# Apache OpenOffice Calc Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra > Is Apache OpenOffice Calc the right Spreadsheet solution for you? Explore 50 verified user reviews from people in industries like yours to make a confident choice. Source: https://www.capterra.com/p/169719/Apache-OpenOffice-Calc/reviews --- Apache OpenOffice Calc 4.4 (50) Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/our-story/) * * * Last updated March 13th, 2026 # Reviews of Apache OpenOffice Calc Ease of use 4.2 Customer Service 3.8 ## Pros and Cons in Reviews Sara L ManagementAccounting, Self-employedUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “It meets our current needs in the company in terms of writing documents and creating and presenting reports in spreadsheets and because it is open source you can use it without restriction allowing you to save money on the purchase of licenses; its key point is that it is multiplatform and besides being lightweight you can use it without consuming many resources.“ February 21, 2024 Zyren Christian D IT Support Specialist Information Technology and Services, 201 - 500 employeesUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “Just like OpenOffice tools, some of the contents may get blank or corrupted when converting/importing to MS of“ August 15, 2021 JH Julian H UX ConsultantDesign, 11 - 50 employeesUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “Filetypes from other software such as MS Office (Excel) can be imported easily, but Calc also integrates with the rest of Apache's OpenOffice Suite too.“ June 9, 2023 SN Satya N Associate - Business Intelligence & Data Analytics Online Media, 501 - 1,000 employeesUsed the software for: 6-12 months. “The options in the top bar are extremely cluttered, a new user would require to use trial and error to get through the application or using the Google route.“ February 27, 2021 BP Ben P E-commerce ConsultantInformation Technology and Services, Self-employedUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “Works fine for the most part, and does import all the usual web file formats for organised data“ June 12, 2023 SD Santiago D Full Stack DeveloperInternet, 10,001+ employeesUsed the software for: Less than 6 months. “It may lack some of the polish of the other tools.“ December 28, 2020 JH Julian H UX ConsultantDesign, 11 - 50 employeesUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “A good, free option for spreadsheet software.“ June 9, 2023 SD Santiago D Full Stack DeveloperInternet, 10,001+ employeesUsed the software for: Less than 6 months. “Usability was not the best.“ December 28, 2020 ## Showing most helpful reviews Showing 1-25 of 50 Reviews Sort by: Most Helpful Rating Company Size Reviewer's Role Length of Use Frequency of Use Sara L. Management Accounting Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Free Spreadsheets with a lot of potential" February 21, 2024 5.0 Used in Linux operating systems (such as Ubuntu) and in the most recent versions of Windows. Very good alternative to the Microsoft Office suite, Pros It meets our current needs in the company in terms of writing documents and creating and presenting reports in spreadsheets and because it is open source you can use it without restriction allowing you to save money on the purchase of licenses; its key point is that it is multiplatform and besides being lightweight you can use it without consuming many resources. Cons When saving you have to use the MS Office format to be able to share a document, the user interface needs a good update as it is not as striking, it does not have the option to save to the cloud as MS Office does, it lacks integration with the MS Office suite so that when you migrate a document it does not lose any functionality. Switched from [Microsoft Excel](https://www.capterra.com/p/176574/Excel/) Apache OpenOffice Calc is a free and open source alternative with same functionalities. Review Source BB Barry B. General Manager Shipbuilding Used the software for: 2+ years ### "OpenOffice Calc - The Best Features of Excel - Without the Cost!" September 11, 2019 5.0 Using OpenOffice Calc has been a very good experience overall. Though the interface is a bit different than Microsoft Excel, it is easy to learn, and the price is right. Pros File type compatibility, cost (free), advanced features comparable to Excel, ability to save files to Microsoft native formats such as PPT and PPTX. Cons Lack of templates compared to Excel, and the interface is bit less "polished" than what you would fine in Microsoft Excel; lack of export cross-support from accounting software Alternatives considered [WordPerfect Office](https://www.capterra.com/p/160719/WordPerfect-Office/) Reason for choosing Apache OpenOffice Calc OpenOffice had similar features to both Microsoft Excel and Corel Wordpect Office spreadsheet software, and I had also read several reviews. It was free, so I decided to try it. Though the user interface took some "getting used to", OpenOffice Calc, overall, has been great. I use it every day, for everything from production schedules to quote sheets. I wish I had switched sooner! Switched from [Microsoft Excel](https://www.capterra.com/p/176574/Excel/) Every time a new version of Microsoft Excel was released, it seemed the interface actually got worse - and the price would go up - substantially. After doing some research, I was impressed by the features offered by OpenOffice Calc, and quite surprised that it was free. OpenOffice Calc has been great - and I wished I had switch over sooner. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer General Manager Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Was the go-to spreadsheet app, but ceased being developed and become unstable" March 15, 2018 3.0 OpenOffice Calc helped us avoid spending on purchasing commercial software for which this was a suitable replacement for quite some time. Pros Calc has been great for importing various file formats and can also handle importing CSVs in a very flexible manner. It was easy to use and the forums often got me out of trouble when seeking support or a how-to guide. Cons Instability of the desktop app cost us a lot of time and eventually forced us to move away from it. All the while, it wasn't able to export .xslx files, even if it could open them, which was a handicap and concerned me that our reputation would be affected because it appeared we were using outdated software if only able to export as .xls. Review Source Sharon B. Owner | Lead Designer Design Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Does everything Excel does" July 8, 2019 5.0 I use this daily in my business by creating spreadsheets and other forms like timesheets, invoices, purchase orders... Pros It's free. I use it to replace Microsoft Excel and I have not run into anything yet that I can't do. However I only use it for time sheets, invoices, purchase orders and estimates with auto calculations. Cons Sometimes it can be hard to find out how to do something I want, but with a little perseverance I can usually find the answer. Alternatives considered [Microsoft Excel](https://www.capterra.com/p/176574/Excel/) Reason for choosing Apache OpenOffice Calc OpenOffice Calc can do everything I want at significant savings. Switched from [Microsoft Excel](https://www.capterra.com/p/176574/Excel/) Microsoft products can be expensive. OpenOffice is free. Review Source TK Tigran K. Owner Real Estate Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Same as Excel but free" May 3, 2021 5.0 Great, switched once and still using it. Nice functionality and compatibility. Pros I am using Open Office spreadsheets daily. I like that it has almost exactly the same functionality as Microsoft Excel, but is a free product. I started using it back in 2009 when switching from Windows to Linux and continue using to this day, now on Mac. It is really nice that the content can be exported in XLS format for those using more traditional products. Cons It is a little frustrating that I cannot copy-paste the spreadsheet content into Google Spreadsheets without losing formulas. Also the formatting is usually lost. I use Google Spreadsheets to share the numbers with my colleagues and prospective clients. Switched from [Microsoft Excel](https://www.capterra.com/p/176574/Excel/) I wanted a free product with the same functions. Review Source Harsh C. Software Development Engineer Information Technology and Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Best alternative for Microsoft excel" July 28, 2021 5.0 Best and cheapest alternative for microsoft excel. Pros It has all that a person needs for his/her personal use when he/she cannot afford Microsoft excel's subscription. You can choose what you want to delete. Cons Sometimes formulas working in excel which is provided by someone doesn't work in open office calc. Calc has less chart options as compared to excel. Switched from [Microsoft Excel](https://www.capterra.com/p/176574/Excel/) Couldn't afford to pay for Microsoft office subscription. Review Source Rafael B. Jefe del departamento de Oceanografia Used the software for: 2+ years ### "It is the best option, in terms of spreadsheets, that I have used as an alternative to excel. " March 16, 2018 4.0 The biggest benefit that OpenOffice has brought me is associated with its wide compatibility with different operating systems (Linux, Windows, Mac, etc.), unlike other similar programs (like Microsoft), designed only to operate with only one type of operating system. That, added to the fact that it is free, makes its handling and installation in a good number of PC, very versatile. Pros Both in the case of OpenOffice and excel, I have notified the developers very specific problems with which I have found. In the case of OpenOffice the developers once they verified with the information that I sent, that the problem really existed, not only made the necessary adjustments to the program, but they contacted me back thanks for my contribution. In the case of Microsoft, that has never happened and when I have seen new versions I have verified that the problem I reported is still valid. It consumes far less machine resources than Microsoft software. (approximately half according to my estimates). Cons Accepting the reality that most of the users (including my person) use mostly Microsoft software, it is necessary a period of adaptation to use the program, since the buttons, functions and general structure are presented with menus sometimes quite different from the excel, although we are fair: whenever you change the program, or version thereof, you need a period of adaptation to use it again efficiently. For me it is more important the fact that it "hangs up" from time to time, especially when you import and modify a document from Office. I have not asked why it happens, because it could be that it was even done on purpose, simply so that each time you use less the program of the competition, a strategy that is otherwise valid. Review Source Maryelis B. Jefe del Departamento de Análisis Social Used the software for: 2+ years ### "It is the best free spreadsheet software! It has everything I need for my job. It's free!" March 27, 2018 4.0 It is the best free alternative that can be found, with OpenOffice Calc you will not have problems when making your works in spreadsheets and do not worry about the compatibility with other software, it can be highly compatible. And the best thing about this is that it's free! Pros It works on different Windows, Mac and Linux operating systems. It's assistant functions is quite friendly and similar to other softwares, you can also pivot table with a friendly assistant. It has advanced functions such as VLOOKUP and conditional formatting. Read different types of files including xls, xlsx and csv. Cons The visual interface I do not like, it is not updated to new trends. It has been installed with the OpenOffice suite. The graphics that are generated are of low quality. There is not much documentation of the problems, when one appears it is hard. Review Source Daniela M. Agronomy engineer Food Production Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Free your imagination" January 22, 2019 5.0 Pros The first thing is this software is free and a powerful tool. It's an alternative to the private software and in the same way you can open the file of a private software with OpenOffice Calc. Cons The truth, I don't have any disappointment for this software. I think it's easy for use and very complete for make whatever calc. Review Source Michael J N. Owner Transportation/Trucking/Railroad Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Excellent free spreadsheet software solution" October 7, 2020 5.0 Does what I need it to do, supports very large spreadsheets without any performance problems. Pros Let's me create and edit my spreadsheets with ease. Great import functionality for CSV and Excel file formats. Cons The graphing and visualization features are not as well developed as the most recent versions of Microsoft Excel. Review Source GP Giuseppe P. Manager Management Consulting Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Ottima alternativa a Excel, completo e di semplice utilizzo" June 25, 2023 5.0 Un software di produttività estremamente performante e utilissimo in ufficio per sostituire Excel in modo efficace. Ricco di funzionalità e con un'interfaccia semplice e intuitiva. Molti formati in esportazione. Pros Interfaccia ottimizzata, programma molto performante, flusso di lavoro fluido, molti formati in esportazione. Cons Praticamente nulla, qualche incertezza con file molto grandi. Alternatives considered [Microsoft Excel](https://www.capterra.com/p/176574/Excel/) Reason for choosing Apache OpenOffice Calc Differenza di costo. Switched from [Google Sheets](https://www.capterra.com/p/169718/Google-Sheets/) Necessità di maggiori funzioni. Review Source PC Paolo C. Product Manager IT Information Technology and Services Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Userei tranquillamente tutti i giorni calc " August 31, 2023 5.0 L'ho usato per diverso tempo ma quando ho visto che alcune funzioni avanzate o formattazioni saltavano (tra diversi PC) ho preferito altro Pros La soluzione migliore ed alternativa ad excel. Ha una logica molto simile ma a volte un po' macchinosa. In ogni caso di altissimo livello Cons Solo alcuni problemi di compatibilità con PC che non hanno calc Alternatives considered [Microsoft Excel](https://www.capterra.com/p/176574/Excel/) Reason for choosing Apache OpenOffice Calc Ho usato entrambi i prodotti Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Riesgos Banking Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Gestión de datos con OpenOffice Calc" November 11, 2022 4.0 Buena experiencia, acorde a su precio. Excelente alternativa. Pros Que se adapta a sistemas operativos, la facilidad de manejo de datos y que es de licencia gratuita. Cons La interface del producto, debe ser más dinámico. Review Source GS GIANNA S. Owner Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Spreadsheet tool for all" January 10, 2018 5.0 Pros I love how much I can do with the spreadsheet. It has all sorts of different calculations built in and can be used by novice on up. I also really like that this is a free program but offers the same as most paid spreadsheet tools. Cons The only thing that is a con on this is that there is no real-time collaboration. Other than that this software is amazing. Review Source JW Jax W. Engineer Information Technology and Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Spreadsheets with Excellent Documentation" March 12, 2020 5.0 Many things have changed around Calc over the last 10 years, including the platforms that I've used it on, but it has been consistent throughout. Pros I've been using Calc for over 10 years and it has worked well for the entire time. I love that the help documentation is actually useful, without relying on digging though sketchy support forums. Cons I haven't been able to live edit a spreadsheet simultaneously with another user, but other than that I haven't found it lacking in any way. Review Source RL Roland L. ingénieur/chercheur Research Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Tableur gratuit pratique" January 20, 2023 4.0 Pros C'est gratuit et facile à installer sous linux. Format de sortie compatible avec Excel Cons Le manque de fonctionnalités par rapport à Excel Review Source SK Sanket K. Student Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Substitute for MS Excel but by apache. It is open source." May 15, 2018 5.0 Pros 1) Lightweight and easy to use. 2) Very focused and efficient UI. 3) It just does what is expected. Cons 1) Cannot write uppercase letters as label in graphs drawn (atleast in ubuntu 17.10's openoffice calc) which is weird. 2) Converting the document to xlsx is sometimes problematic that some elements is not properly converted to target format. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Scrittrice e traduttrice freelance Translation and Localization Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Un software di calcolo per PC leggero, ma con tante funzionalità" December 24, 2022 4.0 Pros Occupa molto meno spazio nel mio PC rispetto agli altri software che ho installato in passato, ma ha tutte le funzionalità che posso desiderare nell'ambito dei calcoli, come il bottone Somma automatica. Inoltre, mi basta un solo clic per esportare il documento su cui sto lavorando in .pdf, anche se è possibile fare lo stesso con molti altri formati, incluso il xls. Cons Se il mio documento consiste in più fogli e lo salvo in .pdf invece che in .xls, non riesco a salvare che un solo foglio, ovvero quello che ho davanti in quel momento. Review Source DL Delphine L. Freelance E-Learning Used the software for: 2+ years ### "La suite bureautique gratuite et complète d'OpenOffice" January 19, 2023 5.0 J'utilise cette suite pour mon travail d'enseignante, notamment pour la production de flyers et d'affiches car les fonctions de dessin sont très abouties Pros Apache OpenOffice Calc est une suite de productivité efficace et polyvalente qui permet de créer de nombreux types de documents, de la feuille de calcul à la présentation multimédia. Très facile d'utilisation, intuitive, complète et totalement gratuite, cette suite réunit dans une seule et unique application, les outils essentiels au traitement de texte, au calcul, au dessin et à la présentation. Par sa polyvalence et ses multiples fonctionnalités, Apache OpenOffice Calc répond aussi bien aux besoins des particuliers qu’à ceux des entreprises. Cons La rubrique Aide n'est pas très développée et les fonctionnalités du programme sont moins avancées que celles de certaines autres suites professionnelles payantes. Par ailleurs, le logiciel rencontre parfois certains problèmes de compatibilité Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Dependienta Consumer Services Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Hoja de cálculo fácil de manejar" March 30, 2023 4.0 Pros Que es muy cómodo de manejar y con un interfaces agradable a la vista. No es tan potente y completo como el Excel de Office pero cumple su cometido. Cons Echo de menos algunas características que tiene el Excel, pero solo eso. Switched from [Microsoft Excel](https://www.capterra.com/p/176574/Excel/) Por ser más económico Review Source Hesandu D. Manager Information Technology and Services Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "A better open source spreadsheet software..." January 3, 2021 4.0 Apache OpenOffice Calc is a good free spreadsheet software. We used it for more than 8 months. And we switch for Microsoft Excel. We used Apache OpenOffice Calc, create for financial statements, salary statements and etc. A good free software. Pros We used Apache OpenOffice Calc for more than 8 months. Excellent open source spreadsheet software. Easy to use and small in size. Apache OpenOffice Calc is an absolutely free software. And this software does work on Linux systems too. A free good software. Cons The UI doesn't look so pretty. Sometimes hard to find what we want. Must need to become familiar with the design. But a good spreadsheet software for free. Review Source SR Sandeep R. Qualtiy Analyst Information Technology and Services Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Best and free alternative for Microsoft Excel " April 22, 2021 4.0 Openoffice calc is free and open-source making it more technically efficient for automation scripts. But for regular usage, it needs to cope up with Excel features and functionality. Overall its a great app for handling all our spreadsheets works. Pros Openoffice calc is an efficient tool to open or edit spreadsheets. We use this tool especially for writing automation scripts in robot framework. It is free, open-source and loads files with lot of data instantly. It rarely crashed unlike excel or other such tools. We get the option to choose formatting of the file while launching the app every time. It easily integrates with Zephyr to export the scripts into JIRA. Cons It doesn't have all the features like excel. Copy, paste isn't as smooth as compared to MS excel. It works great on open-source OS such as Linux or Ubuntu, but doesn't work good on MacOS. It hangs a lot on MacOS. Review Source Michael A. Interim MPD Team Lead Religious Institutions Used the software for: 2+ years ### "free alternative to Microsoft Excel" October 19, 2019 4.0 My computer sometimes has issues where Microsoft Office fails to load (especially Excel) or be recognized by my computer, and I can easily keep working by using OpenOffice. Sure, the issue with Office clears up later, but I'd rather not have to wait to keep working. Pros The fact that it's free is huge, and can read files that you'd normally need paid software (whether Microsoft of Apple) to view. Cons It lacks as many features as the paid softwares, which is to be expected. Some of the features it shares with Excel aren't in the same place, so there's a bit of a learning curve if you switch, or if you use both. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Associate Consultant Information Technology and Services Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Good alternative to Microsoft Excel" October 1, 2019 4.0 Overall good option if you don't want to pay for Excel licence and willing to learn to use it. Pros Almost all features used by average Excel user are available in Calc. Works on both, windows and Linux. Free licence. Cons User interface is basic and seems outdated. It takes time to get used to after migrating from excel. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Ingeniero Industrial Automation Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Hojas de cálculo para todos !" February 15, 2023 4.0 Probé a dejar de utilizar de un software de pago muy conocído por las hojas de cálculo Calc y he de decir que si te acostumbras no te acuerdas de Excel para nada .... Una maravilla y gratis Pros Me parece que ser software libre es su mayor ventaja. Teniendo muchas funcionalidades idénticas a otros software de pago. Cons Es posible que la adaptación de otro software a este no sea la más sencilla por qué te acostumbras a funciones que son algo diferente y puede costar el cambio pero después es genial. Switched from [Microsoft Excel](https://www.capterra.com/p/176574/Excel/) Por ser Calc un software libre gratuito Review Source Similar Products Featured