CSV & Specialized Utilities
Arte Sheets vs TableTool and Easy CSV Editor
When Arte Sheets fits best
- Combines quick browser .csv/.tsv editing with 184 live Excel formulas (XLOOKUP, SUMIFS, FILTER, TEXTSPLIT, TRIM), charts, and PivotTables.
- Supports multi-sheet .xlsx, .xls, .xlsb, and .ods workbooks alongside .csv and .tsv—across Mac, iPad, Windows, and Linux.
- Free core editor with zero registration and local browser IndexedDB privacy.
When TableTool & Easy CSV Editor (macOS) fits best
- Tiny native macOS Cocoa apps (~5–20 MB) dedicated strictly to literal string editing of .csv and .tsv files without formula evaluation.
- Guaranteed zero formula evaluation (cells starting with "=" or "+" stay literal text unless edited) and custom delimiter/encoding toggles.
- Direct Finder "Open With" native macOS document window workflow.
Static CSV Grid Utilities vs Full Formula-Capable Browser Workbook
TableTool and Easy CSV Editor solve one specific annoyance on Mac: Apple Numbers transforms CSV files into canvas documents and requires File → Export To → CSV every time you save. If all you ever do is fix two typos in a 200-row CSV and hit Cmd+S, a dedicated CSV grid viewer is neat.
In practice, almost every CSV task immediately leads to analytical questions—totaling amounts by category, deduplicating emails, splitting full names, or joining two exports by SKU. Arte Sheets handles both clean .csv/.tsv editing and full multi-sheet Excel calculations in a single browser tab.
| Capability | Arte Sheets | TableTool / Easy CSV Editor |
|---|---|---|
| Supported platforms | macOS, iPadOS, iOS, Windows, Linux (any modern browser) | macOS desktop only |
| Supported file formats | .xlsx, .xlsm, .xls, .xlsb, .ods, .csv, .tsv, .txt + PDF print | Delimited text only (.csv, .tsv, semicolon/pipe text) |
| Multi-sheet workbooks | Yes — unlimited sheets with cross-sheet formulas | No — single flat table per window |
| Worksheet formulas | 184 Excel functions (XLOOKUP, SUMIFS, FILTER, UNIQUE, PMT) | None (static literal cells only) |
| Charts & PivotTables | 7 chart types + SUM PivotTables free (multi-agg in Pro) | None |
| Account requirement | None for local browser work | None (Mac App Store Apple ID for Easy CSV download) |
Data Transformation, Filtering, and Cleanup Power
Easy CSV Editor offers nice column-splitting, find/replace, and row-filtering helpers for flat files. Arte Sheets matches common cleanup operations (AutoFilter, Sort, Remove Duplicates, Text to Columns, Flash Fill) while adding non-destructive dynamic array formulas (=FILTER, =UNIQUE, =SORTBY, =CHOOSECOLS, =TEXTSPLIT) so your raw imported tab stays untouched on Sheet1 while clean output spills onto Sheet2.
| Workflow | Arte Sheets | TableTool | Easy CSV Editor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Column filtering & sorting | AutoFilter + =FILTER() / =SORT() | Basic sort only | Filter, sort & regex search |
| Split column by delimiter | Text to Columns + =TEXTSPLIT() | No | Yes (split/merge columns) |
| Remove duplicate rows | Remove Duplicates + =UNIQUE() | No | Yes |
| Cross-file lookup / join | =XLOOKUP() / =VLOOKUP() across sheets | No | No |
| Conditional formatting | Built-in highlight rules | No | Alternating row stripes only |
Pricing Comparison
TableTool is free (though rarely updated), Easy CSV Editor is a paid Mac App Store utility, and Arte Sheets Free gives Mac and iPad users a complete formula, chart, PivotTable, CSV/TSV, and .xlsx workspace for $0.
| Application | Price | Formulas & .xlsx | Best Fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arte Sheets Free | $0 | Yes (184 formulas + .xlsx/.csv/.tsv) | Analyzing, cleaning, charting & exporting CSV/TSV and Excel files |
| Arte Sheets Pro | $19.99/mo or $179.99/yr | Yes + AI, Goal Seek, Macros & 62 courses | Heavy modeling, AI reconciliation & 1,000 shared EU cloud files |
| TableTool (macOS) | $0 (Open Source) | No (CSV/TSV only) | Minimalist literal viewing/editing of small local CSVs on Mac |
| Easy CSV Editor (macOS) | Paid Mac App Store (~$9.99–$14.99) | No (CSV/TSV only) | Native Finder CSV cleanup when you never want formulas or .xlsx |
Frequently asked questions
Can Arte Sheets export clean CSV and TSV files without Apple Numbers canvas issues?
Yes. Arte Sheets exports the active sheet directly to standard UTF-8 .csv or .tsv with proper RFC quoting—or exports the entire multi-sheet workbook to .xlsx.
Does Arte Sheets work on both Mac and iPad unlike TableTool?
Yes. Because Arte Sheets runs in Safari and Chrome, the exact same interface and 184 formulas work on Mac, iPad, iPhone, Windows, and Linux.
When is a CSV-only editor safer than a spreadsheet?
When editing machine-generated config CSVs where strings starting with "=" or leading-zero IDs must remain untouched literal bytes with zero formula parsing.
Are Remove Duplicates and Text to Columns free in Arte Sheets?
Yes. AutoFilter, Sort, Remove Duplicates, Text to Columns, Flash Fill, and all 184 worksheet functions are included in the free browser editor.