Grist vs Zoho Sheet
Grist and Zoho Sheet are both databases & spreadsheets tools. Grist is aimed at developers and small businesses, while Zoho Sheet is aimed at small businesses and freelancers. Both have a free plan.
Relational spreadsheet with Python formulas
Free collaborative spreadsheet with Zia AI and built-in data cleaning
| Pricing | Open source · $10 | Free |
| Starting price | $10/mo | Not published |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | 30 days | — |
| Built for | Developers, Small businesses | Small businesses, Freelancers, Enterprise |
| Platforms | web | web, windows, macos, ios, android |
| Country | US · 2017 | IN |
| Rating | — | — |
Choose Grist if
Power users wanting spreadsheet + database.
- Powerful formulas
- Fine-grained permissions
- Open source
Look elsewhere if: Simple lists.
Choose Zoho Sheet if
Small businesses and Zoho customers that want a free, collaborative spreadsheet with AI help and live links to their Zoho data.
- Genuinely free editor with AI assistance and data cleaning included
- Imports Excel files and keeps most formatting intact
- Desktop apps for Windows and macOS with offline editing
Look elsewhere if: Teams that live in Google Workspace or Excel power users who need advanced data modelling (Google Sheets, Microsoft Excel, Airtable).
Grist vs Zoho Sheet pricing
Grist
- Free$0Hosted; up to 5,000 records per document
- Pro$10/user/mo$8 billed annually
- Business$30/user/mo$24 billed annually; min 5 users; 150,000 records/doc
- EnterpriseCustomCustom SSO, audit log streaming, SLAs
- Community edition$0Free and open source, self-hosted
Zoho Sheet
- Free$0Full editor, Zia AI, data cleaning and real-time collaboration
- Zoho WorkplaceCustomSheet is bundled with Mail, WorkDrive and Writer in paid suites
Grist · Key features
- Relational tables
- Python formulas
- Granular access rules
- Linked widgets and dashboards
- Self-hosting
- API
Cons
- Learning curve
- Smaller ecosystem
- UI less familiar
Zoho Sheet · Key features
- Zia AI answers data questions and suggests charts, pivots and formulas
- Data cleaning tool that finds duplicates, missing values and inconsistencies
- More than 350 built-in functions plus Deluge-based custom functions
- Pivot tables and close to 40 chart types including Pareto and histograms
- Cell and range locks per user, audit trail and version history
- Macro recording and VBA code support for automation
Cons
- Much smaller add-on and template ecosystem than Google Sheets
- Advanced Excel features like Power Query and Power Pivot are missing
- Few outside collaborators already have Zoho accounts
Grist vs Zoho Sheet: FAQ
Do Grist and Zoho Sheet have a free plan?
Yes, both Grist and Zoho Sheet have a free plan; paid plans add more usage and features.