Comparison
A free alternative to Microsoft Excel, with no account and no upload
Need to open or edit an Excel workbook (.xlsx) without a Microsoft 365 licence, without an account, or without sending sensitive figures to an online service? Here is how ElniDocs compares with the most widely used spreadsheets.
In short
ElniDocs is a free spreadsheet that opens and saves Excel (.xlsx, .xlsm), OpenDocument (.ods) and CSV workbooks in the browser, with several hundred functions, sorting, filters, charts and pivot tables. No account, no installation, and the file stays on your device. Excel for the web and Google Sheets require an account and store your workbooks in their cloud; LibreOffice Calc works locally but has to be installed.
Point-by-point comparison
| Criterion | ElniDocs | Microsoft Excel for the web | Google Sheets | LibreOffice Calc |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Advantage: Free, no subscription | With reservations: Free with a Microsoft account; full features with Microsoft 365 (paid) | Advantage: Free with a Google account | Advantage: Free (open-source software) |
| Account required | Advantage: No | Drawback: Yes, a Microsoft account | Drawback: Yes, a Google account | Advantage: No |
| Installation | Advantage: None: in the browser | Advantage: None: in the browser | Advantage: None: in the browser | Drawback: Software to install (Windows, macOS, Linux) |
| Where your files go | Advantage: Stay on your device | Drawback: Uploaded to OneDrive (Microsoft's cloud) | Drawback: Uploaded to Google Drive (Google's cloud) | Advantage: Stay on your device |
| Without a connection | Advantage: Yes, once the page has loaded | Drawback: No | With reservations: Partly: offline mode to turn on in Chrome or Edge | Advantage: Yes |
| Excel files (.xlsx) | Advantage: Opens and saves .xlsx, .ods and .csv | Advantage: Opens and saves .xlsx | Advantage: Opens, edits and exports .xlsx | Advantage: Opens and saves .xlsx and .ods |
| Working together at the same time | Drawback: No | Advantage: Yes | Advantage: Yes | Drawback: No |
Price
- ElniDocs
- Advantage: Free, no subscription
- Microsoft Excel for the web
- With reservations: Free with a Microsoft account; full features with Microsoft 365 (paid)
- Google Sheets
- Advantage: Free with a Google account
- LibreOffice Calc
- Advantage: Free (open-source software)
Account required
- ElniDocs
- Advantage: No
- Microsoft Excel for the web
- Drawback: Yes, a Microsoft account
- Google Sheets
- Drawback: Yes, a Google account
- LibreOffice Calc
- Advantage: No
Installation
- ElniDocs
- Advantage: None: in the browser
- Microsoft Excel for the web
- Advantage: None: in the browser
- Google Sheets
- Advantage: None: in the browser
- LibreOffice Calc
- Drawback: Software to install (Windows, macOS, Linux)
Where your files go
- ElniDocs
- Advantage: Stay on your device
- Microsoft Excel for the web
- Drawback: Uploaded to OneDrive (Microsoft's cloud)
- Google Sheets
- Drawback: Uploaded to Google Drive (Google's cloud)
- LibreOffice Calc
- Advantage: Stay on your device
Without a connection
- ElniDocs
- Advantage: Yes, once the page has loaded
- Microsoft Excel for the web
- Drawback: No
- Google Sheets
- With reservations: Partly: offline mode to turn on in Chrome or Edge
- LibreOffice Calc
- Advantage: Yes
Excel files (.xlsx)
- ElniDocs
- Advantage: Opens and saves .xlsx, .ods and .csv
- Microsoft Excel for the web
- Advantage: Opens and saves .xlsx
- Google Sheets
- Advantage: Opens, edits and exports .xlsx
- LibreOffice Calc
- Advantage: Opens and saves .xlsx and .ods
Working together at the same time
- ElniDocs
- Drawback: No
- Microsoft Excel for the web
- Advantage: Yes
- Google Sheets
- Advantage: Yes
- LibreOffice Calc
- Drawback: No
Comparison made on October 19, 2026 from each product's public pages. Their offers may change: check them on their websites.
When ElniDocs is the better choice
- The workbook holds sensitive data (salaries, accounts, a customer list) that must not leave your computer.
- You want to open an .xlsx received by email without a licence or an account, on any computer.
- You open a workbook with macros (.xlsm) safely: ElniDocs never runs VBA macros, but can keep them when saving.
- You work offline, or on a device where nothing can be installed.
When another tool is a better fit
- Several people fill in the same sheet at the same time: Excel for the web and Google Sheets do it live.
- You need to run VBA macros, add-ins or Power Query: you need desktop Excel.
- You want workbooks synced automatically on all your devices: Microsoft's or Google's cloud takes care of it.
Switching to ElniDocs
- Open the ElniDocs editor for Excel files: nothing to install, no account.
- Drop your .xlsx, .ods or .csv file, or create a blank workbook.
- Enter data, sort, filter, add charts, then save as .xlsx, .ods or .csv.
Frequently asked questions
Do Excel formulas work?
Yes: several hundred functions are calculated (SUM, IF, XLOOKUP, COUNTIF, dynamic arrays…), with their English or French names. The saved workbook keeps its formulas and opens in Excel.
Is ElniDocs really free?
Yes: every feature is free, with no subscription, no adverts and no watermark. ElniDocs has no server processing your workbooks: your device does the work.
Can it open large files?
Yes: workbooks with several hundred thousand rows open, because the grid only draws what is visible. The limit depends on your device's memory.
What about phones and tablets?
Yes: ElniDocs works in the browser on Android, iPhone and iPad. Tap a cell to select it, tap it again to edit it.