5 Apps For Creating And Editing Spreadsheets On Android Devices

We've transitioned from using smartphones as fun ways to text and call our loved ones to them being widely applauded as multipurpose tools. The improvements in processing power and advancements in software have made it possible for one to exclusively use their phone for work-related tasks — and what's better than being able to create a spreadsheet while you're away from your laptop or PC? 

When it comes to options, you might be surprised to find that popular alternatives to Microsoft Excel for Windows and macOS are also available for Android, and fortunately, all of them work as advertised and carry over most, if not all, the functionality to the smaller screen. Still, the Play Store is notorious for being flooded with low-effort and sometimes ad-hogging applications, especially in the productivity category. 

Navigating through this endless catalog might seem like finding a needle in a haystack, but there are reliable gems sprinkled in that aid you in creating, editing, and managing spreadsheets with ease. You'll notice that most of our recommendations are from software giants known for similar products for PC and Mac — making it easier for you to pick the one you're already familiar with on the big screen. 

Perhaps the easiest recommendation for those looking for a way to edit spreadsheets on mobile is Microsoft Excel. Its capabilities as a spreadsheet management tool can be seen by its sheer popularity, with over a million companies in the U.S. alone relying on the Office 365 suite of apps. Unlike its desktop counterpart, Excel on Android is free for the most part — with only a few exclusive features like PivotTable and SmartArt locked behind the Office 365 subscription. 

The biggest reason to choose Excel over other options is if you're already tied in with Microsoft's ecosystem of productivity apps on other devices. If you're a student enrolled in a university or a working professional at an agency, you most likely already have a subscription of some kind, and this can be extended to your Android phone, given you use the same login credentials as the Microsoft account on your PC or laptop.

Feature and tools-wise, Excel is unparalleled. You can make basic edits to your spreadsheets or use equations and conditional formatting to automate data entry. The app is user-friendly for all screen sizes and has no advertisements to interrupt your workflow. Synchronization times aren't as swift, but the availability of Office apps on the web and other platforms comes in handy. 

When it comes to rival Microsoft Office, Zoho's suite of productivity office apps comes the closest. Each of its apps has bits of seamless integration with other apps in the pack and is globally acclaimed as one of the best collaborative workplace software. Zoho Sheet is the company's spreadsheet editing tool that carries over the same functionality as the desktop and web apps. The support for extensions through its vast marketplace means you can make the app as powerful as you need it to be. Otherwise, Zoho Sheet offers an intuitive and appealing interface in its out-of-the-box configuration.

You can use your existing Zoho account, sign in using Google, or choose to view local files on the first launch. You can glance over data in a selected range by using the "Insights by Zia" feature, where you can also sort and filter specifics. There's a sticky toolbox at the bottom that contains data entry shortcuts that automatically change depending on the context of the selected cell. The app also has one of the best designs for creating and modifying formulae. This user-friendly approach extends to the rest of the app, making Zoho Sheet feel the most native to use on a smaller screen.  

You can store files locally or upload them to a cloud service like DropBox. Zoho Sheet for Android is completely free to use and ships with zero advertisements, making it one of the best productivity apps you should be using. 

A popular alternative to Microsoft Office apps is the WPS Office suite, and its presence on the Play Store as a free spreadsheet editing tool has saved many from shelling out cash for products by other competitors. A single installation of the WPS Office app on your Android phone will give you access to not just Excel files but also Word documents, PDFs, and PowerPoint presentations — this is something other offerings skimp out on and instead have separate apps for every document type.

For being completely free, you do need to deal with a few ads while using WPS Office, which can be removed permanently by subscribing to the premium version. Apart from the usual spreadsheet editing tools like sort and filter, you have options to use various cloud services like OneDrive, Dropbox, and Google Drive for backup and sync. The meteoric rise of AI tools has inspired the WPS AI feature, which houses several smaller tools that simplify document editing and creation. 

You can use AI-generated content when typing a lengthy Word document or make use of OCR to identify handwriting and copy text seamlessly. WPS Office is also available on Windows and macOS, making cross-platform editing a breeze. 

AndrOpen Office is a ported version of the now-discontinued open-source OpenOffice suite, and like WPS Office, you get access to a handful of other productivity apps besides Excel. Writer is their Microsoft Word alternative, and Draw lets you create 3D illustrations right on your phone. To create and edit spreadsheets, you must use the Calc application within the suite. You can import from various popular Excel sheet formats, including XLS, XLT, XLSX, and more. 

With over seven million downloads and an overall positive rating by its users, the only complaint we had with AndrOpen Office's Calc app is the rather outdated user interface. This also extends to the other tools within the suite, but given how this is a derivative of an open-source program, demanding aesthetics would be asking a bit too much. The upside of dealing with the clunky interface can be seen in the number of features and tools you can access while editing your sheets. Pretty much anything you find on desktop-level apps like LibreOffice and Microsoft Excel can be found in this mobile version.

With a one-off payment of $20, you can get rid of all ads, unlock a few other features, and gain access to seamless cloud backup. If you're sick of paying a recurring subscription fee just to be able to edit your spreadsheets in peace, AndrOpen Office is your best bet. 

We've saved one of the best options for the last. Google Sheets is not only completely free and devoid of advertisements but is extremely lightweight and can practically run on any smartphone. This snappy and widely compatible nature isn't to be mistaken for Google Sheets being any less powerful than the competitors on the list. As a matter of fact, the ability to download and use add-ons from the Chrome Web Store makes this potentially more feature-packed and customizable than the other offerings. 

All you need to get started with Google Sheets is a free Google account and access to the internet to download the app from the Play Store. Sheets is best known for how seamlessly you can switch between devices without ever having to manually save your work. You can edit offline with Google Sheets, and your spreadsheets will be automatically updated once your phone has access to the internet again. 

It has deep integration with Google's other products, including Gmail, Google Drive, Google Meet, and its companion office-related app, Google Docs. There are official templates for Google Sheets you can choose from before creating a new spreadsheet, or simply import ones you find online. All of the conditional formatting magic can be found in Google Sheets, making it completely viable for professional office use.