LibreOffice Calc vs Microsoft Excel
We give LibreOffice Calc a 3.4 GPA and Microsoft Excel a 3.8, out of 4.0. LibreOffice Calc grades higher on value for money. Microsoft Excel grades higher on features, ease of use and platforms. They get the same grade on the free plan.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
LibreOffice Calc
Free, open-source spreadsheet for Windows, macOS and Linux
Microsoft Excel
Spreadsheet app sold with Microsoft 365, free in the browser
How we grade them
| 3.4GPALibreOffice CalcVery good | 3.8GPAMicrosoft ExcelExcellent | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AIt costs nothing from libreoffice.org, where spreadsheet tools typically start at about $9.99 a month. Only the app store copies carry a charge: the Mac App Store version is $8.99. | BMicrosoft 365 Personal is $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year, about typical for a paid spreadsheet, and it brings Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, 1 TB of storage and Copilot with it. Office Home 2024 is $179.99 once for 1 PC or Mac, with no upgrade path to the next major release. |
| Free plan and trial | AThe whole LibreOffice suite, Calc included, is a free download for Windows, macOS and Linux. There's no paid tier, so nothing is held back for an upgrade. | AExcel for the web is free for 1 person, with sharing, real-time collaboration and 5 GB of cloud storage, and the free plan works on iOS and Android too. Plenty of people never need more. It has many desktop features but not all of them, and macros don't run. |
| Features | BStatistical and banking functions with a Function Wizard, pivot tables, named scenarios, Multiple Operations for what-if sums, and charts that update with the data. That's a proper spreadsheet. But there's no cloud version, and shared mode merges edits when each person saves, not as they type. | APivotTables with slicers and timelines, Power Query for pulling in and reshaping outside data, Python formulas in the grid, co-authoring, and templates in more than 40 categories. Copilot edits formulas and formatting on request, on paid plans and with usage limits. |
| Ease of use | BNo App Store rating on record, so a B is as high as we go. You download it, install it and open your Excel files. The Function Wizard walks you through building a formula step by step. | A4.75 from nearly 1.5 million App Store ratings. Templates give you a ready-made start. Reviewers of the iPhone and iPad app do say it lacks some desktop features, with data validation among the ones they miss. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWindows, macOS and Linux desktops. On Android there's only a viewer with experimental editing, and The Document Foundation points to Collabora's apps for editing on a phone. No integrations are listed. | AWeb, Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android, hooked into OneDrive, SharePoint, Power BI and SQL Server. The desktop apps go deepest, and Power Query on Mac and the web is newer than on Windows. |
| Best for | a full desktop spreadsheet that costs nothing | serious number work on Windows or Mac |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: LibreOffice Calc and Microsoft Excel. How we grade
Where they differ
- LibreOffice Calc is free. Microsoft Excel starts at $9.99 / month, or $99.99 / year (Microsoft 365 Personal).
- Only LibreOffice Calc lists a Linux app.
- Only Microsoft Excel lists a web app.
- Only Microsoft Excel lists iOS and Android apps.
- LibreOffice Calc is open source, according to its own site.
- Microsoft Excel also covers templates.
At a glance
| LibreOffice Calc | Microsoft Excel | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free plan |
| Starts at | Free | $9.99 / month, or $99.99 / year (Microsoft 365 Personal) |
| Free plan | The whole LibreOffice suite, Calc included, is a free download from libreoffice.org for Windows, macOS and Linux. | Excel for the web is free for 1 person, with sharing, real-time collaboration and 5 GB of cloud storage. Microsoft lists the free plan as working on web, iOS and Android. |
| Free trial | None listed | 1-month free trial of the Microsoft 365 home and business plans; business trials need a credit card. |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | The Document Foundation | Microsoft |
| Price read from | libreoffice.org | microsoft.com |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Oct 5, 2026 |
Who each one suits
LibreOffice Calc
- People who want a full desktop spreadsheet at no cost
- Anyone who needs the same spreadsheet app on Windows, macOS and Linux
- Users who prefer open-source software and the OpenDocument format
Microsoft Excel
- People who need a full desktop spreadsheet on Windows or Mac
- Analysts working with PivotTables, Power Query and Python
- Households: Microsoft 365 Family covers 1 to 6 people
- Occasional users who only need the free browser version
Worth knowing
LibreOffice Calc
- There is no hosted cloud version; The Document Foundation says it does not plan a service like those from Google and Microsoft.
- Shared mode merges each user's edits when they save the file, and some commands are unavailable while a spreadsheet is shared.
- On Android the foundation offers only a viewer with experimental editing, and it points to Collabora's apps for editing documents on mobile.
- The Mac App Store version costs $8.99 and the Microsoft Store version also carries a charge; downloads from the website are free.
Microsoft Excel
- The Windows and Mac apps need a Microsoft 365 subscription or a one-time Office purchase; only the web and mobile versions are free.
- Excel for the web and the mobile apps have many, but not all, desktop features; macro-enabled workbooks open in a browser but the macros do not run.
- Copilot needs a paid subscription, has usage limits, and on shared plans works for the subscription owner only.
- Microsoft 365 Business Basic ($7.00 per user / month paid yearly, or $5.40 without Teams) includes only the web and mobile versions of Excel.
Key features
LibreOffice Calc
- Functions and the Function Wizard
- Built-in functions, including statistical and banking functions, are combined into formulas for complex calculations, and the Function Wizard helps assemble them step by step.
- Pivot tables
- A pivot table combines, compares and analyzes large amounts of data. Its fields can be rearranged to view different summaries of the same source data.
- Scenarios and what-if tools
- Named scenarios hold alternative sets of cell values that can be switched to compare results, and the Multiple Operations command calculates a formula across a range of inputs.
- Dynamic charts
- Spreadsheet data can be presented in charts that update automatically whenever the underlying data changes.
- Excel compatibility
- Imports and modifies Microsoft Excel spreadsheets, and filters open and save a variety of other formats in addition to the native OpenDocument format.
- Shared spreadsheets
- In shared mode several users can open the same spreadsheet file for writing at once. Changes merge when each person saves, with a dialog to settle conflicting edits.
Microsoft Excel
- Copilot in Excel
- Edits formulas, tables and formatting from a written request and suggests formulas for the data. It needs a Microsoft 365 subscription and a workbook saved to OneDrive with AutoSave on.
- PivotTables and charts
- PivotTables calculate, summarize and analyze data to show comparisons, patterns and trends, and work with PivotCharts, slicers and timeline controls.
- Power Query
- Imports or connects to external data from files, databases, the web and Azure, then reshapes it before loading. It is available in Excel for Windows, Mac and the web; support on Mac and the web is newer than on Windows.
- Python in Excel
- Python formulas run in the grid using Anaconda libraries such as pandas and Matplotlib. It comes with eligible Microsoft 365 plans; a $24 per user / month add-on gives faster premium compute.
- Co-authoring
- Several people can work in one workbook stored in OneDrive or SharePoint Online and see each other's changes within seconds. In the Windows and Mac apps this requires a Microsoft 365 subscription.
- Templates
- Microsoft offers free Excel templates in more than 40 categories as ready-made starting points for common spreadsheets.
Plans
LibreOffice Calc
LibreOffice$0
The full office suite, including Calc, downloaded free from libreoffice.org for Windows, macOS or Linux.
Microsoft Excel
Free$0
Excel for the web for 1 person, with sharing and real-time collaboration and 5 GB of cloud storage. Works on web, iOS and Android.
Microsoft 365 Personal$9.99
per month, or $99.99 per year
1 person signed in on up to 5 devices, 1 TB of cloud storage, and the Excel, Word, PowerPoint and Outlook desktop apps with Copilot.
Microsoft 365 Apps for business$10.00
per user / month, paid yearly
Desktop versions of Excel, Word, PowerPoint and Outlook for up to 300 employees, with 1 TB of cloud storage per user.
Microsoft 365 Family$12.99
per month, or $129.99 per year
Everything in Personal for 1 to 6 people, with 1 TB of storage per person. AI features are for the subscription owner only.
Microsoft 365 Premium$19.99
per month, or $199.99 per year
Everything in Family, plus extensive Copilot usage and agentic AI features such as advanced research and analytics.
Office Home 2024$179.99
one-time purchase for 1 PC or Mac
Classic 2024 desktop versions of Excel, Word, PowerPoint and OneNote, with no upgrade path to the next major release.
Ways to pay less
LibreOffice Calc
No public discounts listed.
Microsoft Excel
- Annual discount
Save up to 17% by paying yearly
Microsoft 365 Personal is $99.99 a year against $9.99 a month, Family $129.99 against $12.99 and Premium $199.99 against $19.99.
- Education
Students save 50% on Microsoft 365 Personal
Verified college and university students get Microsoft 365 Personal at half price. Student status has to be re-verified each year to keep the discount.
- Education
Office 365 A1 free for eligible schools
Educators and students with an eligible education email address get Office 365 A1 at no cost, which includes the web versions of Excel and the other core apps.
- Nonprofit
Nonprofit staff pricing on Microsoft 365 E3
Eligible nonprofits can buy Microsoft 365 E3, with desktop, web and mobile versions of Excel, for $9.75 per user / month paid yearly.
- Lifetime license
Office Home 2024 one-time purchase
$179.99 buys the classic 2024 desktop versions of Excel, Word, PowerPoint and OneNote for 1 PC or Mac, with no subscription.
