Foglio
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Foglio vs Excel, Numbers, LibreOffice and Google Sheets

There is no single best spreadsheet for the Mac. There is the one that fits what you do. This page puts Foglio next to the four apps Mac users most often choose between, and it is deliberately honest: where another app is better, the table says so.

In short: Excel is the most complete and the most expensive; Numbers is free and pretty but converts Excel files; LibreOffice Calc is free and powerful but large and not a native Mac app; Google Sheets is free and collaborative but lives in a browser and needs a Google account. Foglio is free, open source, tiny and native, and edits .xlsx directly, with fewer advanced features than Excel.

We are not trying to be Excel

Excel does a thousand things, and some of them (macros, Power Pivot, real-time co-authoring) Foglio will probably never do. That is fine: copying Excel feature by feature is not the goal.

The goal is a spreadsheet that feels like part of your Mac: native, fast, tiny, gentle on memory and battery, and able to open practically every Excel file you receive (we aim for 99 out of 100) without breaking it when you save it back.

  • NativeA real Mac app in Swift and AppKit. No browser engine inside, no runtime to install.
  • Fast and small7.5 MB to download, open in a quarter of a second, about 58 MB of memory with a sheet open.
  • CompatibleReads and writes standard .xlsx, keeps your formulas in Excel's own form, so the file opens anywhere.

Foglio, Excel, Numbers, LibreOffice and Google Sheets side by side

Foglio, Excel, Numbers, LibreOffice and Google Sheets side by side
FoglioOpen sourceMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoftApple NumbersAppleLibreOffice CalcThe Document FoundationGoogle SheetsGoogle
Price & license
PriceFreeMicrosoft 365 Personal $99.99/yr, Family $129.99/yr, or Office Home 2024 $179.99 one-timeFree; optional Apple Creator Studio ($12.99/mo) for premium templates and AIFreeFree with a Google account; paid Workspace plans for business
Open sourceMIT / Apache-2.0NoNoMPL-2.0No
Account neededNoMicrosoft account and a subscription or license to editNo (Apple Account only for iCloud sharing)NoGoogle account required
Size & speed
Download size7.5 MB (universal)1.2 GB (Excel alone, Mac App Store)661 MB (App Store listing)≈ 300 MB (Apple silicon disk image)Nothing to install (runs in a browser)
Disk space19 MBOver 1 GBHundreds of MBUp to 800 MB (official requirements)Browser cache only
What it is built withSwift/AppKit + Rust, no bundled runtimeNative Mac app (Microsoft Office codebase)Native Mac appCross-platform C++ suite with its own UI toolkitWeb app
Platform
Minimum macOSmacOS 14macOS 14macOS 26 for the current versionmacOS 11Any recent browser
Apple silicon and IntelYes, one universal appYesYesYes, separate downloadsYes (browser)
Works fully offlineYesYes (subscription checked online periodically)YesYesPartly: Chrome or Edge with an extension, set up while online
Windows and LinuxNo, Mac onlyWindows (and the web)No (iCloud web only)Windows and LinuxAny browser
iPhone and iPad appsNoYesYesNoYes
File formats
Edits .xlsx directlyYes, opens and saves .xlsxYes (the reference)Converts to .numbers; exports back to .xlsxYesConverts, or Office editing mode in Chrome
Old .xls filesOpens values, formulas and dates; saves as .xlsxOpens and savesOpens most; very old versions refusedOpens and savesImports
OpenDocument .odsOpens values, formulas and datesOpens and savesNoNative formatImports and exports
CSV with any encoding or delimiterDetected automaticallyImport wizard / Power QueryBasic import settingsText Import dialogImport with separator detection
Password-protected filesNot supportedYesYesYes.xlsx only
Features
Modern functions (XLOOKUP, FILTER, LET, LAMBDA)Yes, ~500 functionsYesYes, LAMBDA with limitsXLOOKUP, FILTER, LET; no LAMBDAYes
Formulas in your languageItalian, German, Spanish, French, EnglishYes, many languagesYesYes, many languagesYes, by spreadsheet locale
Pivot tablesNo; “Summarize by” builds a simple live summaryYes, the most completeYesYesYes
Macros and scriptingNo (.xlsm opens, macros are not run)VBA, Office ScriptsNo (AppleScript and Shortcuts only)Basic, Python; partial VBAApps Script (no VBA)
ChartsColumn, bar, line, pie, doughnut, area, scatterWidest rangeWide range, interactive chartsWide rangeWide range
Conditional formattingRules and color scales; no data bars or icon setsYesYesYesYes
Real-time collaborationNoYes, via OneDrive or SharePointYes, via iCloudNo (desktop app)Yes, the best at it
AI assistantNoneCopilot, in Microsoft 365 Personal and FamilyApple Intelligence; assistant with Creator StudioNone, by designGemini, depending on plan
Privacy
Where your files liveOn your MacYour Mac or OneDriveYour Mac or iCloudOn your MacGoogle's servers
TelemetryNone; no network connectionsRequired diagnostic data; optional data can be turned offUsage and diagnostics (App Store privacy label)None; update check can be turned offUsage data as per Google's privacy policy

Prices and features checked on the vendors' own pages in November 2026 (sources below); prices are US list prices and vary by country. Foglio's figures were measured on a MacBook Air M4, macOS 27, Foglio 1.0. (November 9, 2026)

Sources

Which one should you choose?

Pick the tool for the job, not the brand. Most people only need a fraction of what any of these apps can do.

  • Choose Foglio if you want a free, fast, private app that opens and saves Excel files on your Mac without an account or subscription.
  • Choose Excel if you rely on macros (VBA), Power Query, real pivot tables, advanced charts, or you must match your company's files to the pixel.
  • Choose Numbers if you build documents that should look beautiful, mostly for yourself, and you live in Apple's ecosystem, including iPhone and iPad.
  • Choose LibreOffice Calc if you need a free app with pivot tables, macros and a huge feature set, and do not mind a large, non-native app.
  • Choose Google Sheets if several people edit the same sheet at the same time and you are comfortable working in a browser with a Google account.

Where Foglio wins

Foglio is the smallest app in this comparison by a wide margin: a 7.5 MB download against hundreds of megabytes or gigabytes for the desktop alternatives. It opens to a usable window in 0.24 s, uses about 58 MB of memory with an empty sheet and sits at 0 % CPU when idle.

It is free with no conditions, open source, and works completely offline with no account. Unlike Numbers it edits .xlsx files in place instead of converting them, and on an Italian, German, Spanish or French Mac you type formulas with the same localized function names Excel uses.

Where the others win

Excel is far more complete: macros, Power Query, real pivot tables, many more chart types, and the reference behaviour for every Excel file. LibreOffice also has pivot tables and macros, plus a drawing layer and many more import and export formats. Google Sheets has the best real-time collaboration and runs on any device with a browser. Numbers and Excel have iPhone and iPad apps; Foglio is Mac-only.

Foglio is a 1.0 release by a small open-source project. The big suites have decades of polish behind them. If a file matters, keep a backup.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best free alternative to Excel on a Mac?

It depends on what you need. Foglio is the lightest free option that edits .xlsx directly. LibreOffice Calc is the most feature-complete free desktop app. Google Sheets is best for collaboration. Numbers is pre-installed and free but converts Excel files to its own format. Our roundup of free spreadsheet apps covers more options.

Does Foglio support macros or VBA?

No. Foglio opens .xlsm files but does not run their macros. If your work depends on VBA, use Microsoft Excel; LibreOffice can run some VBA too.

Does Foglio have pivot tables?

Not real pivot tables yet. Summarize by builds a live summary sheet with SUMIFS and COUNTIFS formulas, which covers simple pivots. Excel, LibreOffice, Numbers and Google Sheets all have pivot tables.

Can several people edit a Foglio file at the same time?

No. Foglio is a desktop app for one person at a time. For live co-editing, Google Sheets or Excel with OneDrive are the better choice.

Are the competitor prices current?

They were checked on the vendors' pages in November 2026 and are US list prices. Prices change and vary by country, so follow the source links before buying.

Free Excel alternative for Mac

Open and save xlsx files without a Microsoft 365 subscription, and know exactly what you give up.

Numbers alternative for Excel files

Edit xlsx files in place, with Excel's grid, function names and shortcuts, instead of converting them.

Lighter LibreOffice Calc alternative

A native 7.5 MB Mac spreadsheet for everyday Excel files, and when LibreOffice is still the better tool.

Offline Google Sheets alternative

A free desktop spreadsheet with no account and no cloud, and when Google Sheets is still the right tool.

Guides

Try it on your own spreadsheets

It is a 7.5 MB download and it costs nothing. Foglio 1.0 is a first release, so keep backups of important files while you try it.

Download for MacView source on GitHub

Free · macOS 14+ · Apple silicon & Intel · 7.5 MB