| Alternative | Pros | Cons | |-------------|------|------| | | Latest format support, ongoing updates | Requires full Office license, not redistributable | | EPPlus / ClosedXML (for Excel) | No ACE dependency, fully managed code | Only for Excel, not Access | | SQLite / LocalDB | Modern file-based RDBMS, cross-platform | Migration required from Access | | .NET Data.Odbc with ACE installed | Works with existing Access files | Still requires ACE installed separately |
