How do XLS and ODTcompare? Here's everything you need to know to choose the right format — and how to convert between them.
Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet (Legacy)
XLS is the legacy binary format used by Microsoft Excel before 2007. While superseded by XLSX, many existing spreadsheets and enterprise systems still use this format.
Open Document Text
ODT is an open-standard document format used by LibreOffice, OpenOffice, and Google Docs. It's the free, vendor-neutral alternative to DOCX for word processing.
| Specification | XLS | ODT |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet (Legacy) | Open Document Text |
| Extension | .xls | .odt |
| MIME type | application/vnd.ms-excel | application/vnd.oasis.opendocument.text |
| Category | Document | Document |
| Developer | Microsoft | OASIS (Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards) |
| Year introduced | 1987 | 2005 |
XLS and ODT serve different purposes. XLS is ideal for legacy spreadsheet compatibility, while ODT excels at government and public sector documents.
Need to switch formats? Convert for free with SquishConvert.