I'm a fan of the open-source philosophy, and given the price of Microsoft 365, the push for desktop alternatives to Microsoft Excel is louder than ever.Yet, I can't make the leap.While these local apps look the part, they lack the deep architectural features that make modern data analysis possible on my PC.
Cleaning data without the Sunday night headache The biggest hurdle I've faced in trying to move away from Excel isn't how it stores data, but how it prepares it.If you've ever spent your Sunday night manually scrubbing messy data—deleting blank rows or fixing dates—you'll know that data work in Excel is 80% cleaning and 20% analysis.In Excel, this is handled by Power Query, an ETL (extract—transform—load) engine that uses the M functional language.
It lets me connect to a folder of 50 messy CSVs, filter out the noise, and unpivot columns through a series of recorded steps.When I use Excel, I'm building a repeatable recipe, meaning when next month's data arrives, I can simply click "Refresh." While community-driven extensions and basic import tools attempt to bring database linking to the open-source world, they often lack the polished, native integration of Excel's Power Query.For a pro, a broken extension or a manual GitHub install isn't a replacement for a core feature that comes standard and receives regular security updates from a dedicated engineering team.
While I use Python for these tasks, Power Query lets me build sophisticated data pipelines without writing a single line of code.Ultimately, Excel transforms data preparation from a specialized coding chore into a visual, repeatable process that stays within reach of the average user.When I share my workbook, it makes sophisticated data pipelines accessible to all.
Related Can this open-source spreadsheet software actually replace Excel? Will Excel ever be dethroned? Posts 9 By Tony Phillips Building a smart database (without the coding) Modern Excel has moved far beyond the "flat grid" of its predecessors.In the old days, if you had two different lists, you had to use VLOOKUP to marry them together, which often resulted in a slow, lagging file.Through the Data Model, Excel acts more like a smart database, allowing us to snap different tables together using unique keys, almost like Lego pieces.
This is the secret to analyzing millions of rows in memory without a lookup formula slowing the workbook to a crawl.Open-source alternatives have definitely improved their pivot table and multi-table handling, but they still generally lack the fully optimized relational engine for seamless analysis of massive datasets.Indeed, Excel's engine allows me to snap disparate sources of data together without the memory-hogging lag that still plagues desktop open-source suites.
By bridging the gap between a simple spreadsheet and a relational database, Excel allows for a level of structural complexity that open-source clones simply can't match.The end of the "fill handle" grid In 2019, Excel fundamentally changed its calculation engine by introducing dynamic arrays, where functions like FILTER, UNIQUE, and SORTBY could spill results into neighboring cells.This turned Excel into an array-first environment where a single formula can manage and populate an entire dataset.
While recent versions of LibreOffice Calc and OnlyOffice Sheets have significantly improved their array functions, Excel's native spilling remains more robust for complex, scalable layouts.What's more, open-source tools lack the broader array ecosystem—including functions like LAMBDA, MAP, and SCAN—that allow for sophisticated logic without nested formula nightmares.Related 6 Functions That Changed How You Use Microsoft Excel Dynamic array functions were a game-changer.
Posts By Tony Phillips Making spreadsheets do the hard work Critics often dismiss VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) as a clunky relic of the 1990s, and from a coding perspective, they're not entirely wrong.But while the language is old, its remote control over Excel is absolute.Over the years, I've built or inherited countless macros that handle the boring, repetitive parts of my daily worksheet tasks.
These aren't just scripts—they're custom tools that talk to my local files, generate reports, and format my work exactly how I like it.When I try to move these to an open-source alternative, I hit a wall.While tools like LibreOffice Basic exist and offer a degree of VBA compatibility, the hooks into the operating system aren't quite the same, so moving my workflow requires an exhausting rewrite of the logic I've relied on for years.
I don't stay with Excel because I love the VBA language—I stay because I don't have three weeks of free time to re-learn how to automate a button that already works within Excel's unified Object Model.Ultimately, Excel's long-standing dominance has created a library of automation and support that open-source tools simply can't replace.Related Stop saying you can’t program: You use Microsoft Excel Your spreadsheet expertise is a secret tech superpower.
Posts 3 By Tony Phillips Spreadsheets shouldn't be an island Open-source desktop spreadsheet apps often feel like islands—they are excellent at managing the specific file open on the screen, but they lack the connective tissue that links my spreadsheet to the rest of my digital life.In my day-to-day work, a spreadsheet is a hub that talks to other tools, not just a static document.In Excel, I can set up a local table that automatically feeds into a Power BI dashboard or triggers a notification on my phone via Power Automate.
When I use an open-source alternative, that "click-and-forget" automation disappears.While power users can bridge these gaps using API or custom Python scripts, the seamless bridge to the rest of the business world is gone.Subscribe to the newsletter for Excel and spreadsheet deep dives Joining the newsletter unlocks focused coverage and practical breakdowns of Excel's data-cleaning tools, automation, and open-source spreadsheet alternatives—analysis and how-tos to guide your tool decisions.
Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.You can unsubscribe anytime.Even though I dislike the hole that the Microsoft 365 subscription model burns in my pocket, the time cost of manually moving data between free tools is often much higher.
Ultimately, when I pay for Excel, I'm buying the bridge that connects my local spreadsheets to my entire personal workflow.For many, open-source spreadsheet software is adequate.If you're tracking a simple home budget or managing a basic mailing list, LibreOffice, OnlyOffice, and the other open-source options will handle those tasks without the monthly subscription costs.
However, once you cross the threshold into professional data management, the situation changes.While open-source suites are constantly improving and adding niche plugins, they've not yet fully bridged the architectural gaps that define the modern Excel experience.Until that happens, I'll be keeping my Microsoft 365 subscription.
Microsoft 365 Personal OS Windows, macOS, iPhone, iPad, Android Free trial 1 month Microsoft 365 includes access to Office apps like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint on up to five devices, 1 TB of OneDrive storage, and more.$100 at Microsoft Expand Collapse
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