Microsoft Excel has been a valuable tool in the business world for a long time. Its ability to create financial projections has made it an essential tool for anyone looking to make sound business decisions. 

While Excel is not the only software available for this purpose, it is the most popular. Its user-friendly interface and wide range of features have made it perfect for creating accurate financial projections.

Excel is not just a financial tool but a very effective business tool for various functions. For example, you can use Excel to track customer data, create marketing reports, and measure sales performance. Excel can help you forecast future sales, identify trends, and spot opportunities.

Excel is a powerful tool, but it has its drawbacks. One of the biggest drawbacks is its complexity. Excel is so flexible, so versatile, and has so many features that it's best used by power users, and it can be difficult for average users to understand. 

If you are one of those people who find it difficult to use Microsoft Excel, here are 5 Excel alternatives you can start using right away! 

1. Blox 

Blox is an intelligent, web-based Excel alternative that is easy to use and intuitive. Blox makes it easy to input and track data, making it an excellent tool for small businesses, managers, and even individuals. 

Unlike Excel, Blox comes with a set of prebuilt calculators called blocks that allow you to perform various tasks, from visualizing and analyzing data to forecasting it. 

With Blox, you no longer have to remember formulas or worry about complex Excel operations. The best part is that Blox isn’t a mere calculator. It analyzes the data, visualizes it, and even provides a summary. 

Whether in sales, marketing, or human resources, Blox offers a calculator for every function and scenario. Predict the growth trajectory of a SaaS business, forecast sales, plan marketing, and get deeper business insights that enable you to make smarter decisions. 

Learn more about Blox.

2. Google Sheets

Google Sheets is a web-based alternative to Excel that offers decent functionality and supports multiple devices. It's easy to use and can be accessed from anywhere, making it an excellent choice for small businesses and individual users.

There are many reasons why Google Sheets is better than Microsoft Excel. Sheets is cloud-native and has been known for its simplicity for a long time. Many users believe that Google Sheets is much better than Excel when it comes to collaboration. 

Excel is often criticized for being confusing and difficult to use, while Google Sheets is simpler. Besides, Google Sheets is free, unlike Microsoft excel. 

3. Quip 

Quip is an excellent tool for sales professionals who want to improve their forecasting. It allows you to easily see how your sales are doing in real time and makes it easy to spot any potential problems. Quip also makes it easy to share data with your team, so you can all be on the same page regarding forecasting.

Quip is a cloud-based word processing and collaboration tool that Salesforce acquired in 2016. Quip primarily aims at sales professionals and teams and offers features such as real-time collaboration, commenting, and task management. Quip integrates with Salesforce's CRM platform, making it a valuable tool for sales teams. Quip's features make it a powerful tool for sales teams looking to improve their collaboration and productivity.

On the downside, Quip isn’t a free tool and offers little value to anyone who is not a sales professional. 

4. LibreOffice Calc

LibreOffice is top-rated productivity software. It is among the best office software available for Linux users. LibreOffice Calc is an Excel-equivalent tool from LibreOffice that allows its users to calculate and compute. 

LibreOffice Calc is a free and open-source alternative to Microsoft Excel. It offers the same features as Excel, including support for complex formulas, charts and graphs, pivot tables, and more. LibreOffice Calc is an excellent choice for a free and powerful alternative to Excel.

The powerful spreadsheet application offers all the features and benefits of Excel for free. With Calc, you can create complex calculations and charts and save them in various formats. Calc also offers a wide range of features for collaboration with others. And because it's open source, you can be sure you're getting the latest and greatest features and bug fixes.

5. Numbers for Mac

Numbers for Mac is an incredibly user-friendly spreadsheet application that makes data entry and collaboration a breeze. The intuitive interface and powerful features make it the perfect choice for home and business users. Whether you need to track your finances or manage a team project, Numbers for Mac has you covered.

There are many reasons to choose Numbers for Mac over Excel. First, Numbers is specifically designed for Mac users with a sleek and elegant look and feel, while Excel is available for Mac its features are limited vs the PC version. Second, Numbers offers a more intuitive interface than Excel, making it easier for many tasks. Third, Numbers includes powerful features such as templates and charts that are not available in Excel. Finally, Numbers files are compatible with Excel, so you can easily share your work with others.

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