4, and 12 tools score higher for less), Ninox (starts at $31 a month for each person, scores 2.7 out of 4, and 7 tools score higher for less) and Sourcetable (starts at $29 a month for each person, scores 2.7 out of 4, and 7 tools score higher for less).

How much do spreadsheet and database tools cost?

The middle starting price is $8 a month: half of the 21 spreadsheet and database tools with a recurring price start below that and half above.

How is the score on this chart worked out?

It is the average of three of the five grades ToolGPA gives every tool: features, ease of use, and platforms and integrations, with an A worth 4 and an F worth 0.

How does ToolGPA grade spreadsheet and database tools?

Five grades, A to F, for value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them.

Part 08 · About

About ToolGPA

Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it

3,189

Tools graded, in 94 categories

ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.

Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.

3,189
tools graded
94
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries

What else is on toolgpa.com

Scan for the live page

Prices and grades as they are today

Quoting this guide?

Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:

ToolGPA, "Spreadsheets & Databases: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 10, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/categories/spreadsheets

Know someone choosing between spreadsheet and database tools?

Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/categories/spreadsheets/guide

ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa

See our other guides

The top three spreadsheet and database tools have guides of their own, and so does every category near this one.

ToolGPA

Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.

Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›

Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what each tool’s pages, app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Product names are trademarks of their owners, and no maker made, paid for or approved this guide. Prices and plans change: check each maker’s own site before you buy.