Comparison

Microsoft Excel vs Open as App

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Microsoft Excel

This powerful productivity app allows you to create, view, and edit spreadsheets on the go. Manage data, perform calculations, and analyze information with robust formatting and charting tools. Share your work easily with others.

Highlights
  • Create, view, and edit spreadsheets
  • Data analysis with charts and graphs
  • Budgeting and accounting tools
  • Customizable tables and formatting
  • Share files with collaborators
  • Draw and annotate with ink
Read full description

Review files and run data analysis on the go. Customise tables the way you want with robust formatting tools and great features. Excel lets you build your spreadsheet to meet your specific needs. Get the power of AI with Copilot in your favourite apps when you sign in with your Microsoft 365 subscription. Create templates, edit spreadsheets, organise charts and share with ease when you download Microsoft Excel. Tables and Spreadsheets: Create, Calculate and Analyse • Jump-start your budget, task list, accounting or financial analysis with Excel’s modern templates. • Rich productivity features and formatting options make your workbook easier to read and use. Productivity App: Review, Edit and Work Anywhere • Refresh sheet data or update your task list from anywhere. • Spreadsheet features like sort and filter columns help focus your reviews. • Create, duplicate, hide and unhide sheets easily. Data Analysis: Discover Key Insights on the Go • Analyse data using charts and graphs. • Highlight key insights using chart labelling features. • Visualise data at a glance. Finance Budgeting and Accounting: Simplify Personal Finance • Use spreadsheets and charts to help manage budgets. • Familiar tools to help you drill down to your exact finance needs. • Calculate tax estimates, personal finances and more. Draw and Annotate with Ink: Capture Ideas on the Page • Make notes, highlight your worksheet, create shapes or write equations using the draw tab feature on devices with touch capabilities. Sharing Made Easy: Collaborate Anywhere • Share your files with a few taps to quickly invite others to edit, view or leave comments directly in your workbooks. • Copy the content of your worksheet in the body of an email message with its format intact or attach or copy a link to your workbook for other sharing options. • Send worksheet content in an email while preserving formatting or send a link to your workbook. AI Assistance with Copilot* • Summarise data and highlight trends quickly. • Generate charts and tables from raw data with simple prompts. • Get intelligent recommendations for budgeting and forecasting. REQUIREMENTS: 1 GB RAM or above To create or edit documents, sign in with a free Microsoft account on devices with a screen size smaller than 10.1 inches. *Unlock the full Microsoft 365 experience with a qualifying Microsoft 365 subscription for your phone, tablet, PC and Mac. This app is provided by either Microsoft or a third-party app publisher and is subject to a separate privacy statement and terms and conditions. Data provided through the use of this store and this app may be accessible to Microsoft or the third-party app publisher, where applicable, and transferred to, stored and processed in the United States or any other country where Microsoft or the app publisher and their affiliates or service providers maintain facilities. Please refer to Microsoft's EULA for Terms of Service for Microsoft 365 on iOS. By installing the app, you agree to these terms and conditions: http://aka.ms/eula

About

Open as App

Transform spreadsheets into powerful, customizable mobile and web apps for teams. Digitize processes, improve speed, and reduce errors with a no-code solution. Build and share apps instantly, working offline and in real-time across platforms.

Highlights
  • Spreadsheet to app conversion
  • No-code app builder
  • Offline app access
  • Real-time collaboration
  • Customizable app templates
  • Cross-platform compatibility
Features
Read full description

Open as App enables teams to turn spreadsheets into powerful, customizable apps they can Open as App enables teams to turn spreadsheets into powerful, customizable apps they can use on the go, even offline. Depending on your business needs, you can now digitize processes, work much faster, avoid human errors, and much more without investing in development. Through our no-code solution, you built your app yourself. It's easy. All you need is Excel, Google Sheets, or other databases that serve as your app's base. Upload your file or use a template. Open as App will recognize the logic and creates your app automatically. Once you are finished, you publish your app, share it, and work with it in real time on any platform. Whether you work in Finance, Manufacturing, Health, Education, Insurance, Management, or other, you can create service quotes through your apps and have them signed on the spot, invoices on-site, pricing plans, product catalogs, dashboards, budget reports, finance reports, company performance, contact lists, inventory lists, project lists, time-tracking, recording of billable hours, customer surveys and more. Start building incredible mobile and web calculators, dashboards, lists, and surveys now!Start building incredible mobile and web calculators, dashboards, lists, and surveys now!

Screenshots

Microsoft Excel4 screens
Open as App4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Open as App at 78% against Microsoft Excel's 24%. Open as App also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 15) and iOS requirement (10.0 vs 18.0). Microsoft Excel's advantage is rating (4.7 vs 4.3) and ratings volume (1.5M vs 37). On price, ads, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Microsoft Excel sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Open as App asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Microsoft Excel holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Microsoft Excel has 1.5M ratings behind it against 37, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 24% of Microsoft Excel's written reviews are positive against 78% of Open as App's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Microsoft Excel ships an update weekly, Open as App every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and June 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Microsoft Excel versus Open as App: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMicrosoft ExcelOpen as App
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (1.5M ratings) — better4.3 (37 ratings)
Positive reviews24.4% of reviews77.8% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1.5M — better37
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 5 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
Best chart rank#20 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Vision ProiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS18.010.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size436 MB145 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMicrosoft CorporationOpen as App GmbH

Customer experience

Microsoft Excel

All ratings1,460,557 ratings
Positive94.3%
Neutral2.3%
Negative3.4%
Written reviews3,588 reviews
Positive24.4%
Neutral6.4%
Negative69.2%

Open as App

All ratings37 ratings
Positive83.8%
Neutral0.0%
Negative16.2%
Written reviews36 reviews
Positive77.8%
Neutral2.8%
Negative19.4%

Bugs and requests

Microsoft Excel

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Inability to open or edit files
  • Unexpected app closures
  • Syncing problems with OneDrive
  • Formatting issues when copying and pasting
  • Slow performance on high-end devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Conditional formatting options
  • Ability to open password-protected files
  • Improved Apple Pencil and keyboard support
  • Customizable keyboard shortcuts
  • Better compatibility with Dropbox and other cloud storage

Open as App

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

12 purchases

Microsoft Excel

Subscriptions12
  • Office 365 Personal1 Month trial$5.991 Month
  • Office 365 Personal1 Month trial$6.991 Month
  • Microsoft 365 Personal Student1 Month trial$9.991 Month
Show 9 more
  • Microsoft 365 Personal1 Month trial$9.991 Month
  • Microsoft 365 Family1 Month trial2 variants$12.991 Month
  • Office 365 Home1 Month trial$12.991 Month
  • Microsoft 365 Premium Monthly1 Month trial$19.991 Month
  • Microsoft Copilot Pro$20.001 Month
  • Office 365 Personal$69.991 Year
  • Microsoft 365 Personal1 Month trial$99.991 Year
  • Office 365 Home$129.991 Year
  • Microsoft 365 Family1 Month trial$129.991 Year
None

Open as App

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Microsoft Excel free?
Microsoft Excel is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Open as App free?
Open as App is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Microsoft Excel or Open as App?
Microsoft Excel is rated higher. Microsoft Excel averages 4.7 out of 5 from 1.5M ratings, while Open as App averages 4.3 from 37 ratings.
Do Microsoft Excel or Open as App have ads?
Neither Microsoft Excel nor Open as App shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Microsoft Excel or Open as App?
Microsoft Excel ships an update weekly, and Open as App every 5 weeks. Most recently, Microsoft Excel was updated on September 24, 2026 and Open as App on June 11, 2026.

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