Review: The Best Ajax-Based Apps

Spreadsheets

The Winner: Google Spreadsheets
If you're a spreadsheet jockey, you won't be impressed by Google Spreadsheets. After all, it doesn't let you create charts, it doesn't include macros, you can't create pivot tables, and it won't perform data validation.

Google Spreadsheets has collaboration tools that can't be beat. Click image to enlarge and to launch image gallery.

If you're anyone else, though -- and that means most of us -- you'll be more than impressed with this Ajax-based spreadsheet. What's not to like? It includes dozens of built-in spreadsheet functions, and using them is exceptionally easy -- click the Formulas link at the top of the page, then click the formula you want to insert, and you're done.

You want to format your worksheet? Simple: Highlight the cells you want to format, click Choose Format, and there you are. You can round your figures out or show them to two decimals, while dates can be in one of four different formats. You can also easily change the font, size, or color of your cell contents, and add borders. Other functions are near at hand, such as sorting columns and data, copying, pasting, and undoing.

		Ajax Apps
		•  Introduction •  Calendars •  E-Mail •  Info Managers •  Spreadsheets •  Webtops •  Word Processors
		•  Image Gallery

Google's collaboration tools are even better. Type in the e-mail addresses of colleagues whom you want to edit or view your spreadsheet, click Invite People, and they can share your spreadsheet with you. When two people work on a spreadsheet together, each can see what the other is doing live, and you can chat at the same time.

This is not to say that Google Spreadsheets is perfect. Its export function is severely limited: You can only export spreadsheets in two formats, .XLS and .CSV, which pales compared to the wide range of formats available to runner-up Zoho Sheet.

Still, that's a small drawback. With a solid set of easy-to-use (yet surprisingly powerful) spreadsheet functions and superb collaboration tools, this one is a winner for anyone who needs to collaborate using spreadsheets.

The Runner-Up: Zoho Sheet
Zoho Sheet is a close runner-up to Google Spreadsheets, and in fact bests it in several ways. It lets you create charts, for example, and you can export to more formats than Google Spreadsheets, including Excel, OpenOffice, .CSV, HTML, and PDF.

Zoho Sheet lets you create charts and export to multiple formats. Click image to enlarge and to launch image gallery.

Where it falls down is collaboration. You can invite people to share your spreadsheets, and you can give them read-only or read-write access. But despite multiple efforts, I couldn't get it to work properly; edits made by one person didn't show up to the other person working on the same sheet and vice versa. In time, this bug may be worked out, and Zoho Sheet could end up the winner.

Also Available:

Num Sum: If you're looking for a simple-to-use Ajax-based spreadsheet that offers a good set of features and tools in several toolbars, Num Sum is worth a try. Like the other spreadsheets in this roundup, it lets you invite others to collaborate on the spreadsheet. And you can also add charts.

But where are the formulas? You can insert a number of different formulas on your own (SUM, AVERAGE, COUNT, and so on), but which are available? There's no way to know unless you go through the help system. And there's no way to insert the formulas with mouse-clicks; you'll have to type them in manually. (Click here for image.)

iRows: iRows offers all the basics you'd expect from an Ajax-based spreadsheet, but doesn't go much beyond that. And there's one big drawback: It misleads you into clicking on advertising by implying that links are spreadsheet functions rather than ads. Across the top of the page are links such as Spreadsheet Controls and Cash Flow Spreadsheet. Click on them, and you get sent to Google-based advertising. (Click here for image.)

--Preston Gralla