Introduction
Spreadsheets are one of the most versatile and commonly used business tools. Whether you need to track finances, store data, create reports or perform analyses, spreadsheets have you covered. With so many options available today, it can be difficult to determine which software is the best fit. In this blog post, we evaluate and compare 15 of the top spreadsheet solutions based on key criteria to help you make an informed decision.
Methods of Evaluation
To evaluate and rank each spreadsheets software, we considered the following factors: features and functionality, ease of use, pricing and plans, integration and API capabilities, security and support, number of backlinks to the company website indicating online reputation, website and social media traffic data showing popularity, current keyword search volume and trends. This holistic approach allows for a thorough vetting of each solution from both qualitative and quantitative perspectives.
1. Apple Numbers
Apple Numbers is Apple’s answer to spreadsheet software and a powerful alternative to programs like Microsoft Excel. Numbers is developed by Apple as part of their iWork productivity suite alongside Pages and Keynote. It allows users to create, edit and share spreadsheets, charts and reports across iPhone, iPad and Mac devices.
Pros: Some key advantages of Apple Numbers include:
– Best option for Apple/Mac users as it is optimized for macOS. Works seamlessly across iOS, iPadOS and macOS devices.
– Easy to use templates and charting tools make creating complex spreadsheets simple.
– Tight integration with other iWork apps like Pages and Keynote allows easy sharing of content.
Cons: One potential disadvantage is that Apple Numbers lacks some of the more advanced features found in Microsoft Excel, making it a less suitable choice for power users or those needing specialized functions.
Pricing: Apple Numbers is available as part of the iWork productivity suite which comes pre-installed on all Macs and is a free download from the App Store for iOS/iPadOS devices. iWork subscriptions starting at $9.99/month or $69.99/year are also available for additional iCloud storage and cross-device syncing.
Some key stats about Apple Numbers include:
– Available on Mac, iPadOS and iOS devices
– Integrates seamlessly across Apple devices
– Built-in charting and graphing tools
– Over 50 beautifully designed templates to get started
2. IBM Cognos Express
IBM Cognos Express is a free business intelligence and analytics tool from IBM that allows users to connect to various data sources and create reports and dashboards directly from that data. It provides basic reporting, charting and dashboarding capabilities to help businesses better understand and utilize their data.
Pros: Some key advantages of IBM Cognos Express include:
– Free tool for basic business intelligence needs
– Easy to use interface for non-technical users
– Integrates directly with common data formats
– Allows distributed sharing of reports with colleagues
Cons: A potential disadvantage is that it only provides basic reporting, analytics and visualization capabilities. More advanced features found in paid versions may be needed for complex or enterprise-wide deployments.
Pricing: IBM Cognos Express is free to use for up to 5 users. There are no monthly or annual subscription fees. For larger teams or more advanced functionality, IBM offers various paid tiers of their Cognos Analytics product starting at around $2,000/user annually.
Some key stats about IBM Cognos Express include:
– Available for free for up to 5 users
– Integrates with common data sources like Excel, Google Sheets and SQL databases
– Simple and intuitive interface for creating reports without coding
– Allows sharing of dashboards and reports across teams
3. Quicken
Quicken is personal finance software developed by Intuit that allows users to manage their finances through a spreadsheet-like interface. Some key features of Quicken include budgeting, expense tracking, investment monitoring and generating reports on spending habits.
Pros: Some key advantages of Quicken include: Its spreadsheet interface makes it easy to categorize expenses and track budgets over time. It integrates well with bank and credit card accounts to automatically pull in transaction data. Quicken provides robust reporting features to analyze spending habits and track budgets.
Cons: A potential disadvantage is that the automatic syncing of transactions from bank accounts is not always fully reliable. Some users have reported issues with transactions failing to import on rare occasions.
Pricing: Quicken is available in Standard ($79.99 per year), Deluxe ($99.99 per year) and Premier ($119.99 per year) editions. The higher tiers provide additional features like investment management and tax calculation tools. All versions offer a 60 day free trial.
Quicken has over 10 million users worldwide. It integrates with over 11,000 banks and credit unions and can automatically import transaction data. Over 5 billion dollars in transactions are processed through Quicken annually.
4. Tableau
Tableau is a business intelligence and analytics software developed by Tableau Software. It allows users to visualize data, and analyze it through dashboards and reports. Some key capabilities include connecting to various databases and files to import data, drag-and-drop interface to create visualizations by simply dragging fields onto shelves, and ability to publish and share dashboards and views online or within an organization.
Pros: Some key advantages of Tableau include:
– Intuitive drag-and-drop interface makes it easy for anyone to create visualizations without coding.
– Wide variety of chart types like bar charts, line charts, maps, treemaps etc. to visualize data in different ways.
– Dashboards allow aggregating multiple views and KPIs on a single screen for data-driven decision making.
– Ability to connect to spreadsheet data sources like Excel directly without moving data to a database.
Cons: While Tableau is very powerful, some potential disadvantages could include:
– Pricing is based on the number of servers and users which can become expensive for very large deployments.
– Learning curve for more advanced functionality like calculated fields and custom variables.
– Not a good option if requirements involve complex ETL/data transformations before visualization.
Pricing: Tableau has the following pricing tiers based on number of servers and users:
– Tableau Online Starting at $10/user per month.
– Tableau Desktop Personal Use License free up to 3 CPUs.
– Tableau Server Starting at $1750/core per year.
Some key stats about Tableau include:
– Used by more than 90,000 companies worldwide including major brands like Verizon, UPS, and General Electric.
– Over 4 million active users.
– Connects to over 60 data sources including databases like MySQL, Excel, Text files and cloud data warehouses like Snowflake, Google Big Query etc.
– Has a thriving community of developers creating custom extensions for Tableau.
5. PyCharm
PyCharm is an integrated development environment (IDE) for Python developed by JetBrains. Some key features of PyCharm include code completion, debugging, visualization and refactoring. PyCharm aims to be a productive environment for Python, CSS, HTML, JavaScript and more. With its robust features, PyCharm helps users write, test, and deploy applications in Python.
Pros: Some key advantages of PyCharm include:
– Excellent coding assistance with intelligent code completion, refactoring and debugging tools
– Seamless integration with version control systems like Git
– Built-in unit testing frameworks and powerful code navigation
– Robust integrated development environment for Python developers
– Excellent productivity with features like code generation, refactoring and debugging
Cons: One potential disadvantage is that PyCharm has a learning curve to learn all of its powerful features. It also has a larger installation size compared to some lighter text editors.
Pricing: PyCharm has the following pricing options:
– Free Community Edition – Ideal for student, open source, and personal projects
– Professional Edition (£59 annually) – Ideal for individual developers and smaller teams
– Enterprise Edition (Custom priced) – For larger teams with additional support
Some key statistics about PyCharm include:
– Over 1 million downloads on the JetBrains website
– Used by individual developers as well as companies like Dropbox, Goldman Sachs and NASA
– Available on Windows, macOS and Linux
– Open source and commercial licenses available
6. Airtable
Airtable is a low-code platform that combines the flexibility of a database with the ease of a spreadsheet. Unlike traditional databases, Airtable has a spreadsheet-like visual interface so users can easily view, organize and analyze their data in customizable tables.
Pros: Some key advantages of Airtable include:
– NoSQL cloud database with powerful spreadsheet interface so data can be organized flexibly
– Build custom apps with formulas, conditional formatting and filtering to automate workflows
– Integrates seamlessly with other business apps to bring all project data together in one centralized place
Cons: One potential disadvantage is that more advanced features require a paid subscription plan compared to some spreadsheet software.
Pricing: Airtable offers both free and paid plans. The free plan includes limited storage and functionality. Paid plans start from $5 per user/month for the ‘Starter’ plan and scale up to $25 per user/month for the ‘Enterprise’ plan with additional features.
Some key stats about Airtable include:
– Used by over 200,000 organizations including IBM, Spotify and Adobe
– Available in over 30 languages
– Integrates with over 250+ apps including Slack, GitHub and Dropbox
7. Smartsheet
Smartsheet is a cloud-based project management and collaboration platform that combines the flexibility of spreadsheets with robust collaboration and workflow capabilities. Founded in 2005 and headquartered in Bellevue, Washington, Smartsheet helps organizations manage projects, automate processes, and scale programs. With over 94,000 paying customers, including eBay, Tesla, and NASA, Smartsheet aims to help teams stay focused, keep distributed teams connected, and maintain visibility into work as it progresses.
Pros: Some key advantages of Smartsheet include:
– Cloud-based spreadsheet with project management tools like Gantt charts, kanban boards, and tasks lists
– Robust collaboration and workflow features that allow teams to automate approvals, assign tasks, and track due dates
– Integrations with many popular business applications like Slack, Dropbox, and Salesforce for a unified workflow
Cons: A potential disadvantage is that the free version has limited capabilities for storage, users, and functionality. For larger or more advanced use cases, an enterprise plan may be necessary.
Pricing: Smartsheet offers several paid plans starting at $15 per user/month for their Business plan. Plans scale up to $35 per user/month for their Enterprise plan which unlocks additional capabilities for very large deployments, advanced security, and enterprise-grade support.
Some key stats about Smartsheet include:
– Over 94,000 paying customers worldwide
– Available in 22 languages
– Integrates with over 450+ tools including Microsoft, Google, Slack, and Zapier
– Received $150M in funding to date
8. Adjust
Adjust is an app marketing platform that helps companies measure, optimize, and scale user acquisition and engagement across platforms. Founded in 2012, Adjust functions as an all-in-one analytics platform to track important metrics like installs, attribution, user engagement and more. With Adjust’s solutions, companies gain valuable insights to understand user behavior and make data-driven decisions to grow their apps.
Pros: Some key advantages of Adjust include:
– Full-stack marketing platform for comprehensive analytics
– Global scale to measure performance across regions and platforms
– Wide SDK and attribution partner coverage for accurate attribution
– Customized reports and dashboards for actionable insights
– Experienced customer success team to help clients maximize results
Cons: One potential disadvantage is that Adjust’s all-in-one platform model requires companies to adopt most or all of its solutions rather than mixing and matching best-of-breed point solutions.
Pricing: Pricing for Adjust depends on plans, features, and usage. Basic and introductory plans start at $99/month, while enterprise plans are customizable based on business needs. Additional costs may apply for advanced features or customizations beyond standard packages.
Some key stats about Adjust include:
– Over 30,000 apps and 50 SDKs integrated
– Processes over 40 billion events per day
– Integrates with over 180 attribution partners and ad networks
– Named a leader in marketing measurement by Forrester Wave reports
9. Visme
Visme is a visual communication platform that allows users to create presentations, infographics, videos and more. In addition to these creation tools, Visme also offers a spreadsheet option where users can create and manage data in an interactive spreadsheet format. The spreadsheet functionality allows users to create tables, charts, filters and more directly within the platform.
Pros: Some key advantages of Visme’s spreadsheet option include:
– Visual interface makes managing and presenting data easy
– Ability to create complex charts, graphs and dashboards directly from the spreadsheet data
– Integrated with Visme’s other creation tools allowing data to be included across media types
– Real-time collaboration allows sharing and cooperation on spreadsheets
Cons: One potential disadvantage is that the spreadsheet functionality may not be as robust as dedicated spreadsheet software like Excel. Visme is primarily designed for visual communication and data visualization rather than in-depth analysis or modeling.
Pricing: Visme offers both free and paid plans for its software. The free Basic plan supports single-user access. Paid Professional and Business plans start at $12/month billed annually for additional features like file storage, collaboration and advanced charts/graphs.
Some key stats about Visme include:
– Used by over 15 million users worldwide
– Supports over 35 file formats for import/export
– Integrates with common tools like Google Docs, Sheets, Slides and Dropbox
– Offers collaboration features to work with other users in real-time
10. Jupyter Notebook
Jupyter Notebook is an open-source web application for data analysis and scientific computing. It allows you to create and share documents that contain live code, equations, visualizations and narrative text. The Jupyter Notebook has become a popular tool for data cleaning and transformation, numerical simulation, statistical modeling, data visualization, machine learning, and much more.
Pros: Some key advantages of Jupyter Notebook include:
– It’s free and open-source making it very cost-effective
– Flexible environment that blends code, equations, and prose into a single document
– Easy to share and collaborate on analyses by exporting notebooks to documents or sharing URLs
– Wide range of supported languages allowing the user to analyze data using their preferred language
Cons: The main disadvantage is that Jupyter Notebook is designed primarily for data analysis and exploratory computing rather than production deployments. So code can run slowly compared to compiled languages and isn’t optimized for large datasets.
Pricing: Jupyter Notebook is completely free and open-source. There are no licensing costs or fees to use the software. It’s supported by numerous donations, grants, and organizations that value open-source computing for data analysis and research.
Some key stats about Jupyter Notebook include:
– Used by over 1 million data scientists and researchers around the world
– Supports over 40 programming languages including Python, R, Julia, and others
– Can be run locally or accessed remotely via the browser
– Supports extensive interactive visualizations and dashboards
11. RStudio
RStudio is an integrated development environment (IDE) for R. It includes a console, syntax-highlighting editor that supports direct code execution, as well as tools for plotting, history, debugging and workspace management. RStudio is cross-platform and designed for working with R and R packages.
Pros: Some key advantages of RStudio include:
– Seamless integration between R and spreadsheets through dedicated packages
– Ability to code, compile, and run R scripts in a unified interface
– Export R analysis and visualizations directly to Excel
– Wide range of debugging and optimization tools
Cons: A potential disadvantage is that the free open source version has limited functionality compared to the commercial offerings. For some advanced workflows, the full professional version may be required.
Pricing: RStudio is available in both free and commercial editions:
– Free and open source basic edition
– Commercial editions starting at $99/user/year for RStudio Pro and $299/user/year for RStudio Team
Some key stats about RStudio include:
– Used by over 4 million data scientists and researchers worldwide
– Supports Windows, macOS and Linux
– Free and open source basic version available with additional features in commercial offerings
– Widely used in academia and industry for teaching, learning and applying data science
12. SuperOffice
SuperOffice is a cloud-based CRM solution that helps businesses manage contacts, projects and spreadsheets. In use by over 25,000 companies worldwide, SuperOffice allows users to track relationships, share data and collaborate on projects from anywhere.
Pros: Key advantages of SuperOffice include:
– CRM software with customizable timesheets and reports for project management
– Integrates contacts, projects and spreadsheets for centralized relationship information
– Centralized project and resource management for collaborative workflows
Cons: A potential disadvantage is the monthly subscription pricing model which requires ongoing costs compared to one-time licenses of other software.
Pricing: SuperOffice offers flexible pricing plans tailored for teams of different sizes starting from $25 per user per month for the basic plan. Additional user licenses, custom domains and advanced features are available as upgrades.
Some key facts about SuperOffice include:
– Used by over 25,000 companies globally
– Integrates with over 40 other business apps like Microsoft 365, Google Workspace and LinkedIn
– Customizable timesheets, reports and dashboards for deep insight into business performance
13. Google Fusion Tables
Google Fusion Tables was a data management tool from Google that allowed users to publish, share, and collaborate on structured data. Users could upload spreadsheets or other tabular data and visualize it on a map or as other charts and reports.
Pros: Advantages of Google Fusion Tables included:
– Easy to import data from spreadsheets for mapping and visualization
– Built-in geocoding capabilities to integrate location data
– Collaborative features allowed multiple users to work on the same data
– Basic charting and reporting functionalities
Cons: The main disadvantage of Google Fusion Tables was that it was discontinued by Google in December 2019. All Fusion Tables went offline and users had to migrate their data elsewhere.
Pricing: Google Fusion Tables was free to use for personal, non-commercial projects and small businesses. However, enterprises required a paid Google Maps Platform license for advanced features and support.
Some key stats about Google Fusion Tables include:
– Spreadsheet-driven mapping tool from Google
– Allowed geographic data to be pulled from Google Sheets or other data sources
– Users could create public or private maps and layers
14. Creately
Creately is a visual collaboration and diagramming platform that allows users to create diagrams, flowcharts, wireframes, UML diagrams, project timelines and more. Founded in 2007, Creately is used by over 10 million users worldwide and thousands of teams. It offers infinite whiteboards for team collaboration as well as integration with popular tools like Dropbox, Google Drive, Trello and more.
Pros: Some key advantages of Creately include:
– Collaborative whiteboards for visual brainstorming and planning with teams
– Ability to import/export Excel and Google Sheets as editable diagrams
– Diagramming tool for creating flowcharts, wireframes, UML diagrams and more
– Integration with other tools for access and sharing files
Cons: A potential disadvantage is that the free plan only allows for two active collaborators on diagrams and files at a time. For larger teams, an upgraded paid plan would be required.
Pricing: Creately offers the following pricing plans:
– Free Plan: Allows two active collaborators. Watermarked export images.
– Plus Plan: $9/month per user. Unlimited collaborators and attendees. No watermarks.
– Business Plan: Custom pricing for enterprise teams. Priority support and SSO.
Some key stats about Creately include:
– Used by over 10 million users globally
– Trusted by thousands of teams for visual collaboration
– Integrates with tools like Dropbox, Google Drive, Trello, Microsoft Teams and more
– Supports diagrams types like flowcharts, UML diagrams, network diagrams, floor plans and more
15. WPS Office
WPS Office is a free cross-platform office suite developed by Chinese company Kingsoft. It provides spreadsheets, word processing and presentations capabilities similar to Microsoft Office. WPS Office has emerged as a popular free alternative to Microsoft Office, especially for personal and non-commercial use. The suite is compatible with DOC, XLS and PPT formats and can open, edit and save files in the native Microsoft Office formats.
Pros: The key advantages of using WPS Spreadsheets include:
– Free to use on up to 3 devices
– Familiar Excel-like interface for easy adoption
– Excellent compatibility with Excel file formats
– Cross-platform support across Windows, Mac, Linux, Android and iOS devices
Cons: The only major disadvantage of WPS Spreadsheets compared to Microsoft Excel is the lack of advanced features available in premium versions of Excel.
Pricing: WPS Office Spreadsheets is free to download and use on up to 3 devices. For extended usage on more than 3 devices, an WPS Office Family or Business subscription priced at $49.99 per year is required.
Some key stats about WPS Office Spreadsheets:
– Has over 500 million users worldwide
– Compatible with Microsoft Excel file formats
– Available for Windows, Mac, Linux, Android and iOS
– Supports formulas, calculations, charts and graphs similar to Excel
Conclusion
While all the spreadsheet software options covered have their own strengths, the top choices will depend on your specific business needs and budget. We hope this comprehensive evaluation and comparison of the 15 leading solutions provides you with the insight needed to select the best spreadsheets program for your organization. Be sure to test any top contenders with a free trial before making your final decision.