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AI · alternatives · 2026

24 alternatives to OpenSheet

Hi folks. I've been doing some experiments on how LLMs could get more handy in the day to day of working with files (CSV, Parquet, etc). Earlier last year, I built https://datakit.page and evolved it over and over into an all in-browser experience with help of duckdb-wasm. Got loads of feedbacks and I think it turned into a good shape with being an adhoc local data studio, but I kept hearing two main things/issues: Why can't the AI also change cells in the file we give to it? Why can't we modify this grid ourselves? So besides the whole READ and text-to-SQL flows, what seemed…

Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes.

  1. 1

    The project is called QueryStorm. It uses Roslyn to offer C# (and VB.NET) support in Excel, as an alternative to VBA. I've posted about it before, but a lot has changed since then so figured I'd share an update. The current version includes a host of new features, namely a C# debugger, support for NuGet packages, and the ability to publish Excel extensions to an "AppStore" (which is essentially a NuGet repository). The AppStore can be used by anyone with the (free) runtime component. Another great addition is the community license, which is a free license for individuals and small companies…

    2023 · querystorm.com · its alternatives →

  2. 2
    Clay▲792

    Create spreadsheets that fill themselves, without code

    2022 · clay.com · its alternatives →

  3. 3
    Rows▲511

    Import business data and analyze it using plain language.

    2021 · rows.com · its alternatives →

  4. 4AV

    In a popular post today[1] the title claims "VM in Google Sheets", but it's actually in Google Script, which is basically Javascript and not an interesting technical accomplishment (definitely a useful educational tool, though). Disappointed, I set out to fix it. Voila! https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1g3-FZBnkDuLqFYOmk457... A Brainfk interpreter in pure Google Sheets formulas. The hard part was parentheses matching, so I think other VMs would be even easier. [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14701460

    2017 · its alternatives →

  5. 5

    Hey HN! We’ve built Pretzel, an open-source data exploration and visualization tool that runs fully in the browser and can handle large files (200 MB CSV on my 8gb MacBook air is snappy). It’s also reactive - so if, for example, you change a filter, all the data transform blocks after it re-evaluate automatically. You can try it here: https://pretzelai.github.io/ (static hosted webpage) or see a demo video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73wNEun_L7w You can play with the demo CSV that’s pre-loaded (GitHub data of text-editor adjacent projects) or upload…

    2024 · github.com · its alternatives →

  6. 6

    Today I'm open sourcing "Grid studio", a web-based spreadsheet application with full integration of the Python programming language.

    2019 · hackernoon.com · its alternatives →

  7. 7SA
  8. 8

    While speccing out this spreadsheet tool, I realized that I never had to think about the keybindings. It all just came naturally from Vim. Normal/insert/visual modes, hjkl navigation, dd/yy/p, :w, :q. The usual muscle memory works. It supports CSV/TSV import and export, and a native .cell format that preserves formulas. The formula engine handles SUM, AVERAGE, COUNT, MIN, MAX, and IF with range references. The codebase is a Cargo workspace: a pure cell-sheet-core library (no TUI dependency) and a cell-sheet-tui crate on top of ratatui. Early days, but it's usable. To…

    Apr 2026 · github.com · its alternatives →

  9. 9

    Free chart maker & visual exploration for spreadsheet data

    2020 · its alternatives →

  10. 10

    Hi HN, I've been tinkering/building AI applications that require interaction with spreadsheets (Excel / Google Sheets). Realized that LLMs don't work off-the-shelf when it comes to producing correct, reliable output for spreadsheets, regardless of how you wish to encode it (JSON, markdown, XML, etc.) After prompting, fine-tuning LLMs to work for my applications, decided to expose the functionality as an API to this community. Eager to see if it is helpful/of interest to others. Let me know if you need an invite.

    2025 · parseclabs.ai · its alternatives →

  11. 11
    folio▲74

    hi HN! a couple of months ago I had to analyze a few thousand audio recordings to help identify issues with customer support. i was able to get some raw high-level initial results with python scripts invoking LLM APIs, but they were too general and unhelpful. writing basic prompts is easy, but tuning them and making them specific enough to ensure no faint signal is missed is hard. you need to iterate through the data with an initial prompt, segment the data into different buckets, chain another prompt for each bucket etc. Then you need to constantly review the raw data to tweak the prompts…

    Apr 2026 · usefolio.ai · its alternatives →

  12. 12
    ManyExcel▲197

    Convert your text into spreadsheet formulas with AI

    2024 · its alternatives →

  13. 13

    AI-powered spreadsheet w/ interactive datavis layer

    2023 · grid.is · its alternatives →

  14. 14
    Slate▲109

    Making Spreadsheets Understandable.

    2014 · useslate.com · its alternatives →

  15. 15
    Sheet0▲151

    YOLO mode comes to spreadsheets

    Nov 2025 · sheet0.com · its alternatives →

  16. 16

    Hey HN, I am Alex. I am open sourcing Data Studio, a lightweight data exploration IDE in your browser that runs locally. Try it: https://local.dataspren.com (no account needed, runs locally) More information: https://github.com/dataspren-analytics/data-studio I love working with data (Postgres, SQL, DuckDB, DBT, Iceberg, ...). I always wanted a data exploration tool that runs in my browser and just works. Without any infra or privacy concerns (DuckDB UI came quite close). Features: - Data Notebooks - SQL cells work like DBT models (they materialize to views) -…

    Feb 2026 · github.com · its alternatives →

  17. 17

    In my previous role at a small startup, I frequently developed simple scripts to assist recruiters and marketing professionals in handling data processing tasks on Excel or CSV files. These tasks were typically straightforward and repetitive, stemming from the periodic export of data. This experience sparked the idea to create a straightforward tool dedicated to such functionalities(also mobile friendly, as they occasionally need to process data on their smartphones). There are powerful tools like Power Query and Tableau, but they often prove too complex for non-technical users to navigate…

    2024 · tablesmith.io · its alternatives →

  18. 18

    We built what we're calling "operational spreadsheets" – spreadsheets that can actually execute actions across external systems, not just calculate and display data. The core idea: spreadsheets have been passive tools for 40 years. You put data in, formulas process it, you export it, manually move it somewhere else, repeat. We added bidirectional API integration with natural language commands, so the spreadsheet itself can send emails, update databases, orchestrate workflows across services – autonomously. Think of it as the evolution from VisiCalc → Excel → Google Sheets (multi-user) →…

    2024 · sourcetable.com · its alternatives →

  19. 19

    Like charts but hate spreadsheets?

    2023 · csvcharts.com · its alternatives →

  20. 20

    We tried to build an Excel error checker. To achieve that, we needed to actually understand the semantic structure of a spreadsheet first. So we built that, and it turned out to be the harder, more general problem. The core issue: most real-world spreadsheets aren't relational tables. Merged cells, multi-level headers, multiple tables per sheet, totals mixed in with data. You can't just dump them to CSV and call it done. LLMs handle the easy cases but fall apart on complex workbooks at scale. Our approach uses an agent-guided compilation pipeline that produces SQL-ready relational tables…

    Mar 2026 · docs.deeptable.com · its alternatives →

  21. 21

    The spreadsheet built for big data

    2023 · gigasheet.com · its alternatives →

  22. 22AW
  23. 23

    Turn a Google Spreadsheet into a JSON API

    2023 · sheetdb.io · its alternatives →

  24. 24E2

    Not exactly a side project but my work for the last 2.5 years. As an avid HN lurker would love to hear feedback. Background: I am a PM on the Excel team in charge of the advanced data analysis tools (http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/bi/Products/OfficePreview.aspx) To download: http://www.microsoft.com/office/preview/en

    2012 · microsoft.com · its alternatives →

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