Self-hosted alternatives to Microsoft Excel
Want spreadsheets without handing your data to Microsoft Excel? These 5 self-hosted apps run on your own server. Cheapest estimated hosting starts at about $5/month.
About Microsoft Excel: Microsoft's spreadsheet app.
| App | Health | Stars | License | Docker | RAM (est.) | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NocoDB | Active | 65.4k | SUL-1.0 | ✓ | 1 GB | $5/mo |
| Grist | Active | 12k | Apache-2.0 | ✓ | 4 GB | $20/mo |
| Baserow | Active | 2.3k | MIT | ✓ | 1 GB | $5/mo |
| Limbas | Active | 59 | GPL-2.0 | – | 1 GB | $5/mo |
| Collabora Online Development Edition | Unknown | – | MPL-2.0 | – | 4 GB | $20/mo |
The options in detail
1. NocoDB
No-code platform that turns any database into a smart spreadsheet (alternative to Airtable and Smartsheet).
Active Last commit 2026-11-04. Latest release 2026.10.1 (2026-10-29). Needs roughly 1 GB RAM incl. postgres. How to run it →
2. Grist
Next-generation spreadsheet with relational structure, formula-based access control, and a portable, self-contained format (alternative to Airtable).
Active Last commit 2026-11-04. Latest release v1.7.22 (2026-10-29). Needs roughly 4 GB RAM. How to run it →
3. Baserow
Create your own database without technical experience (alternative to Airtable).
Active Last commit 2026-11-04. Latest release 1.35.3 (2025-10-08). Needs roughly 1 GB RAM. How to run it →
4. Limbas
Database framework for creating database-driven business applications. As a graphical database frontend, it enables the efficient processing of data stocks and the flexible development of comfortable database applications.
Active Last commit 2026-08-12. Latest release v7.1.15 (2026-08-12). Needs roughly 1 GB RAM. How to run it →
5. Collabora Online Development Edition
Collabora Online Development Edition (CODE) is a powerful LibreOffice-based online office that supports all major document, spreadsheet and presentation file formats, which you can integrate in your own infrastructure.
Unknown Needs roughly 4 GB RAM. How to run it →
Why self-host instead of Microsoft Excel?
- Own your data — it lives on a server you control, with backups you decide on.
- Predictable cost — a small VPS often replaces per-seat pricing for a whole team or family.
- No lock-in — open-source licenses let you keep running the software even if a vendor disappears.
The trade-off: you are responsible for updates, backups and security. Pick an app marked Active (a commit in the last 90 days) and with Docker support for the easiest ride.
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Microsoft Excel is a trademark of its owner; this site is not affiliated with it. Listings come from the community-maintained awesome-selfhosted list.