# EtherCalc review (2026): is it any good? > Web spreadsheet for real-time shared editing, no sign-up Checked Nov 12, 2026 ยท graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA. EtherCalc is a web spreadsheet for real-time collaborative editing: open a page, share its URL and edit together. The project's GitHub README says it runs on Cloudflare or self-hosts with Docker, and documents a REST API. - **Category:** Spreadsheets & Databases - **Made by:** audreyt - **Website:** https://ethercalc.net - **Runs on:** Web - **Who should skip it:** Not for you if the data is private, as anyone who knows a sheet's URL can read and write it unless a key is set. - **Facts last checked:** Nov 12, 2026 ## Pricing As of Nov 12, 2026, EtherCalc is free to use. - **Pricing model:** Free - **Free plan:** No plans or prices are published; the hosted site describes itself as needing no sign-up and no install. - **Free trial:** None listed. | Plan | Price | What you get | | --- | --- | --- | | Free | $0 | Hosted at ethercalc.net with no account, or self-hosted with Docker or npm. | Read from https://github.com/audreyt/ethercalc on Nov 12, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with EtherCalc before buying. ## Key features - **Shared editing by URL:** Anyone with a sheet's address can edit at the same time as others, per the site title. - **No account needed:** The repository describes it as a web spreadsheet with no sign-up and no install. - **REST API:** A documented API creates and reads sheets over HTTP. - **Self-hosting:** Runs with docker compose or an npm install, with no Cloudflare account required. ## Good for - Quick shared sheets without accounts - Teams that want a self-hosted collaborative spreadsheet ## Worth knowing - Access is anonymous by design: anyone who knows a sheet's URL can read and write unless a key is configured. - Internet-facing self-hosting needs a reverse proxy for TLS and rate limits, per the README. - The documentation lists browsers tested as Safari, Chrome and Firefox only. - It has no desktop or mobile apps. ## ToolGPA grades **GPA: 3.2 out of 4**, graded Nov 12, 2026. EtherCalc is a web spreadsheet where you open a page, send the link and edit together, with no account. It is free on its hosted site or on your own server, but anyone with a sheet's link can edit it, and it is a basic sheet. - **Value for money: A.** Free at ethercalc.net with no account, and free to self-host. Nobody charges for it, so it is free and substantial. - **Free plan and trial: A.** No plan and no cap on record: open a sheet and start. Self-hosting is optional. - **Features: C.** Shared editing by URL and a REST API. It is a basic shared sheet, and the listing shows no apps and nothing beyond the grid. - **Ease of use: B.** No store rating on record. Open a page and type; there is nothing to set up on the hosted site. - **Platforms and integrations: B.** Web only, with a documented REST API and a Drupal link. No desktop or phone app is listed. These are ToolGPA's own grades. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from EtherCalc's own pages on 12 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. ## Where it stands among spreadsheet and database tools - EtherCalc's GPA of 3.2 is higher than 38 of the 42 other spreadsheet and database tools we grade, and level with 1. - It stands best on free plan and trial (A, above 35 of 42) and worst on features (C, above 3). - EtherCalc has no paid plan. - On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.7 out of 4, and no tool on the category's chart scores higher without costing more. The category's chart of price against score: https://toolgpa.com/charts/spreadsheets ## Keep it, or make your own? **Keep it.** EtherCalc is free, so making your own would save you nothing. And it is not the kind of software a weekend replaces. It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 3.2 is higher than 38 of the 42 other spreadsheet and database tools we grade. - You could not: A spreadsheet engine with its formulas. - You could not: Several people working in it at the same moment. - You could not: It plugs into other products, Drupal among them, and has an API. A judgement by ToolGPA from this listing, by rules that are the same for every tool. Nothing was built to test it. ## Works with Drupal **Tags:** Spreadsheets, Real-time collaboration, Self-hostable, Public API ## Alternatives - [Google Sheets](https://toolgpa.com/tools/google-sheets): Browser-based spreadsheet, free with a Google Account. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/ethercalc-vs-google-sheets) - [Grist](https://toolgpa.com/tools/grist): Open-source relational spreadsheet with Python formulas. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/ethercalc-vs-grist) - [LibreOffice Calc](https://toolgpa.com/tools/libreoffice-calc): Free, open-source spreadsheet for Windows, macOS and Linux. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/ethercalc-vs-libreoffice-calc) - [Zoho Sheet](https://toolgpa.com/tools/zoho-sheet): Collaborative online spreadsheet with a free version. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/ethercalc-vs-zoho-sheet) ## Sources The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 12, 2026: - https://ethercalc.net - https://github.com/audreyt/ethercalc - https://raw.githubusercontent.com/audreyt/ethercalc/main/README.md Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/ethercalc Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).