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Price against what you get

Best-value spreadsheet and database tools

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.

Set price against

Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged

C2.0B3.0A4.0Free$1$2$5$10$20$50More for lessCosts more, scores moreCosts less, scores lessCosts more, scores lessMicrosoft ExcelZoho SheetLibreOffice CalcGoogle SheetsGristMicrosoft AccessNinox

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

  • Nothing scores higher without costing more
  • The best score at each price
  • Has a free plan
  • No free plan
22 of the 22 spreadsheet and database tools in this directory. Scores are ToolGPA’s own grades; prices are each vendor’s own, read up to Oct 10, 2026. The lines cross at the middle starting price ($8) and the average score (2.8). The data as JSON · The chart as a picture
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Paste this where you want it. The picture links back here and is redrawn whenever a price or a grade changes. Use it freely, with the link left in.

<a href="https://toolgpa.com/charts/spreadsheets"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/charts/spreadsheets/chart.svg" alt="22 spreadsheet and database tools by starting price and by ToolGPA score" width="1200" height="675" style="max-width:100%;height:auto"></a>

The best at every price

Each step is the highest score spreadsheet and database tools reach at that price or below. Nothing on the chart beats these without costing more.

  1. Free

    No paid plan · scores 2.3 of 4

  2. $2.50

    a month to start · scores 3.3 of 4

    • Zoho Sheet$2.50 per user / month, billed annually (Zoho WorkDrive Starter)BBA

  3. $8.33

    a month to start · scores 4.0 of 4

Paying more for less

The spreadsheet and database tools that the most others beat on both counts: a higher score and a lower starting price.

  1. Microsoft AccessStarts at $8.33 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.0 of 4.12 of 21 score higher for lessBCD
  2. NinoxStarts at $31 a month for each person and scores 2.7 of 4.7 of 21 score higher for lessBCB
  3. SourcetableStarts at $29 a month for each person and scores 2.7 of 4.7 of 21 score higher for lessBCB
  4. TeableStarts at $13 a month for each person and scores 2.7 of 4.5 of 21 score higher for lessBCB
  5. NocoDBStarts at $12 a month for each person and scores 2.7 of 4.5 of 21 score higher for lessBCB

A high starting price often means a product is sold to companies and has no small plan, and a score is three letters, not the whole product. Read a tool’s own page before ruling it out.

The four quarters

Where the tools fall when the chart is cut at the middle price and the average score.

More for less4

Each scores above the category's average and starts at or below its middle price.

Zoho Sheet, Stackby, WPS Spreadsheet, Google Sheets

Costs more, scores more3

Each scores above the average and starts above the middle price.

Microsoft Excel, Claris FileMaker, Quadratic

Costs less, scores less8

Each scores below the average and starts at or below the middle price.

Proton Sheets, Zoho Tables, Microsoft Lists, Memento Database, SeaTable, Grist, LibreOffice Calc, Tap Forms Pro

Costs more, scores less7

Each scores below the average and starts above the middle price.

Baserow, Numbers, NocoDB, Teable, Sourcetable, Ninox, Microsoft Access

All 22 on the chart

Highest score first, then lowest price. The last column counts the tools that score higher and start lower.

#ToolScoreFeatures, ease, platformsA monthAs its listing states itScore higher for less
1Microsoft Excel4.0AAA$8.33$9.99 / month, or $99.99 / year (Microsoft 365 Personal)None
2Zoho Sheet3.3BBA$2.50$2.50 per user / month, billed annually (Zoho WorkDrive Starter)None
3Stackby3.0BCA$4.20$4.2 per user / month for 3 users, billed annually ($149 / year)1
4WPS Spreadsheet3.0BBB$5.83$5.83 per month, billed $69.99 per year (WPS Pro+)1
5Google Sheets3.0CAB$7$7 per user / month with a 1-year commitment (Workspace Business Starter)1
6Claris FileMaker3.0ACB$17.50$17.50 per user / month, billed annually (FileMaker Server Starter, 5+ users)2
7Quadratic3.0ACB$18$18 per user / month, billed annually ($20 billed monthly)2
8Proton Sheets2.7CBB$3.99$3.99 per month, billed yearly (Drive Plus)1
9Zoho Tables2.7BCB$4$4 per user / month, billed annually ($5 billed monthly); minimum 3 licenses1
10Microsoft Lists2.7CBB$5.40$5.40 per user / month, paid yearly (Microsoft 365 Business Basic, no Teams)2
11Memento Database2.7CBB$6$6 per month, billed annually ($8 billed monthly)3
12SeaTable2.7BCB$7.84€7 per user / month, billed annually (€9 billed monthly)4
13Grist2.7BCB$8$8 per user / month, billed annually4
14Baserow2.7BCB$10$10 per user / month, billed yearly5
15Numbers2.7CBB$10.75$12.99 per month or $129 per year for Apple Creator Studio5
16NocoDB2.7BCB$12$12 per seat / month, billed annually5
17Teable2.7BCB$13$13 per seat / month, billed yearly ($24 billed monthly)5
18Sourcetable2.7BCB$29$29 per user / month7
19Ninox2.7BCB$31$31 per user / month, billed annually ($36 billed monthly)7
20LibreOffice Calc2.3CBCFreeFreeNone
Show the other 2
#ToolScoreFeatures, ease, platformsA monthAs its listing states itScore higher for less
21Tap Forms Pro2.3BCC$1.08$1.99 per month, or $12.99 per year (iOS only, Individual License)None
22Microsoft Access2.0BCD$8.33$9.99 / month, or $99.99 / year (Microsoft 365 Personal)12

How spreadsheet and database tools grade

Every bar is all the spreadsheet and database tools we grade, cut by the letter each got on that count.

  • Value for moneyaverage 2.5
  • Free plan and trialaverage 2.7
  • Featuresaverage 2.9
  • Ease of useaverage 2.5
  • Platforms and integrationsaverage 3.0

An A is worth 4 and an F nothing. C is the ordinary grade. Every spreadsheets grade in one table

Common questions

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. This goes by ToolGPA's own grades for features, ease of use and platforms, averaged out of 4, set against the price each tool's paid plans start at.

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. 17 more have a free plan beside their paid ones.

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. Zoho Sheet starts at $2.50 a month for each person.

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. Microsoft Excel starts at $8.33 a month when paid by the year.

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). A high starting price often means a product is sold to companies and has no small plan, so check what the price includes before ruling one out.

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. 1 of the 22 in this directory have no paid plan, and 17 of those that charge also have a free plan.

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. The other two grades, value for money and the free plan, are about price, so they are left out and price gets an axis of its own. 22 of the 22 spreadsheet and database tools are on the chart.

How this chart is made

  • The score is the average of three of a tool’s five grades: features, ease of use, and platforms and integrations. An A is 4 points and an F none. Value for money and the free plan are left out because they are about price, and price has an axis of its own.
  • The price is what paid plans start at, in dollars a month, on the cheapest way of paying the listing names. A yearly price is divided by twelve, and a price in another currency is converted. A price for each person is shown for one person.
  • A tool with no paid plan sits in the band marked Free. A tool with a free plan beside paid ones is placed at its paid price and drawn as a filled dot.
  • The grades are ToolGPA’s own judgement from each vendor’s pages and from public reviews, not from testing, and no vendor can pay for one. How we grade

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