3 self-hosted options
Open-source alternatives to Microsoft Excel
The best open-source alternative to Microsoft Excel is Teable (AGPL-3.0, 21,933 GitHub stars, Docker image). Grist stands out for the most commits in the last 12 months (1,215), and ONLYOFFICE stands out for its Shell codebase.
About Microsoft Excel: Microsoft's spreadsheet application for calculations, charts and data analysis.
Updated · data from GitHub, refreshed daily
Top picks
- Rank 1:
Teable
teableio/teable
Next-gen Airtable alternative with a Postgres-backed spreadsheet UI.
Active · last commit Oct 28, 2026
Database ManagementTypeScriptDockerStands out for the most GitHub stars.
- Rank 2:
Grist
gristlabs/grist-core
Next-generation spreadsheet with relational structure, formula-based access control, and a portable, self-contained format (alternative to Airtable).
Active · last commit Oct 28, 2026
Office SuitesTypeScriptDockerStands out for the most commits in the last 12 months (1,215).
- Rank 3:
ONLYOFFICE
ONLYOFFICE/DocumentServer
Office suite that enables you to manage documents, projects, team and customer relations in one place.
Active · last commit Oct 26, 2026
Office SuitesShellDockerStands out for its Shell codebase.
At a glance
Microsoft Excel alternatives compared
Open-source apps come first, then source-available ones and apps whose license appsgit could not verify; within each group, projects with at least 12 commits in the last 12 months come before less active or archived ones, then by GitHub stars.
| App | Stands out for | License | GitHub stars | Commits (12 mo) | Last commit | Docker image |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teable | the most GitHub stars | AGPL-3.0 | 21,933 | 652 | Oct 28, 2026 | Yes |
| Grist | the most commits in the last 12 months (1,215) | Apache-2.0 | 12,004 | 1,215 | Oct 28, 2026 | Yes |
| ONLYOFFICE | its Shell codebase | AGPL-3.0 | 7,057 | 29 | Oct 26, 2026 | Yes |
Full list
All 3 Microsoft Excel alternatives
Open any app for live stats, license details and a deploy option.
- 1
Teable
Next-gen Airtable alternative with a Postgres-backed spreadsheet UI.
Database ManagementDockerStands out for the most GitHub stars. Teable has 21,933 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 652 commits in the last year.
- 2
Grist
Next-generation spreadsheet with relational structure, formula-based access control, and a portable, self-contained format (alternative to Airtable).
Office SuitesDockerStands out for the most commits in the last 12 months (1,215). Grist has 12,004 GitHub stars, uses the Apache-2.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 1,215 commits in the last year.
- 3
ONLYOFFICE
Office suite that enables you to manage documents, projects, team and customer relations in one place.
Office SuitesDockerStands out for its Shell codebase. ONLYOFFICE has 7,057 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 29 commits in the last year.
Is there a free alternative to Microsoft Excel?
Yes. All 3 apps on this page are open source and free to self-host, so you can replace Microsoft Excel without per-user fees. You pay only for the server.
Can I self-host an alternative to Microsoft Excel with Docker?
Yes. All 3 apps here publish a Docker image, including Teable, Grist and ONLYOFFICE, so you can run them on a home server or VPS with Docker Compose.
Which Microsoft Excel alternative is the most actively developed?
Grist (Apache-2.0), with 1,215 commits in the last 12 months. Activity is a good sign that bugs and security issues get fixed.
How is this list ranked?
Open-source apps come first, then source-available ones and apps whose license appsgit could not verify; within each group, projects with at least 12 commits in the last 12 months come before less active or archived ones, then by GitHub stars.