Nought vs LibreOffice Calc

LibreOffice Calc is the free spreadsheet I respect most, so this is not a soft target. I build Nought, and both apps aim at the same person: someone who wants to open .xlsx on a Mac without paying Microsoft. They just answer it very differently.

What LibreOffice does well

Calc is a mature, powerful, genuinely free spreadsheet, part of a full open-source office suite. It handles Office formats better than most free tools, supports a huge function set, has pivot tables and macros, and is backed by a large community. If you need serious spreadsheet depth and will not pay for it, Calc is the strongest free option there is.

Where it falls short on a Mac

LibreOffice does not feel like a Mac app. It uses its own cross-platform interface, its own dialogs and menus, and it ignores most macOS conventions. It is a large install: the macOS download is around 285 MB (24.x, August 2026), and it is slower to launch and heavier to run than a native app. It works, but it always feels like software visiting from another operating system.

What Nought trades for what

Nought is the opposite bet. It is native to macOS: a 9 MB download, instant to open, using the real system font panel, colour picker and shortcuts. It opens .xlsx in place and writes standards-correct .xlsx and charts back. In exchange it is young and narrow. Nought has pivot tables and JavaScript macros, but not Calc’s suite breadth: no Writer, no Impress, no Base, and no VBA execution. Nought is one focused spreadsheet, not an office suite.

Which to use

Choose LibreOffice Calc if you need depth for free and do not mind a non-native, heavyweight app: pivot tables, macros, the full toolbox. Choose Nought if you want a small, fast, native Mac spreadsheet for opening and editing .xlsx files, and your work fits within tables, formulas, formatting and charts.

If you are unsure, they cost nothing to compare. Get Nought on the App Store and open the same file in both.