Previously, it would have been unheard of to even compare another spreadsheet software with Microsoft Excel. However, in time, Google has managed to create a legitimate and viable competitor to Microsoft Excel. While it originally began as a very rudimentary spreadsheet application, they have since developed it to become a very practical alternative for those looking for more advanced features and functionality. Because of this, your organization or yourself may be considering which one to go with. Below, we will be going over some of the key differentiators between the two.
A Comparison Of Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets:
1. Total Cost
Whenever you are shopping around for software like this, you will be considering cost at the beginning. Google Sheets is available to use for free for personal home users. If you are getting it for your business or organization, you can pay anywhere from $6 to $25 per month. With a premium subscription to G Suite, you will get access to business email, video conferencing, chat messaging, 30GB to Unlimited cloud storage, and a lot more.
For Microsoft Excel, you can get a subscription to Microsoft Office 365 which gives you full access to the entire suite of Microsoft’s software. For at-home use, a Microsoft 365 subscription will cost $69.99 for personal or $99.99 for family. For business, plans start from $5 per month up to $20 per month. With Office 365, each user gets 1TB of cloud storage via OneDrive and a range of other features. While this used to be the only way, Microsoft has since come out with a competing option for those looking for a free spreadsheet tool. Now, you can use Microsoft Office Online which is completely free to use for home users, but it isn’t the entire software and it is limited in advanced functionality.
Winner: Tie
2. Collaboration
Being able to collaborate with spreadsheets is mandatory for a lot of businesses. If you are looking to collaborate with others in your organization, Google is likely the better option. After all, Google makes it incredibly easy and intuitive to be able to share a spreadsheet, add comments, suggest changes, and even edit in real-time.
While you can certainly collaborate within Microsoft Excel, the process isn’t as intuitive or simple. You can share a workbook by ‘co-authoring’ it. From there, others can open it and make changes to it. The good news is, if you are using a file that is opened from the OneDrive folder, you will be able to get the same real-time feedback that you would get from Google Sheets.
Winner: Google (slightly)
3. Features
As mentioned, Google started as a very basic spreadsheet tool. While it now offers a lot of the advanced features that you previously would only see in Excel. That being said, it’s still behind the curve.
Microsoft Excel offers such advanced features and tools that it remains the go-to option for any power user. If you need to make use of advanced spreadsheet calculations and tools, there is no substitute yet for Microsoft Excel.
Winner: Microsoft
As you can see, Google has done a wonderful job getting Sheets caught up with Excel in a lot of ways. However, Microsoft still has a significant head start on the competition and while Google Sheets will offer enough to satisfy a lot of home users, those who rely on advanced spreadsheet functionality will want to stick it out with Microsoft Excel.
