Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

LibreOffice VS Google Sheets

Compare LibreOffice VS Google Sheets and see what are their differences

LibreOffice logo LibreOffice

Free office suite, open source, and compatible with .doc, .docx, .xls, .xlsx, .ppt, .pptx files. Updated regularly – download for free. Originally based on OpenOffice.org.

Google Sheets logo Google Sheets

Synchronizing, online-based word processor, part of Google Drive.
  • LibreOffice Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-10-15
  • Google Sheets Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-01-17

LibreOffice features and specs

  • Free and Open Source
    LibreOffice is completely free to download and use, and as an open-source project, its source code is available for anyone to inspect, modify, and distribute.
  • Cross-Platform Compatibility
    LibreOffice can be used on various operating systems including Windows, macOS, and Linux, ensuring broad availability and support.
  • Strong Community Support
    The LibreOffice community offers extensive support through forums, documentation, and regular updates, ensuring continued improvements and user assistance.
  • Compatibility with Multiple File Formats
    LibreOffice supports a wide range of file formats, including Microsoft Office documents, making it easy to work with files created in other office suites.
  • Feature-Rich Suite
    LibreOffice includes powerful tools like Writer (word processor), Calc (spreadsheet), Impress (presentations), Draw (vector graphics), Base (database), and Math (formula editor).

Possible disadvantages of LibreOffice

  • Compatibility Issues
    Although LibreOffice supports many file formats, there might be occasional compatibility issues with complex Microsoft Office documents, leading to formatting problems.
  • User Interface
    Some users find LibreOffice's user interface to be less polished and more dated compared to more modern office suites like Microsoft Office or Google Workspace.
  • Learning Curve
    Switching from another office suite to LibreOffice can involve a learning curve, as users may need to familiarize themselves with different tools and features.
  • Limited Cloud Integration
    LibreOffice offers limited cloud storage and collaboration features compared to other cloud-based office suites like Google Workspace or Microsoft 365.
  • Performance
    For very large or complex documents, LibreOffice may sometimes lag or perform slower compared to other proprietary office software.

Google Sheets features and specs

  • Accessibility
    Google Sheets is cloud-based, allowing users to access their documents from anywhere with an internet connection, on any device.
  • Collaboration
    Multiple users can work on the same spreadsheet simultaneously, with real-time updates and the ability to see each other's changes.
  • Integrations
    Easily integrates with other Google Workspace apps like Google Drive, Docs, and Forms, as well as third-party services.
  • Cost
    Basic features are available for free, with additional advanced features accessible through affordable Google Workspace subscriptions.
  • Functionality
    Offers a wide range of built-in functions and formulas, supporting complex calculations and data analysis.
  • Version History
    Keeps a detailed version history of every change made, allowing users to revert to previous versions as needed.

Possible disadvantages of Google Sheets

  • Feature Limitations
    Lacks some advanced features found in more robust spreadsheet applications like Microsoft Excel, such as certain data visualization and pivot table capabilities.
  • Data Limitations
    Less efficient at handling very large datasets, which can slow down user experience and affect performance.
  • Internet Dependence
    Requires a stable internet connection for optimal use, though offline capabilities are available but limited.
  • Privacy Concerns
    Storing sensitive data on cloud-based services can raise privacy and security concerns for some users.
  • Customization
    Limited customization options compared to some other spreadsheet software, particularly in terms of advanced scripting and macro functions.

LibreOffice videos

Microsoft Office vs LibreOffice | How to Make the Change

More videos:

  • Review - LibreOffice Overview

Google Sheets videos

Excel Online vs. Google Sheets

More videos:

  • Tutorial - Google Sheets Quickstart - Easy Tutorial 2018
  • Review - Airtable vs. Google Sheets

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to LibreOffice and Google Sheets)
Office Suites
67 67%
33% 33
Project Management
46 46%
54% 54
Spreadsheets
0 0%
100% 100
Office & Productivity
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare LibreOffice and Google Sheets

LibreOffice Reviews

Top Alternatives to Microsoft Office Suite
LibreOffice is a powerful open-source office suite that includes Writer, Calc, Impress, and more. With a user-friendly interface and compatibility with Microsoft Office formats, LibreOffice is an excellent alternative for businesses looking to save costs without compromising on functionality.
Source: saaszeal.com
10 Best Visio Alternatives for Cost Effective Diagramming [2022]
LibreOffice is a free and open-source office productivity software suite, a project of The Document Foundation. It was forked in 2010 from OpenOffice.org, an open-sourced version of the earlier StarOffice.

Google Sheets Reviews

HIGHLIGHTING DUPLICATES: GOOGLE SHEETS VS FLOOKUP
Highlighting your data is a very good way to get an overview of what your data looks like before performing destructive operations like removing duplicates or using that data for any other purpose. Unfortunately, at the time of writing this article, Google Sheets does not provide a predefined way of highlighting duplicates. However, with custom formulas and conditional...

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, LibreOffice seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 15 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

LibreOffice mentions (15)

  • If I can add a PDF as an object to a Word file without Acrobat?
    Install LibreOffice (https://libreoffice.org) – free. Then open it in Draw and save as PNG or SVG. The latter will give you a vectorial file. Import those files in Word. Source: over 1 year ago
  • Is libre office free?
    Libre office is open source and free. Ignore the MS store , download it from libreoffice.org. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • What comes to your mind when you hear the words ‘tech abuse’?
    Microsoft Office -- Libreoffice. A customizable free and open source office suite. Source: about 2 years ago
  • An explanation of what we're talking about over here
    First, what is a distro? Distro, is short for distribution. A Linux distribution is basically an operating system, with added software (for example LibreOffice. In Linux there are a lot of distributions. This is because each distribution has a different idea on how things should be done. For example: one distribution uses the GNOME desktop, while the other uses KDE/Plasma, for example. There are a lot of ways in... Source: over 2 years ago
  • Windows Defender problem
    You either buy a license or resort to solutions like this: Https://libreoffice.org. Source: over 2 years ago
View more

Google Sheets mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Google Sheets yet. Tracking of Google Sheets recommendations started around Mar 2021.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing LibreOffice and Google Sheets, you can also consider the following products

Microsoft 365 - Boost your productivity with reliable access anywhere with services like email, calendar, file sharing, meetings, instant messaging, and Office Online

Microsoft Office Excel - Microsoft Office Excel is a commercial spreadsheet application.

ONLYOFFICE - ONLYOFFICE is a complete office and productivity suite.

LibreOffice - Calc - LibreOffice Calc is the spreadsheet program you've always needed. A fork of OpenOffice.

WPS Office - Would you need Office Word, Excel or PowerPoint for Home, business or School? WPS.com would give you right version for you.

Airtable - Airtable works like a spreadsheet but gives you the power of a database to organize anything. Sign up for free.