About Spreadsheet Tools
The story of Spreadsheet Tools began in 2006, when the company was founded by a Ukrainian C++ software developer.
Our first product was Dependency Auditor, a COM add-in for Microsoft Excel designed to analyze dependencies between formulas and display them in a hierarchical tree view. It became a valuable tool for anyone who needed to understand how a particular formula calculates its result and trace the cells and formulas that contribute to it.
Our next product was LockXLS, an application that allowed users to encrypt formulas and VBA code inside Excel workbooks and protect their files against unauthorized copying and distribution.
LockXLS provided features such as activation keys, password protection, and time-limited trial periods. Essentially, it allowed users to turn an Excel workbook into a protected software product that could be distributed and sold online.
LockXLS has since reached the end of its lifecycle and is no longer available. It has been replaced in our product lineup by xlCompiler.
While developing LockXLS, we came up with the idea of creating a tool for comparing two Excel files.
This idea became xlCompare, first released in 2009 under the name Workbook Comparison Tool.
The original version was developed as a COM add-in for Microsoft Excel. Users could launch the comparison directly from the Excel menu, without switching to a separate application.
Over the years, xlCompare has evolved far beyond its original functionality, becoming a comprehensive tool for comparing and analyzing Excel workbooks.
Further development of LockXLS led to the creation of xlCompiler.
Instead of simply protecting Excel workbooks, we decided to build a full-featured spreadsheet compiler capable of converting Excel files into standalone desktop applications.
These applications would run entirely independently of Microsoft Excel while supporting formula calculations, VBA macros, and UserForms.
To make this possible, we began developing Spreadsheet Core, our own Excel-compatible calculation engine designed to recalculate formulas and execute VBA code without relying on Microsoft Excel.
This technology became the foundation for the next generation of our products.
As Spreadsheet Core evolved, we realized that we already had the essential components needed to transform xlCompare into a fully independent desktop application.
We had developed our own technology for reading and saving Excel files, recalculating formulas, and executing VBA macros.
This allowed us to rebuild xlCompare as a standalone application with a dedicated side-by-side comparison interface, command-line support, and significantly faster file processing.
It was a major step forward for the project.
Today, xlCompare is a free alternative to Microsoft Spreadsheet Compare, with all the comparison features of Spreadsheet Compare available in the free edition of xlCompare.
As technology and artificial intelligence continue to evolve, we are making spreadsheet comparison even more accessible.
Alongside our desktop application, we offer a free online Excel comparison tool directly on our website.
The idea is simple: users should be able to compare two Excel files quickly and easily, without installing software or having to rely on an AI assistant.
Our online tool runs directly in your web browser, with all file processing performed locally on your computer. Your files are never uploaded to our servers, keeping your data private.
Whether you need a quick comparison in your browser or advanced analysis and reporting in the desktop application, xlCompare offers a solution for both.
We continue to develop and improve our products, focusing on reliable software, high performance, and practical features that solve real-world problems.
Our goal has always been to provide our customers with dependable applications and high-quality support.
Customer feedback is what drives us forward. Every suggestion, question, and review helps us understand what matters most to our users and inspires us to keep improving our software.