Excel, Google Sheets and LibreOffice Calc have far more features than VisiGrid, and Numbers is the most polished of the five. This page says where each one fits, including where VisiGrid is the wrong choice. It is published by the makers of VisiGrid, so check the claims that matter to you against your own files.
The short version
| VisiGrid | Excel | Google Sheets | LibreOffice Calc | Numbers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Built-in functions | 142 | roughly 400–500 | about 500 | several hundred | more than 250 |
| Charts | in the web app; none in the desktop app | yes, the most configurable | yes | yes | yes, the best-looking by default |
| Pivot tables | basic (one column field) | yes, full | yes | yes, full | yes, since 2022 |
| Tables with structured references | yes | yes | yes, since 2024 | yes (not stored in .ods) | tables, referenced by header name |
| Scripting | Lua | VBA | Apps Script (JavaScript) | Basic, Python | AppleScript, Shortcuts |
| Data shaping (Power Query and similar) | no | yes | the QUERY formula | no | no |
| CSV import | keeps values as written; per-column types | converts on open; options since 2023 | one switch, on by default: converts all or nothing | per-column types, asked every time | delimiter and encoding only; drops leading zeros |
| Real-time collaboration | yes, in the web app | yes | yes, built for it | no | yes |
| Same engine from a command line | yes (vgrid) | no | no | file conversion only | no |
| Platforms | Linux, Mac, Windows, web, iPhone, iPad | Windows, Mac, web, iPad, Android | web, iPhone, iPad, Android | Linux, Mac, Windows | Mac, iPad, iPhone, iCloud web |
| Works offline on local files | yes (desktop, iPhone, iPad) | yes | limited | yes | yes |
| Native file format | .sheet; reads and writes .xlsx | .xlsx | stored in Google Drive; exports .xlsx | .ods | .numbers |
| Licence and price | desktop AGPLv3, free; iPhone and iPad $9.99 once | paid | free with a Google account | MPL 2.0, free | free on Apple devices |
Excel: the most capable
Excel has the deepest function library, the most configurable charts, full pivot tables, Power Query and Power Pivot for shaping data, Solver, and VBA. It runs almost everywhere, and it is what most people you exchange files with use. If any of that is why you use a spreadsheet, keep Excel.
Its weak spot is opening data files. Excel converts values as it opens a CSV: it strips leading zeros from IDs and ZIP codes, cuts numbers longer than 15 digits, and turns codes such as “SEPT2” or “MARCH1” into dates. Since 2023 you can switch these conversions off in its options, but they are on by default.
Google Sheets: built for working together
Google Sheets is free, runs in any browser, and is the easiest of the five to
share: several people edit the same sheet at once, with comments and version
history. It has about 500 functions, charts, pivot tables, Tables with
structured references, the QUERY formula for SQL-like filtering and grouping,
and Apps Script for automation.
Your sheets live in Google Drive, so it works best online. Importing a CSV gives you one switch, “Convert text to numbers, dates, and formulas”, which is on by default: leave it on and leading zeros are lost, turn it off and nothing is converted, with nothing in between.
LibreOffice Calc: the free, full alternative
Calc does most of what Excel does without the price: charts, full pivot tables, several hundred functions, Basic and Python macros, and a whole office suite around it. It is the default spreadsheet on most Linux desktops.
It also has the most thorough CSV import dialog: a preview with a type for every column, a character set, a locale and an “Evaluate formulas” switch. The costs are size and speed. It is a 421 MB install that takes seconds to start, and its default column type still drops leading zeros unless you change it. There is a detailed VisiGrid vs LibreOffice Calc comparison.
Numbers: the most polished
Numbers is free on every Mac, iPad and iPhone, looks finished by default, puts several tables on one canvas, and is pleasant to use by touch. It has had pivot tables since 2022 and collaborates through iCloud. It has fewer functions than Excel or Calc, no macro language beyond AppleScript and Shortcuts, and it runs only on Apple devices and in iCloud. Opening a CSV, it lets you choose the delimiter and encoding but not a type per column, so ID-like values become numbers and lose their leading zeros. There is a detailed Numbers vs Excel comparison.
VisiGrid: small, fast and keyboard-driven
VisiGrid runs natively on Linux, Mac and Windows, on iPhone and iPad, and in a browser at app.visigrid.app. The desktop app is the smallest of the five (under 30 MB) and opens in roughly 300 ms. The desktop, iPhone and iPad apps run the same Rust formula engine. It is built for working from the keyboard, with a command palette for every action and vim keys, and for data files: CSV, Excel and Parquet.
- CSV files open without being changed. IDs keep their leading zeros, long
numbers stay exact, nothing becomes a date on its own, and cells starting
with
=stay text until you review them. A banner says what was kept and why, and per-column types with a live preview are one click away. - The same engine runs from a command line. The apps and the
vgridCLI compute identically, so a sheet can be recalculated or checked in a script or CI job with no spreadsheet application installed. - Your files stay yours. The desktop, iPhone and iPad apps work offline on local files, with no account. The web app adds live collaboration and charts.
- Tables with structured references and calculated columns, conditional formatting, basic pivot tables and Lua scripting.
It is also the wrong choice for a lot of people. The desktop app has no charts yet and is single-user (collaboration is in the web app), pivot tables are basic, it has the fewest functions of the five, and it is far younger than the other four.
How to choose
- Power Query, VBA, advanced pivots, or files shared across a company: Excel.
- Editing together in a browser, for free: Google Sheets.
- Excel-level depth for free, or a full office suite on Linux: LibreOffice Calc.
- Good-looking documents on a Mac, iPad or iPhone: Numbers.
- Fast, keyboard-driven work on data files, on any desktop or an iPad, and the same calculation in a script or CI: VisiGrid.
Keeping two of them installed is a reasonable answer.
Try it on your own file
The comparison that matters is your file, not this table. Drag an .xlsx onto
app.visigrid.app/try to open it in your
browser with no account, or install the desktop app:
# Arch
yay -S visigrid-bin
# Anywhere
curl -fsSL https://get.visigrid.app/install.sh | shVisiGrid for iPhone and iPad is on the App Store; see the iPhone and iPad pages.