There are more than 20 spreadsheet programs in the world. Depending on work policy and personal preferences, people use specific kinds of spreadsheet management software. However, Microsoft Excel has been the benchmark-setting program for a long time. Keeping that in mind, we are putting a nifty little program called SSuite Accel Spreadsheet up against that behemoth in this Excel vs Accel article.
As we understand it, not everybody needs to use Excel for their spreadsheet work. It comes at a high price. There are many alternative options. An occasional spreadsheet user may not need to pay for Excel to complete their work, especially when a free alternative like SSuite Accel Spreadsheet is available!
Besides comparing the two spreadsheet programs here, we will also analyze some of the best features of Accel. By finishing the article, you will know what Excel and Accel come with. The comparison may appear as a David vs Goliath battle now. But let’s not decide just yet.
Let’s get going!
Contents
An Overview of Excel and Accel
MS Excel needs no special introduction. It has been the most popular spreadsheet program since the late 1980s. The hefty price tags of different Excel editions over the years were no obstacles for professionals. It has always been down to what Microsoft delivered for the price. Many alternatives with both premium pricing as well as free of the cost came and went. Yet, Excel always prevailed.
On the other hand, SSuite Accel Spreadsheet has been around since the early 2000s. It has some avid users who made this program their spreadsheet home. Accel has always been a free software and has rocked a simple user interface. However, in terms of functionalities, this compact software packages some super important and exclusive features and functionalities.
In the next two parts of this section, we will briefly and individually discuss Excel and Accel. We will focus strictly on their appearances and important elements. Then we will discuss some special features of Accel, followed by a comparison table of Excel vs Accel.
Excel as a Spreadsheet Program
Before the release of Microsoft Office 2007, Excel had a simple interface. It had a menu bar with some small icons underneath. The menu bar had drop-down menus with some cascading menus within themselves.
With Excel 2007, Microsoft introduced the Ribbon system. It removed all the menus and placed the options in a horizontal ribbon. It took more space out of the working area, but with this change, accessing an option required fewer clicks. The image below marks the ribbon area in Excel.
For large data, Excel is undoubtedly the best spreadsheet program. It has over 17 billion cells! Additionally, the support of almost half a thousand functions and formulas has made it the data analysts’ dream program.
The frequent updates with new features and options also propelled Excel’s success. In a way, Excel has become synonymous with the word “spreadsheet”. The stability and consistency of the program justify the stiff pricing of the Microsoft Office (~$250 one time or $8.25 per month).
Accel as a Spreadsheet Program
Accel’s interface looks similar to Excel 2003 and prior versions. It has the old drop-down menu system with two rows of small icons below the menu bar. However, there is also a sidebar on the right with some necessary functions, such as Worksheet formatting, Table formatting, etc.
The image below shows the menu and function areas of the SSuite Accel Spreadsheet.
The two rows of icons help massively at times. There are some shortcuts to functions. Pressing a corresponding icon initiates the procedure and auto-calculate values. For instance, the AutoSum and AutoSub functions help you calculate the sum of selected values or subtract an array of values from a specific value. It saves you time by not needing you to write down formulas manually.
Nevertheless, the lack of common file format support has limited Accel’s reach. The tiny installation file brings you hundreds of features. Still, only the CSV file format and some legacy Excel worksheet formats are what you get for working with a sheet in Accel and other programs. It remains the biggest pain point for SSuite Accel Spreadsheet.
The menu area of Accel looks most like Excel 2003, and the working area resembles the appearance of Excel 95. Yet, Accel has some unique features that cannot be found in any other spreadsheet program, including Excel! In the next section, we will show you five irresistible features of SSuite Accel.
5 Special Features of SSuite Accel Spreadsheet
There is hardly any spreadsheet program in the world with the capability to say that they have some features Excel does not. Accel plays the game differently here. They have 5 distinctive options that are absent in other spreadsheet programs.
The features we are about to discuss here are not everything exclusive to Accel. They are just the most important qualities we could determine as advantageous. Keep on reading to get some amazing surprises from the Accel Spreadsheet!
Feature 1: Copying Data as an Image
What do you do in Excel when you need to share a snippet from your data? Usually, the process involves either copy-pasting data selection to a new workbook or taking a screenshot with third-party software.
SSuite Accel Spreadsheet noticed this problem and added a practical option to their context menu. You can select the data you want to share and right-click on the top of your selection. Then in the menu, you will find an option called Copy as an Image. You may also use the shortcut for it, Ctrl+Alt+I.
It will copy your selection as an image. Then you can go on and paste the copied image into an image software like Windows’ Paint and save the image. Then share the image as your data snippet.
Pretty cool, right?
Feature 2: Renaming Columns and Rows Headers
How often did you want a feature to rename columns and rows in Excel instead of wasting an extra row or column for headers? Because when you scroll down, the header row disappears. Yes, you can freeze columns and rows in Excel for this problem. However, Accel comes with the most excellent solution.
You can rename your columns and rows in Accel. For instance, see the picture below. We have marked the column and row names here.
We wanted to rename columns instead of using formatted headers. We double-clicked on the column name, which opened a Header Name box. There, we entered the corresponding header name and pressed the OK button.
As you can see below, the column has been renamed to the name we entered in the previous step.
Then we renamed all the columns. See the result below with your own eyes.
The extra row with headers is gone; you can scroll down without worrying about headers disappearing from the top of your data.
How amazing is that?
Feature 3: Native Screenshot-Taking Option
Accel comes with a powerful screenshot-taking feature. It eliminates the necessity of having extra software in your system for capturing screens. You can use this option to take a screenshot of only your Accel or the full screen.
If your goal is to capture only the Accel window’s screenshot, press the Alt+Print Screen buttons on your keyboard. And if you want to take a full-screen shot, only press the Print Screen key on your keyboard. Then, go to Paint, press Ctrl+V to paste the captured screenshot, and save the image file.
Not bad for a quick screengrab!
Feature 4: Direct Uploading System to Online Cloud Storages
In Excel for Microsoft 365, you can save or upload your workbook only to OneDrive. However, SSuite Accel Spreadsheet allows you to upload files to any cloud storage of your choice! By default, it has Dropbox and OneDrive options.
Even so, using the Custom Cloud Storage option will let you save or upload your file to whatever cloud storage you link Accel to. The image below shows the options and the process. Go to the File menu and click the Online Cloud Storage option. A new mini-menu will slide open.
From that menu, you can choose your option. If you go with the Custom Cloud Storage option, you will be asked to enter the web address for your preferred cloud storage.
After inputting the address and clicking OK, it will take you to your browser and open the page for your cloud storage. You only need to log into your cloud storage, and it will link Accel to the cloud account.
Then whenever you want to share your Accel workbook with others, go to the Online Cloud Storage option and click on your decided cloud storage from the list. That’s it!
Feature 5: Printing Single or Multiple Selection(s) from the Context Menu
It is common when you need to print a selection of your worksheet. In Excel, the process requires you to make your selection, go to the Print option, change the setting to Print Selection, and hit Print. However, dealing with spreadsheets demands you be fast in your work.
This is where SSuite Accel Spreadsheet gives you a better option to print your one or multiple selections from the context menu. You are always just one click away from printing your selection of data! We will demonstrate the process below.
First, make a selection of your data and right-click on your mouse. From the menu, hover your mouse pointer over the Print option. It will slide open a menu with two more options. From there, select the Selection(s)… option.
Or you can only press the F11 button after making a selection. It will take you directly to the printer menu. From there, a simple press of the Print button is all you need!
When you need to print multiple selections, the process is easy. Make your first selection. Then press and hold the Ctrl button on your keyboard, and make further selections by pressing and dragging the left button of your mouse. When done, either right-click to bring up the context menu and select Print -> Selection(s)… from there. Or, press the F11 button after selecting your intended data.
What a magnificent feature!
Excel vs Accel: A Comparison Table
Time to put Excel and Accel against each other! Here, we will create a concise head-to-head comparison table for the Excel vs Accel encounter. It is an interesting battle; only you can choose your winner here!
| Excel | Category | Accel |
| $8.25/mo per user (Microsoft Office 365) | Cost | Free of cost |
| 2000+ megabytes (Microsoft Office 365) | Installation File Size | ~25 megabytes |
| Excel Workbook (*.xlsx) | Main File Type | SSuite Accel Workbook (*.vts) |
| Does not work with any SSuite Accel Workbook file format | Compatibility | Works with old Microsoft Excel files (MS Excel 4.0, 5.0) |
| No support for SSuite Accel Workbook (*.vts) | Cross-File Support | MS Excel 4.0 Worksheet (*.xls)
MS Excel 5.0 Workbook (*.xls) CSV files |
| Windows, Mac, iPad, iPhone, Android, Web | Supported Platforms | Windows
Online Edition |
| Available | Templates | Not available |
| Not available (supports OneDrive only) | Custom Cloud Storage | Available
Supports Dropbox and OneDrive by default Other cloud services can be added |
| Not available | Native Screenshot Facility | Available |
| Not available | Column and Row Renaming | Available |
| Not available | Analytics & Audit Trail | Available |
| Close to 1500 third-party integrations available | Integrations | Supports only SSuite Mail Merge Master |
| Available (Excel for Microsoft 365) | Multi-User Collaboration | Not available |
| Not available | API Support | Not available |
| Manual | ODBC Database Support | Automatic |
| More than 100 languages | Language Support | English and Afrikaans |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
After discussing everything, you may still have some questions in your mind. It is a high possibility that the questions you have were already asked by other people too. Therefore, we picked up some most asked questions regarding the Excel vs Accel argument, and we will answer those questions. Afterward, if you still have any questions, please let us know.
Q: Can I use Excel files in Accel?
Ans: Unfortunately, Accel does not support the current default file format of Excel (*.xlsx). So you cannot use Accel to open Excel files.
Q: How can I open Accel files in the Excel program?
Ans: Excel does not support Accel’s default file format (*.vts). You will get an error if you try to open an Accel file in Excel.
Q: Is there any way to open and use an Excel file in Accel?
Ans: You must save your Excel workbook in the Excel 4.0 (*.xls) file format. Even then, you may face some problems while opening the file in Accel. It is all down to data formatting and the elements used inside the worksheet.
Q: Who should use Accel over Excel?
Ans: If a user does not need to use a spreadsheet program for everyday work and needs it only for personal use, they can easily do the job successfully in Accel. It is a free and lite program compared to Excel, which is expensive and heavy.
Q: Is it possible to save Accel files with Excel compatibility?
Ans: Yes, it is possible. When saving a file in Accel, go to File -> Save as and select MS Excel 4.0 Worksheet (*.xls) or MS Excel 5.0 Workbook (*.xls) option from the Save as type list. Now you can open and access your spreadsheet in both Excel and Accel!
Concluding Thoughts
While Microsoft Excel reigns supreme as a spreadsheet program, the SSuite Accel Spreadsheet comes packed with many features in a fraction of the size. Moreover, the pricing difference between Excel and Accel makes one think deeply about both programs before settling for one of them.
We wanted to make a fair comparison of Excel vs Accel in this guide for you. Besides comparing the two spreadsheet programs rigorously, we briefly discussed some of Accel’s important and unique features. Depending on what you want your spreadsheet software to offer, those exclusive features may help you make the correct decision.
We also shared the disadvantageous sides of both Excel and Accel. Still, if you want to analyze what these two softwares bring to the table in terms of both positives and negatives, the comparison table will help you anytime.
And if you continue feeling confused, be sure to install and use the programs yourself. Try and test the boundaries of both Excel and Accel. In the end, you will know what is best for you.
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