Developers usually face performance issues, complicated APIs, and a lack of advanced features while working with Microsoft Excel files in Python. No matter if you are generating reports, automating spreadsheets, analyzing data, or converting Excel files into different formats, you need a powerful and easy to work with Excel library.
Aspose.Cells for Python is one of the top choices for this job. It offers a rich set of APIs for creating, editing, and processing Excel files—without requiring Microsoft Excel to be installed. It supports many formats, including XLS, XLSX, XLSM, CSV, and ODS, and comes packed with advanced capabilities like formula calculation, chart creation, and pivot table management.
Why Aspose.Cells Is the Best Excel Library for Python
Aspose.Cells for Python provides a perfect balance of speed, flexibility, and powerful features, making it the best Python Excel library for developers. It is more than just a tool for opening and reading Excel files; it is a complete enterprise-grade spreadsheet engine in Python. Aspose.Cells is widely used in finance, analytics, automation, and reporting solutions for its speed, accuracy, and flexibility.
Key Features
- Create and edit Excel files from scratch or modify existing ones.
- It supports multiple formats, including XLS, XLSX, XLSM, CSV, ODS, PDF, HTML, and more.
- Includes a powerful formula calculation engine with support for over 500 Excel functions.
- Enables chart and pivot table creation and modification for advanced data visualization.
- You can import and export data from arrays, lists, and DataFrames.
- You can style and format Excel files with fonts, colors, borders, and number formats.
- No dependency on Microsoft Excel: It can run on any platform.
Installing Aspose.Cells for Python
You can download it from the releases or install Aspose.Cells via pip:
pip install aspose-cells
Getting Started with Aspose.Cells in Python
The following sections show how easy it is to create, edit, and save an Excel file using Aspose.Cells.
1. Create a New Excel File
The following example uses Aspose.Cells, a powerful Excel library for Python, to create a new workbook, insert sample data, and save it in .xlsx format.

Create a New Excel File using Python
2. Read an Existing Excel File
The following example shows how to use Aspose.Cells, a leading Python XLSX library, to open an existing Excel file, read cell values, and process them in your application.
Output:
Laptop: $1200.0
3. Apply Cell Formatting
Learn how to use Aspose.Cells, the best Excel library for Python, to apply custom cell formatting such as bold text and font colors in an Excel worksheet.
4. Export Data to CSV
This example demonstrates how to use Aspose.Cells, a powerful Python Excel library, to export spreadsheet data from XLSX to CSV format with ease.
Real-World Use Cases
Developers and organizations use Aspose.Cells, the best Excel library for Python, to streamline spreadsheet workflows and eliminate the need for manual Excel processing. As a Python XLSX library, it handles tasks quickly and accurately while supporting advanced Excel features.
Common Use Cases:
- Automated Financial Reporting: Generate accurate financial statements directly from raw data without opening Excel.
- Data Analysis Pipelines: Import, process, and export datasets for analytics or machine learning workflows.
- Dynamic Dashboards: Maintain Excel workbooks with live data, formulas, pivot tables, and charts.
- Bulk File Conversions: Convert thousands of Excel files to PDF, CSV, or HTML in batch operations.
- Spreadsheet-Driven Applications: Build custom tools and scripts that create, update, and distribute Excel reports on schedule.
Step-by-Step Guide: Creating a Sales Report
The following tutorial shows how to use Aspose.Cells, a high-performance Excel library for Python, to build a sales report from scratch. You will learn how to insert data, apply formulas, and export the file to both XLSX and PDF formats.
- Install Aspose.Cells via pip.
- Create a workbook and add data for products and sales.
- Apply formatting for headers.
- Insert formulas for totals.
- Save as XLSX and PDF for distribution.

Creating a Sales Report in Python
Advanced Features of Aspose.Cells for Python
Aspose.Cells is the best Excel library for Python and offers more than basic spreadsheet editing. Here are some key advanced features:
- Create Gantt charts and sparkline charts in Excel using Python.
- Run mail merges in Excel using Python.
- Apply data validation in Excel using Python.
- Remove duplicate rows and blank rows or columns in Excel using Python.
- Combine Excel files and merge or unmerge cells in Excel using Python.
- Add calculated fields to pivot tables using Python.
- Read, add, and edit threaded comments in Excel using Python.
Why Choose Aspose.Cells over Other Python Excel Libraries?
Choosing the best Python Excel library often comes down to what you need. Here’s a quick comparison:
Feature / Capability | Aspose.Cells | openpyxl | Pandas |
---|---|---|---|
License | Commercial (paid), free trial available | Open-source, free (MIT License) | Open-source, free (BSD License) |
Supported Formats | .xls , .xlsx , .xlsm , .xlsb , CSV, TSV, HTML, PDF, images, XML, ODS, etc. | Primarily .xlsx (read/write), limited .xls via other libs | CSV, TSV, .xlsx (via openpyxl/xlrd engine), JSON, HTML, SQL DB, etc. |
Read Existing Files | ✅ Full fidelity (preserves all features) | ✅ Basic read (some advanced Excel features may be lost) | ✅ Reads data into DataFrames (but loses advanced Excel features) |
Write New Files | ✅ Full support | ✅ Full support for .xlsx | ✅ Writes .xlsx via engines, best for data tables not full Excel fidelity |
Edit Existing Files | ✅ No data loss, preserves macros, pivot tables, charts | ✅ Basic editing, may lose unsupported features | ⚠ Overwrites files, cannot truly edit existing Excel structures |
Macros / VBA | ✅ Preserves & edits macros | ❌ No VBA/macro support | ❌ No VBA/macro support |
Pivot Tables | ✅ Create, edit, preserve | ❌ Cannot create, limited reading | ❌ No pivot table creation (but can pivot data in DataFrames) |
Charts | ✅ Create, edit, and export | ⚠ Create basic charts (limited) | ❌ No native Excel chart creation |
Formulas | ✅ Full Excel formula engine | ✅ Can store formulas but not evaluate all | ❌ No native Excel formula engine (calculations handled in Python) |
Formatting | ✅ Advanced (styles, conditional formatting, themes) | ✅ Basic (styles, conditional formatting) | ❌ No Excel styling (focuses on raw data) |
Performance | 🚀 Very fast, handles millions of rows efficiently | ⚠ Slower on huge datasets | ✅ Excellent for large datasets in memory, but not optimized for Excel-specific structures |
Excel to PDF | ✅ High-quality conversion | ❌ Not supported | ❌ Not supported |
Excel to Image/HTML | ✅ Supported | ❌ Not supported | ❌ Not supported |
Dependencies | None (self-contained) | Python only (no Excel needed) | Relies on openpyxl/xlrd for Excel I/O |
Ease of Use | Slightly more complex API | Simple API, very beginner-friendly | Very beginner-friendly for data analysis, less for Excel-specific tasks |
Best For | Enterprise, complex Excel files, conversions | Simple Excel automation and basic data handling | Data analysis & manipulation in Python, not Excel-specific features |
Aspose.Cells is the best Python Excel library for working with Excel files. It works just like Excel, supports advanced features, and can handle big, professional-level Excel tasks automatically.
Get a Free License
If you want to try Aspose.Cells, the best Excel library for Python, you can get a free temporary license. This lets you use all the features, like working with large datasets, advanced formatting, and converting Excel files to PDF, without any watermarks or limits.
The free trial license is the best way for testing speed, checking if it works with your setup, and exploring advanced features before you decide to buy.
Useful Resources
Check out these helpful links and guides to start using Aspose.Cells for Python.
- Aspose.Cells Documentation
- API Reference
- Free Excel Tools
- GitHub Examples Repository
- Tutorials and Guides
Conclusion
In short, Aspose.Cells for Python is a fast, flexible, and reliable way to work with Excel files, without the need for Microsoft Excel. Its cross-platform support, advanced features, and ability to handle big datasets make it the best Excel library for Python developers.
If you have got any questions, please feel free to ask at our free support forum, and we will be happy to help.