What is the Best Google Sheets Alternative for Your Team in 2025?

Lark - The best overall Google Sheets alternative 

Lark is an all-in-one productivity platform featuring a wide variety of apps that work seamlessly together. For teams needing advanced calculations and in-depth data analysis, Lark Sheets offers robust spreadsheet features and a large and growing number of formula functions. For project management, CRM, or general data management, Lark Base provides a no-code, infinitely customizable solution that adapts to almost any workflow—making its use cases nearly limitless. Both tools are tightly integrated with a built-in messenger that ensures notifications are never missed and allows team members to effortlessly tag each other for real-time collaboration. This seamless communication not only keeps everyone in the loop but also simplifies automation setup, making it easier and more effective to streamline repetitive tasks. 

Additionally, Lark bundles essential tools like email, documents, video meetings, and approval systems into one cohesive platform. This means teams won't have to spend countless hours integrating multiple apps that rarely work as intended—they can hit the ground running. Best of all, by eliminating the need for separate subscriptions, Lark saves you money while streamlining your workflow. For example, a team of 100 people using Slack, Google Workspace, and Zoom can expect to save $25,200 per year by switching to Lark Pro. 

Pros:

• Offers both traditional spreadsheet functions and modern data management capabilities, all on the same platform. 

• Centralizes communication and collaboration tools, reducing the need for multiple separate apps.

• Generous free plan and affordable paid plans make it accessible for teams of all sizes and budgets.

• Ideal for teams that need a versatile solution to handle both calculations and data visualization.

• A built-in messenger enables seamless communication across teams and products, ensuring notifications are not missed. 

• Advanced automation capabilities eliminate the need for manually handling repetitive tasks while improving accuracy and productivity. 

Cons:

• Longtime Google users may need time to readjust to the new interface.

• The wealth of features may require some time to learn.

Pricing:

• Starter Plan: Free forever, for up to 20 users. This plan comes with Lark Sheets as well as 10 other powerful products that work seamlessly together. 100GB of storage and 1,000 automation runs are included.  

• Pro Plan: $12 per user/month (billed annually)​ for up to 500 users. Comes with even more storage (15TB), 50,000 automation runs, video conferencing, and more security and permission controls.

• Enterprise Plan: Custom pricing​, with no limit on users. Supergroups for chats (up to 50,000 users), 15 TB storage, 500,000 automation runs, single sign-on (SSO), and advanced security settings and compliance control.  

Want to learn more about Lark Sheets? Watch this video:

Microsoft Excel - Best for power users who need advanced calculations and pivot tables

Source: microsoft.com

Microsoft Excel is the veteran of the spreadsheet world, and with its Microsoft 365 online version it doubles as a powerful Google Sheets alternative. Excel Online (part of OneDrive/Office 365) allows multiple users to edit a workbook simultaneously through real-time co-authoring, bringing collaborative editing to the familiar Excel interface. Teams that already live in Microsoft Office will appreciate how Excel integrates with Outlook, Teams, and Power BI. Excel shines at advanced number-crunching—offering thousands of functions, pivot tables, macros for automation, and the ability to handle large datasets without the slowdowns that sometimes plague Google Sheets. It’s a robust choice for businesses that need serious analytical power while still enabling cloud collaboration with colleagues.

Pros:

• Industry-leading functions and data analysis tools (pivot tables, advanced formulas, VBA macros) for complex calculations.

• Handles large data sets and complex spreadsheets more efficiently (less lag) than many online tools.

• Offers offline access and editing; you can work in the desktop app and sync changes later.

• Collaboration: Real-time co-authoring is supported via OneDrive/SharePoint, and it has commenting and change-tracking for team edits.

• Deep integration with other Microsoft 365 apps (PowerPoint, Word, Power BI), which is useful for enterprise workflows.

Cons:

• Some features have a learning curve, especially for users not already familiar with Excel’s advanced capabilities.

• The online web version isn’t as full-featured as the desktop app (certain advanced tools or add-ins may not work in a browser).

• Historically weaker at simultaneous collaboration compared to Google Sheets (e.g. occasional sync conflicts if not using the cloud version), though it has improved recently.

• Requires a Microsoft 365 subscription for full use; the free Excel Online has limited features and storage.

Pricing:

• Excel (online) – Free for one person. 5GB of cloud storage

• Microsoft 365 Apps for business  – $8.25 per user/month (annual billing) for up to 300 users. Includes online and desktop versions. ​1 TB of cloud storage. 

• Microsoft 365 Business Standard – $12.50 per user/month (annual billing) for up to 300 users. Includes more apps for web, mobile, and desktop. 1TB of cloud storage per user. ​

Airtable - Best for teams that want advanced data management capabilities

Source: airtable.com

Airtable is a flexible cloud-based platform that blends a spreadsheet with a database, making it one of the most versatile Google Sheets alternatives available. On the surface it looks like a spreadsheet grid, but under the hood it allows you to link records between tables, attach files, and create multiple views (like kanban boards and calendars) of the same data. This makes Airtable great for organizing projects, inventories, or any structured data where you might need more than a flat sheet. Collaboration is at the heart of Airtable: teams can edit simultaneously in real-time, add comments to cells/records, and see each other’s changes instantly. It also offers user permissions and an edit history, so enterprise users can control access and audit changes. For small businesses, Airtable’s rich template library and integrations (Slack, Zapier, etc.) help get workflows up and running quickly without needing a technical expert.

Pros:

• Extremely flexible and customizable – acts like a spreadsheet-database hybrid where you can define relationships between tables, which is great for organizing complex data.

• Multiple view types (grid, calendar, kanban, gallery) let teams visualize and work with data in different ways to suit their workflow.

• Real-time collaboration: Changes sync instantly for all users, and Airtable provides real-time data access so everyone sees up-to-date information​. Team members can comment on records and even chat within the tool.

• Lots of integrations and automation: native support to connect with hundreds of apps and an automation builder to create “if-this-then-that” style workflows.

• Generous template gallery and a relatively friendly interface, which helps new users (even non-coders) get started quickly.

Cons:

• Can become expensive for larger teams or heavy users. Higher-tier plans are needed for advanced features, and per-user pricing adds up quickly​. For example, the free tier has limits on rows and attachments which might not suffice as your data grows.

• Performance can suffer with extremely large bases (many thousands of records with complex links or formulas may feel a bit slow or clunky in the browser).

• Not as suited for complex financial modeling or very advanced calculations – it has decent formulas but it’s not as exhaustive as Excel for pure calculation-heavy tasks.

• Learning curve for database features: users unfamiliar with relational databases might need time to fully leverage linking records and advanced field types.

Pricing:

• Free Plan – $0, supports basic features and limited records.

• Team Plan – $20 per user/month (annual billing) – adds more capacity and advanced features like 50,000 records/base and 25,000 automation runs. ​

• Business Plan – $45 per user/month (annual billing) – for larger teams needing even higher limits, advanced interface controls, and priority support​.

• Enterprise Plan – Custom pricing – includes enterprise-level security, admin controls, and expert support​.

Detailed pricing breakdown: Airtable Pricing: Which Plan Is Right for Your Team in 2025?

Zoho Sheet - Best for teams that are already in Zoho’s ecosystem of apps

Source: zoho.com

Zoho Sheet is a part of the Zoho Office Suite and a strong alternative to Google Sheets, especially for budget-conscious teams or those already in the Zoho ecosystem. It’s a cloud-based spreadsheet that supports real-time multi-user editing, similar to Google Sheets, along with an intuitive interface that feels familiar. Zoho Sheet covers all the basics (formulas, charts, pivot tables) and even includes some AI-powered data analysis (an assistant feature that can provide insights or summarize data). Collaboration features are robust: you can share sheets with team members, set granular permissions, leave comments, and view change logs (audit trails) to see who did what. One standout is that Zoho Sheet offers an offline mode through its browser extension, allowing you to work without internet and sync later – something Google Sheets lacks. Small businesses appreciate that Zoho’s pricing is very competitive, and enterprises like the option for on-premises deployment if needed (via Zoho’s Workplace behind a company’s firewall, addressing data security concerns).

Pros:

• Real-time collaboration with edit notifications and comments, making it easy for teams to work together on the same sheet​. You can also set user roles (view-only, editor, etc.) for secure sharing.

• Highly affordable – Zoho Sheet is free and the broader Zoho Workplace suite is inexpensive compared to most competitors.

• Good compatibility with Excel files and formats (supports .xlsx, .ods, .csv, etc.), so migrating existing sheets is straightforward​. It also offers a large library of pre-built spreadsheet templates.

• Part of a larger suite (Zoho Workplace): it integrates seamlessly with Zoho’s other applications like Zoho CRM, Zoho Projects, and Zoho Analytics. This is convenient for businesses already using Zoho products.

• Includes automation and scripting capabilities (via Deluge, Zoho’s scripting language) for those who want to add custom functions or workflows beyond standard formulas.

Cons:

• The interface can sometimes feel laggy or less responsive compared to Google Sheets, especially when handling very large sheets online. Complex calculations may not update as instantly as in Excel.

• Slightly fewer advanced analytical features than Excel – for example, it doesn’t have the same level of macro/VBA support or the depth of statistical functions that Excel offers.

• The ecosystem is very Zoho-centric. While it does integrate with external apps, it shines most when you use it alongside other Zoho services; otherwise, you might miss out on some synergy.

• Offline functionality exists but requires setting it up (via extension or Zoho Docs app). It’s not as seamless as editing an Excel file offline.

Pricing:

• Free: Zoho Sheet is available at no cost for individual users.

• Zoho Workplace Standard: You can’t purchase Zoho Sheet alone. The Zoho Workplace Standard plan costs $3 per user/month (billed annually)​ and includes Zoho Sheet plus Zoho Mail, WorkDrive, and Office Suite. 

• Zoho Workplace Professional: $6 per user/month (billed annually)​– adds more storage and advanced admin/security features.

Smartsheet - Best for teams that prefer managing projects through spreadsheet-style interfaces

Source: smartsheet.com

Smartsheet takes the concept of a spreadsheet and supercharges it for project and work management. It looks roughly like a spreadsheet grid, but it’s geared toward tracking projects, tasks, and workflows in a collaborative way. For example, Smartsheet has built-in Gantt chart views, kanban boards, and form inputs, making it much more than just rows and columns. Many enterprises use Smartsheet to coordinate complex projects across teams, and small businesses use it to organize everything from marketing calendars to client pipelines. Collaboration is a strong point: multiple users can update rows simultaneously, you can assign tasks to people, attach files to cells, set alerts/notifications, and even request updates or approvals from others. It also integrates with tools like Microsoft Teams, Slack, and Google Workspace, so it fits well into existing communication flows. If Google Sheets feels too lightweight for managing projects, Smartsheet might be the powerful alternative you need.

Pros:

• Excellent for project management – offers Gantt charts, calendars, and card (Kanban) views on top of the usual grid​. This gives teams multiple ways to visualize and manage work.

• Automation and workflows: You can automate repetitive tasks (send alerts, lock rows, move tasks when statuses change, etc.) without coding. This helps in streamlining processes that would otherwise be manual.

• Strong collaboration features: Team members can co-edit sheets in real time, use comments and @mentions for communication, and even use built-in proofing for documents/images​. There’s also a handy feature to create web forms that feed directly into your sheet (useful for intaking data from clients or colleagues).

• Scales well for enterprises – includes admin controls, user management, and can handle a large number of users and projects. Many large organizations trust Smartsheet for its reliability and security options.

• Lots of templates and integrations, plus a marketplace of add-ons. You can find pre-built templates for things like sales pipelines, event schedules, product roadmaps, etc., to save time setting up.

Cons:

• Learning curve: Because Smartsheet is so feature-rich, new users (especially those only used to basic spreadsheets) may find it a bit overwhelming at first​. It’s a mix of spreadsheet and project management software, so it takes some training to master things like automated workflows, multiple views, and advanced formulas.

• The user interface can sometimes feel slow or less snappy, particularly when switching between large sheets or views​. Also, loading a very large Smartsheet with many attachments or comments can take time.

• Some advanced features (like time-tracking, resource management) are not built-in or are limited, so very complex project management needs might require integrations or higher-tier plans​.

• Offline access is limited – Smartsheet is primarily cloud-based, and while there is a mobile app for updates on the go, you can’t really work on your sheets offline as you could with a traditional Excel file​.

Pricing:

• Pro Plan: $9 per user/month (billed annually), up to 10 users​. Includes core features like Gantt, grid, board, and calendar view, and 250 automations. 

• Business Plan: $19 per user/month (billed annually)​. Unlimited users, with advanced features like Timeline view, workload tracking, admin capabilities, and unlimited automations.  

• Enterprise Plan: Custom pricing​. Offers enhanced security (single sign-on), AI formulas and texts, and more storage.

Detailed pricing breakdown: Smartsheet Pricing: Plans, Features, and User Insights

Monday.com - Best for visual project managers who want color-coded workflows and no-code automations

Source: monday.com

Monday.com is not a traditional spreadsheet, but it’s often considered an alternative to Google Sheets for teams that have been using spreadsheets to manage projects or business processes. Monday is a work operating system that uses highly customizable tables (boards) to track tasks, projects, sales leads, or anything else. Each row is an item that can have owners, statuses (with colorful labels), dates, and other custom fields. It feels more visual and interactive than a plain spreadsheet, which many users find engaging. Collaboration on Monday.com is excellent: team members can update status columns (e.g., mark tasks as “Done” or “Stuck”), add comments and attachments to items, and get notified of changes in real time. It’s designed to bring transparency—at a glance, everyone can see who’s doing what and the progress of each item. For small businesses, Monday can serve as an all-in-one project hub, and for enterprises, it offers advanced features like timeline views, workload management, and integrations with tools like Jira or Salesforce.

Pros:

• User-friendly, visual interface: Monday uses color-coded labels and a clean layout that makes it easy to understand project status at a glance. The visual boards help you see all information in one place, and you can group and sort items flexibly​.

• Highly customizable with lots of column types (status, text, numbers, timeline, tags, etc.) and an extensive template library. You can tailor a board to manage anything from a content calendar to an HR recruitment pipeline.

• Collaboration and communication: Each item has a discussion thread for comments, so conversations stay tied to the task. Team members get notifications for updates, and you can @mention colleagues to bring them into the loop. Monday also has a built-in activity log for accountability.

• Useful views and tracking features: Timeline and calendar views help in visualizing project schedules and deadlines​. The dashboard can display charts of progress or upcoming deadlines. It even has a workload view to see who is busy or free.

• Automation and integrations: Monday offers click-to-configure automation (like “if status changes to X, notify user Y” or “every Monday create a new task”). It also integrates with many apps (Slack, Google Drive, Outlook, etc.), which helps reduce manual updating across platforms.

Cons:

• Not a full spreadsheet: If you need to do complex calculations or data analysis, Monday may not be suitable as it doesn’t support formulas in the same way spreadsheets do. It’s more for planning and tracking than performing heavy calculations.

• Some advanced features are only available on higher-tier plans (or not at all). For example, features like time tracking, dependencies, and additional automation actions come with Pro or Enterprise plans​. Small teams on the Basic plan might find these limitations if they need those features.

• It can be hard to track high-level goals or ideas beyond the task level (as one of the trade-offs of its simplicity, it lacks a built-in way to do complex portfolio management or idea mapping, aside from workarounds)​.

• While generally easy to use, setting up very complex workflows with many interconnected boards can become confusing. Also, too many notifications or updates can overwhelm users if not managed properly.

Pricing:

• Free: Up to 2 users with basic features.

• Basic: $9 per user/month (billed annually)​– includes unlimited items and 5 GB storage.

• Standard: $12 per user/month (billed annually)​– adds timeline, Gantt, and calendar views, and integrations and  automations (up to 250 actions/month). 

• Pro: $19 per user/month (billed annually)​– adds time tracking, private boards, formula columns, and more integrations and automations (up to 25,000 actions per month). 

• Enterprise: Custom pricing – for large organizations needing enterprise-grade security, advanced reporting, and premium support​.

Detailed pricing breakdown: Monday Pricing: Comprehensive Guide to the Lastest Plans in 2025

ClickUp - Best for project-focused teams

Source: g2.com 

ClickUp is an all-in-one productivity platform that combines project management, document collaboration, and even spreadsheet-like features, making it a compelling Google Sheets alternative for teams who want everything in one place. Within ClickUp, you can create Table views that resemble a spreadsheet, use Docs for rich text documents, and manage tasks with a variety of views (list, board, calendar, Gantt, etc.). It’s highly customizable, allowing you to create custom fields and statuses to fit your workflow. For spreadsheet fans, ClickUp’s Table view lets you add calculations to columns, much like you would in Sheets (e.g., sum up values). But ClickUp goes beyond numbers – it’s designed to manage work. You can assign tasks to people, set due dates, add comments, and even have real-time chat. Collaboration is built-in throughout the app: multiple team members can edit a document at the same time, comment on any task or doc, and get notified about updates. Small businesses might use ClickUp to replace a combination of tools (Sheets, Trello, Notion, etc.) with one unified solution, and enterprises appreciate its scalability and robust feature set that can be tailored per department.

Pros:

• Unified platform: ClickUp’s biggest strength is having everything in one app. Your spreadsheets (tables), task lists, project plans, wikis, and even whiteboards can all live in ClickUp, reducing the need to jump between multiple tools.

• Real-time collaboration: Whether it’s editing a document together or updating a project, team members see changes immediately. ClickUp has assigned comments and chat functionality, helping teams discuss work in context. Even the free version supports unlimited members for collaboration on tasks​.

• Diverse views Offers 15+ views (List, Board, Calendar, Gantt, Timeline, Mind Map, and more) to visualize work however you prefer​. For example, you might input data in a table view and then switch to a Kanban board or timeline without duplicating info.

• Highly customizable and feature-rich: You can create custom fields to track just about anything (budget, priority, client name, etc.), automate routine steps, and use goal tracking and time tracking features. Despite being so powerful, the interface is fairly user-friendly and modern.

• Great value at lower tiers: The free plan is quite generous, and the paid plans are relatively affordable for the breadth of features. Many startups and small teams find they can use ClickUp’s Free or Unlimited plan and get a lot of functionality (task management, docs, limited dashboards, etc.) without paying a fortune.

Cons:

• The abundance of features can be overwhelming. New users might feel a bit lost with everything ClickUp offers (tasks, docs, chat, whiteboards, goals, etc.) and the multitude of settings. It requires some time to fully explore and set up according to your needs, which can be challenging for non-technical people​.

• Some users find the interface occasionally clunky or sluggish, especially if you have a workspace with tons of tasks and data​. There are a lot of elements to load, and on slower internet connections or older computers, it might not feel as snappy as a simple Google Sheet.

• Free version limitations: While generous, the free plan limits you to 5 Spaces (top-level project folders) and lacks some advanced features. To get things like more automation, Gantt charts, or timeline views, you’ll need a paid plan.

• Certain advanced project management features (like detailed workload forecasting, custom permissions, etc.) are only in higher plans. Also, while ClickUp’s Table view is useful, very complex spreadsheet operations (e.g. multi-criteria formulas or pivot tables) aren’t what ClickUp is made for, so it won’t completely replace a dedicated spreadsheet for heavy data analysis.

Pricing:

• Free Forever: $0 for unlimited users and tasks​. Comes with 100MB storage and core features such as collaborative docs, tasks, and most views. 

• Unlimited: $7 per user/month (billed annually)​.  Unlimited storage, integrations, dashboards, and more. 

• Business: $12 per user/month (billed annually)​– Adds advanced features like Google SSO, advanced automations, time sheets, and advanced dashboards. 

• Enterprise: Custom pricing – Includes higher security (SSO, advanced permissions), white labeling, premium support, and enterprise API. 

Detailed pricing breakdown: ClickUp Pricing: Plans, Features, and Value for Your Team