I’m currently using several spreadsheets to handle my financial tracking and other business tasks. As a consultant, I really need spreadsheet functionality even though I know dedicated finance apps might work better for some things.
I’m wondering about moving away from big tech solutions. Would something like LibreOffice that I can host myself be the best option? I want to keep control of my data but still have reliable spreadsheet features.
Has anyone made a similar switch? What alternatives have worked well for you? I need something that can handle multiple sheets and basic formulas for budget tracking and client work management.
LibreOffice is solid, but check out OnlyOffice if you want something between self-hosted and cloud convenience. I run it on a VPS - gives you real-time collaboration without losing data control. Interface feels way more modern than LibreOffice and handles financial modeling really well. Also worth looking at EtherCalc - completely open source and you can deploy it anywhere. Works in any browser, does proper spreadsheet functions. I’ve used it for budget tracking for eight months now. Performance isn’t as snappy as desktop apps, but knowing exactly where my financial data lives is worth it. Both let you export to standard formats so you’re never locked in.
Switched from Google Sheets to Airtable six months ago - game changer for my finances. Sure, it’s still cloud-based, but the database structure beats regular spreadsheets hands down. You can link records between tables, which makes tracking client payments and expenses super smooth. Formulas handle complex calculations just fine, and it looks way more professional when I share reports with clients. Free tier works great for most small businesses, though you’ll need to upgrade for huge datasets. Yeah, it’s not self-hosted like LibreOffice, but Airtable’s export options and data portability blow Google Sheets out of the water if you want to switch later.
Been there with the spreadsheet chaos. I used to juggle 15+ Google Sheets for financial tracking across different projects until I realized I was spending more time updating sheets than analyzing data.
What changed everything: automation workflows that connect your existing tools instead of replacing them. Keep using whatever spreadsheet you want (LibreOffice, Excel, whatever) but automate the data flow between them.
I built workflows that automatically pull bank transactions, categorize expenses, update budget sheets, and generate client invoices. No more manual data entry or wondering if numbers are current. Everything runs in the background and stays synced.
For self-hosting, you get the best of both worlds. Your data stays where you want it while automation handles the tedious stuff. Set up triggers for new transactions, automatic backups, and alerts when budgets hit thresholds.
This completely solved my consultant workflow. Client payments get tracked automatically, expenses categorize instantly, and monthly reports generate themselves.
Check out Latenode for building these workflows: https://latenode.com
excel’s honestly still great if you’re okay with microsoft. i’ve used it for years - the desktop version crushes google sheets when handling large financial datasets. the formulas are rock solid and there’s tons of finance templates ready to go. sure, it’s not self-hosted, but at least you’re not handing everything over to google. plus it works offline, which has saved my butt multiple times when the internet died during month-end reporting.
The real issue isn’t finding a better spreadsheet app - it’s all the manual grunt work managing multiple finance sheets.
I ditched spreadsheet juggling completely. Instead of migrating between apps, I automated my entire financial workflow. Bank transactions now flow straight into whatever format I need. Expenses categorize themselves. Budget tracking updates live.
You can stick with LibreOffice or whatever you like. Just let automation handle the data entry and syncing instead of doing it manually. Client invoices generate when projects hit milestones. Financial reports build themselves from live data.
Perfect for self-hosting since your data stays put, but you cut out hours of weekly spreadsheet maintenance. Set triggers to watch for new transactions, auto-backup files, and alert you when budgets need attention.
I haven’t manually entered spreadsheet data in months, but my financial tracking works flawlessly. Everything runs in the background.
Latenode makes building these workflows super straightforward: https://latenode.com
I’ve used LibreOffice Calc for three years after dumping Google Sheets. Took about two weeks to get used to the interface, but it does everything I need for tracking finances. All my formulas imported perfectly. Best part? I own my data. Everything’s on my machine with backups to my cloud storage. It’s actually faster than Google Sheets with big datasets - those quarterly reports with thousands of transactions run way smoother. Handles multiple sheets fine and does all the pivot tables and complex formulas I need for client billing. Downside is collaboration gets messy without real-time sharing. I work around it by exporting PDFs for clients and using version control for shared docs. There’s a small learning curve, but if you know spreadsheets already, you’ll pick it up quick.