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- The best Excel alternatives have a clean modern look and smart tool organization, and are stocked with a ready artillery of built-in formulas, functions, and templates. The software should also have cross-platform support, so you can access them anywhere.
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Oct 8, 2024 · Here are 8 alternatives to Microsoft Excel to consider if you want to change the application you are using to create spreadsheets. 1. FuseBase (formerly Nimbus)
Jul 6, 2024 · Learn advantages and disadvantages of using Microsoft Excel for data analysis and organization. Pros of its spreadsheet formulas and limitations.
- Overview
- Microsoft 365 free: what’s included?
- Microsoft 365: should you pay?
- Microsoft 365: business versions
- Microsoft 365 paid and free versions: what should you use?
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News
By Christian Rigg
Contributions from
Mike Jennings
last updated 4 January 2023
Microsoft 365 is available in free and paid versions, so we’ve explored the differences and discovered which could be the best option for you
Sign up to the free version of Microsoft 365 and you’ll quickly get access to big-name productivity tools like Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook. Free users also get 5GB of cloud storage space from OneDrive.
Open up Word, Excel or any of Microsoft’s productivity apps and you’ll see a familiar interface with solid functionality. You’re able to use these tools to create, edit and share documents. Even on the free tier you’re able to use real-time collaboration to get work done with colleagues and peers.
You don’t have to be on a PC or Mac to use those web-based apps, either – free users can also enjoy the mobile versions of these tools on Android and iOS.
Elsewhere, Microsoft 365’s free version grants its users 15GB of email space alongside Calendar integrations. Free users also use Skype and Teams – albeit with tighter limits on the number of people you can include in voice and video calls. You can use OneNote for sketches and scribbles and there’s a handy to-do list app.
Unsurprisingly, you’ll find usage limits across most of Microsoft 365’s free apps. In productivity tools, many features are either absent or more limited, like spelling and grammar checking.
You only get a smaller library of templates and fonts, and you must be connected to the web to use the free versions of these tools. You don’t have the option to download and install the apps on your PC, either.
There’s certainly lots to like about the free versions of Microsoft 365, which delivers capable everyday functionality across a wide range of apps. That said, you undoubtedly get far more from Microsoft 365 if you’re willing to spend a little cash.
Microsoft 365’s Home product is available in Personal and Family plans. The former costs $69.99 or £59.99 per year and the latter ups the fee to$99.99 or £79.99.
The Family product offers tremendous value. Once you’ve handed over your hard-earned money you can use Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook and OneDrive on your PC or Mac, on your mobile device or online. Up to six users can benefit from that single subscription.
Unsurprisingly, the cheaper Personal package doesn’t allow access for six users, but that’s still a great price for any individual who wants a broad suite of productivity tools.
It’s not just about the huge increase in platform versatility, either. Those are the full-fat versions of each tool, so you can access every feature, and you won’t find any removed or cut-back features like you will in the free versions.
On every paid version of Microsoft 365 the OneDrive storage limit improves from 5GB to 1TB, and Outlook email accounts get 50GB of space rather than 15GB.
There’s an even wider gulf between Microsoft 365’s free version and the firm’s beefier Business Basic, Standard and Premium products.
At this level you’ll have to pay a monthly fee for every user on the system. Prices range between $6 and £4.50 for the Basic product to $22 and £16.50 for Microsoft 365 Business Premium.
That could certainly become expensive, especially in larger organizations, but there’s little competition between the free and business products when it comes to features.
Every Microsoft 365 Business product supports 300 users, for instance, and they all include Microsoft Exchange support – so you can use your own domain names rather than Outlook addresses.
There’s no denying that there are vast differences between Microsoft 365’s free version and this productivity suite’s various paid options. Happily, though, they’re all impressive in their own way.
The free version of Microsoft 365 still grants you access to productivity tools, an email account and cloud storage, so it’s ideal for anyone who needs basic word processing and spreadsheet tools and everyday email access.
It’s only worthwhile if you have a reliable internet connection, though, and you’ll find its sharing and storage options limited if you want to work with lots of larger files. You can’t download the apps, either.
You can solve all those issues if you turn to Microsoft 365 Personal or Family, and the pricing is competitive. For a relatively affordable annual fee you get powerful productivity tools for every platform alongside more versatile collaboration, storage and email options.
The free and Home versions of Microsoft 365 are very much different sides of the same coin. The business versions take a step up in terms of features and cost, but they’re certainly worth the price if you need enterprise security and management options.
If you’re an individual user, someone who manages the family PC or an IT manager with a broader remit, there’s a Microsoft 365 version for you – it’s up to you to decide if you can get away with free version or if you need the extra functionality or security of a full-price product instead.
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We’ll review what Excel is, the benefits of using Excel without a subscription, how to create a free Microsoft Account, and how to access the free Excel app. We’ll also explore the features of the Excel app, collaboration and sharing options, and how you can access Excel anytime and anywhere.
Free. A Free badge means an active Microsoft 365 Family or Personal subscription isn't associated with the account you signed in with. Only the free web versions of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint are available to you.
Apr 21, 2024 · If you're looking for a free, web-based spreadsheet program that works like a paid app, you can't go wrong with Excel for the web. All you need is a Microsoft account—which you can create using a Microsoft, Outlook, Hotmail, Live, Yahoo, or Gmail email address—to access to Microsoft 365 for the web.
Microsoft 365 for the web is a free version of Microsoft 365 that you can use in a web browser. All you need is to sign up for a Microsoft account with a new or existing email address. Use Word, Excel, PowerPoint and more for free on the web.
