Better alternative to MS Excel

[Harry0]

The ugly
MS Excel has its goods and bad but for an alternative I can say one bad and one better.
The bad
I have tried Apple Mac numbers which is lacking in many ways which is why the #1 thing downloaded demo online is MS excel (on downloads.com).
The good
But a good alternative to excel which is even better than excel is Kingsoft Spreadsheets, which takes less disk space, is up to date in what excel it seems, takes less power from what it seems even on a low end computer, and it is free for the basic visual setup. You can get a paid version to look like how MS looks like but I prefer the classic look.

If some feel it is not the best well it sure is good for the majority that can do plenty of things with it.
There are other alternatives as well which I can not remember the name now which might be good for you but you can give a try as well.

 

[bobhc]

And you are paid by Kingsoft ??

This is and Excel site, it is in the forum title!!

 

[Harry0]

I see it as all the same as long as one can do the work or interchange. I dont discriminate in the program or am fanatical and whichever can do the job right. Why is this site paid by MS? I thought this was independent to help with spread sheet that are comparable to excel which sets the standard... despite excel changes its own standards every few versions.

I am not paid at all which I have stated before I used excel 2011 for mac but at home the older pc computer can not handle excel which kinigsoft can handle the same formulas better than the older versions excel. This site helps everyone to a degree and not just MS excel users.

I also bash apple Number and that does not mean I am paid by MS to poke at apple's version of excel.

Many should know that spread sheets were the first killer apps (was it Lotus 123?) and this site is continuing the momentum.

 

[aamirsq]

Well now there is Google spreadsheet available btw i am not fan of excel but i always most of my solutions in excel. i wish excel could use filter as easy as Google, import other files as easy as Google.

 

[dan_l]

Meh. Yes, Google Docs, Open Office, Kingsoft's stuff, whatever all exist. But they're not excel.

So yeah - need to make a little budget file or organize your CD collection? by all means one of those will be fine. But if you're a spreadsheet pro, you need excel.

 

[Harry0]

But if you're a spreadsheet pro, you need excel.

That is if you have the latest and most expensive and iff you do then why bother working and just retire.
Not if you use an older version of excel and the older version is not comparable with the new and you can't give it to others when it is too new and it becomes a mess. So many people had problems with it I lost count every time excel has a her version where it is not readable with the old or the old not readable to the new file. It hinders productivity greatly and some offices just dump MS products all together. Maybe bad move on them but MS is not making it easier despite it main job is user interface where it lacks on it at times and slowly losing market shares to worse off companies like rotten Apples.

Whatever floats ones boat in the end.

 

[dan_l]

You're not going to get ms fanboyism from me......but Excel is probably the only software that I actually pay for.


Sure. There's some offices that have ditched the MS Office Suite all together. I'm certain of it. I just haven't worked for or with any of those companies. Point being, I'm pretty certain that the market share amongst professional users is probably so wildly in favor of MS Office that nothing else really matters.

And for the lols, go cruise linkedin and check out Analysts/pro power user types who are chatting up their Open Office or Google Docs skills. Compare that to the number of MS Excel folks there are. Let me know if the former is more than say.....1%.

As a pro user, why would you use anything else?
-If you're stuck in a corporate environment, you've probably got one or more BI tools that as an excel component. Are you going to give those up to use some shitty web component?
-If you've got a personal toolbox of VBA sitting around, are you really going to go through the effort of converting it?
-PowerPivot/Power Query. Any of the competitors have that?

 

[Faseeh]

Harry0,

I think one can use Liber Office or Open Office. Most of the time we feel strange while using a product for the first time, then we get used to it. Few days back i visited this link, there are many more like this one available on google.

http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/7-free-open-source-programs-replace-commercial-windows-software/

BTW i have not seen any one discriminating between whether a question has been asked in context of the ms office or some other alternative, most of the time it is question that is important (however context matter, but is not the central point in every question).

Some features are not supported by other software like i don't know if open office and kingsoft support vb or if they support slicers or power pivot or have some alternative to them. That makes some difference. One more point to be noted is that if a page is titled spreadsheetpage (just for example) it does not necessarily means every things that claims to be a spreadsheet will be discussed there. The scope of the page is limited to ms excel most of the time.

Primary intention for this site is to help others in spreadsheet related problem, for ninjas, for chandoo, he is also interested in some money making through his premium stuff (that is common to most of the excel pages).

 

[Harry0]

Feels like yesterday when Lotus 123 was the standard and the first killer app. Time goes by with heavy marketing and contracts which end up making other things the standards.
Yes MS is #1 when it comes of office tools which even on download.com the top softwares that are being downloaded for the Mac is MS office. LOL

Google is trying to be the #1 is everything with the notion of Free and MS is taking a hit on all sides. I do not see MS being #1 forever just like how they lost so many other things that they seemed dominant in.

Even the office I am in it is all Apple product and everything has to be apple compatible only and I had to insist on MS office since Apple numbers just won't do. Most offices I see are never advanced users and even in colleges they only do basic things when they teach. I should know I had to help a teacher explain to the class since she did not know that well.