5 Free JavaScript Spreadsheet Libraries in 2021

Spreadsheet libraries are in high demand today. Such solutions are convenient as they offer ready-made applications, save the developers' time and the owners' money. They can be used in any business domain to deal with big amounts of data.

The price range may confuse though. Let us review the most popular JS Spreadsheet libraries with a free trial period that can allow you to understand if the product is worth purchasing.

1. Webix SpreadSheet

Webix library offers a collection of ready-made complex widgets that are easily integrated into any solution. SpreadSheet JavaScript UI widget is one of them. It can perform calculations, visualize data, create pivot tables. It is possible to load Excel documents or to open documents in an Excel-like application. Advanced features include sorting and filtering, clipboard, data protection, data look-and-feel customization, and interaction with offline formats.

Reviews on the library mention its easy and short learning curve. The detailed documentation is of help. The library is integrated with Backbone, Angular, and jQuery. Besides, the product is light, while the rendering speed is fast. One more important issue is that it is compatible with any screen size devices.

The license price starts from $778. A free trial period is up to 30 days.

2. Dhtmlx SpreadSheet

Another solution to quickly add and cross-browser Excel-like editable data table on a web page. The component allows you to store the data on your side and to show it in an Ajax-based spreadsheet. Features of the library include adding custom toolbar controls, icons, menu and context menu items, cell formatting, and various operations for the grid.

The product is integrated with Angular, React, and Vue. To learn the library better there is documentation, community forum, and study guides. Among the advantages, the users of the library mention the opportunity to easily convert table data into PDF and Excel formats.

The license starts at $149.

3. HTML5 Excel Viewer

A similar solution from Syncfusion. It provides all the common Excel features, including data binding, selection, editing, formatting, resizing, sorting, and importing and exporting Excel documents. Built-in support for hyperlinks and bookmarks provide easy navigation of web links or cell references within the sheet or other sheets in the workbook. The feature of collaborative editing allows multiple users to work on a spreadsheet at the same time and to see the changes made by others instantly.

Excel Viewer is integrated with Angular, React, and Vue. Users note very helpful technical support.

The license starts at $995.

4. Grapecity SpreadJS

This is a fully-customized spreadsheet web app, complete with visualizations and calculations. The component supports all modern browsers and is integrated with Angular, React, and Vue. The solution provides native Excel input and output, offers an extensive API and a calculation engine to create analysis, budgeting, dashboard, data collection and management, scientific, healthcare, education, financial applications, and more. The engine includes more than 450 functions.

The license is $1499. It includes a year of maintenance and updates.

5. JExcel

The overview will not be full without free open source solutions.

JExcel is a very light jquery plugin to embed a spreadsheet compatible with Excel in your website or application. The JExcel library makes it easy to integrate Microsoft Excel in Swing applications. It can be used for a variety of tasks from displaying a workbook to handling Excel events and embedding a workbook in a Java application.

The main features of the JExcel library include automating Excel applications, workbooks, and sheets. JExcel provides a JWorkbook component that allows you to embed an Excel workbook in a Java Swing application as a regular Swing component. Besides, JExcel has plenty of nice features such as key-value dropdown, CSV loading/exporting, multiple spreadsheets, and much more.

Conclusion

We have examined some of the most popular JS Spreadsheet libraries. There is a variety of solutions today, different in features, prices, and the spheres of application. The good thing is that you can always try using them for free in the trial period before making the final choice.