Features

Grist is a hybrid database/spreadsheet, meaning that:

• Columns work like they do in databases: they are named, and they hold one kind of data.
• Columns can be filled by formula, spreadsheet-style, with automatic updates when referenced cells change.

This difference can confuse people coming directly from Excel or Google Sheets. Give it a chance! There's also a Grist for Spreadsheet Users article to help get you oriented. If you're coming from Airtable, you'll find the model familiar (and there's also our Grist vs Airtable article for a direct comparison).

Here are some specific feature highlights of Grist:

• Python formulas.
  • Full Python syntax is supported, including the standard library.
  • Many Excel functions also available.
  • An AI Assistant specifically tuned for formula generation (using OpenAI gpt-3.5-turbo or Llama via llama-cpp-python).
• A portable, self-contained format.
  • Based on SQLite, the most widely deployed database engine.
  • Any tool that can read SQLite can read numeric and text data from a Grist file.
  • Enables backups that you can confidently restore in full.
  • Great for moving between different hosts.
• Can be displayed on a static website with grist-static – no special server needed.
• A self-contained desktop app for viewing and editing locally: grist-desktop.
• Convenient editing and formatting features.
  • Choices and choice lists, for adding colorful tags to records.
  • References and reference lists, for cross-referencing records in other tables.
  • Attachments, to include media or document files in records.
  • Dates and times, toggles, and special numerics such as currency all have specialized editors and formatting options.
  • Conditional Formatting, letting you control the style of cells with formulas to draw attention to important information.
• Drag-and-drop dashboards.
  • Charts, card views and a calendar widget for visualization.
  • Summary tables for summing and counting across groups.
  • Widget linking streamlines filtering and editing data. Grist has a unique approach to visualization, where you can lay out and link distinct widgets to show together, without cramming mixed material into a table.
  • Filter bar for quick slicing and dicing.
• Incremental imports.
  • Import a CSV of the last three months activity from your bank...
  • ...and import new activity a month later without fuss or duplication.
• Integrations.
  • A REST API, Zapier actions/triggers, and support from similar integrators.
  • Import/export to Google drive, Excel format, CSV.
  • Link data with custom widgets, hosted externally.
  • Configurable outgoing webhooks.
• Many templates to get you started, from investment research to organizing treasure hunts.
• Access control options.
  • (You'll need SSO logins set up to make use of these options; grist-omnibus has a prepackaged solution if configuring this feels daunting)
  • Share individual documents, workspaces, or team sites.
  • Control access to individual rows, columns, and tables.
  • Control access based on cell values and user attributes.
• Self-maintainable.
  • Useful for intranet operation and specific compliance requirements.
• Sandboxing options for untrusted documents.
  • On Linux or with Docker, you can enable gVisor sandboxing at the individual document level.
  • On macOS, you can use native sandboxing.
  • On any OS, including Windows, you can use a wasm-based sandbox.
• Translated to many languages.
• F1 key brings up some quick help. This used to go without saying, but in general Grist has good keyboard support.
• We post progress on 𝕏 or Twitter or whatever and publish monthly newsletters.