An offline, private alternative to Google Sheets for Mac
Google Sheets is free, capable and unbeatable when several people need to edit the same sheet at once. It also comes with conditions: you need a Google account, your files live on Google's servers, it runs in a browser tab, and working offline needs Chrome or Edge, an extension and some setup done in advance.
Foglio is a free, open-source spreadsheet app that runs entirely on your Mac. No account, no sign-in, no network connections of its own. Your files are ordinary .xlsx files in a folder you choose. Here is how the two compare, honestly.
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Why people look for a Google Sheets alternative
- Offline work. On a plane, a train or a weak hotel connection, a desktop app simply works. Google's offline mode must be enabled while online, needs the Google Docs Offline extension in Chrome or Edge, and only one account per browser profile can use it.
- Privacy. Some data should not be uploaded anywhere: payroll, medical expenses, client lists. With Foglio, the file never leaves your Mac unless you send it.
- No account. Not everyone has, or wants, a Google account, and some workplaces do not allow personal cloud storage.
- A real Mac app. A browser tab is not a Mac app: no Open Recent, no window tabs of their own, no native print dialog, no Mac shortcuts. Foglio is written in Swift/AppKit.
- Big local files. Opening a large
.xlsxin Sheets means uploading and converting it, and Google sets a limit of 20 million cells per spreadsheet. Foglio opens a 100,000-row, 300,000-formula workbook in 1.1 s on our test Mac.
What you keep from Google Sheets
Most of what you do in Sheets works the same way in Foglio. Formulas use the same Excel-style syntax and function names: SUMIFS, XLOOKUP, FILTER, SORT, UNIQUE, LET and LAMBDA are all there, among about 500 functions. AutoFilter, sorting, data validation dropdowns, conditional formatting with color scales, charts, find and replace, freeze panes and comments are all supported.
To bring a sheet over, use File ▸ Download ▸ Microsoft Excel (.xlsx) in Google Sheets and open the file in Foglio. Formatting, formulas and charts come across; Google-only functions such as GOOGLEFINANCE, IMPORTRANGE or QUERY have no equivalent in Foglio or Excel.
What Google Sheets does better
- Real-time collaboration. Several cursors in one sheet, comments with mentions, version history. Foglio is a single-user desktop app.
- Every device. Sheets runs in any browser and has iPhone, iPad and Android apps. Foglio runs only on Macs with macOS 14 or later.
- Online data. Functions like IMPORTRANGE, IMPORTHTML and GOOGLEFINANCE pull live data from the web. Foglio does not connect to the internet.
- Automation and AI. Apps Script for automation and, depending on your plan, Gemini for help with formulas and analysis. Foglio has neither macros nor AI features.
- Pivot tables and more chart types. Foglio offers Summarize by for simple summaries and the common chart types.
When you should keep using Google Sheets
If your spreadsheet is a shared space, such as a team tracker, a family packing list or a sign-up sheet, Google Sheets is the right tool and Foglio is not trying to replace it. The same goes for sheets that pull live data from the web, or that you need to edit from a phone.
If the sheet is yours, local, or confidential, a desktop app makes more sense. Many people use both: Google Sheets for shared documents, Foglio for personal finances, client data and the Excel files that arrive by email.
Your files, your folder
Foglio saves standard .xlsx files wherever you like: your Documents folder, an external drive, or a synced folder such as iCloud Drive or Dropbox if you choose. Because they are Excel files, you can always upload one to Google Sheets later. There is no lock-in in either direction.
Download Foglio for free (7.5 MB, macOS 14+). To see how it stacks up against Excel, Numbers and LibreOffice as well, read the full comparison.