Google Sheets vs Excel

If you are deciding which program to use for editing spreadsheets, Excel will surely come to mind first. The second popular option is Google Sheets. Is it better to play it safe and use Excel or give the new giant Google Sheets a chance?
We have created a complete comparison of both programs for you. By the end, you will have a clear idea of which program is for you!

Price and Availability

Right from the start, Google Sheets wins this category. The entire Sheets program is free.

The price of Microsoft Excel depends on the package you buy. Most people buy Excel as part of Office. A license for the entire Office, which includes Word, PowerPoint, etc., costs about 1,700 CZK per year. Another option is to pay about 3,500 CZK for a lifetime license. It is important to say that Google offers the same programs, and even more programs within your Google account, which is free. Microsoft has added a cloud system that they offer for free in competition with Google.

Saving and Backup

All work in Excel is saved to your computer, unless you use cloud extensions. This means – every time you change something and want to send a new version to someone, you have to save the work, rename it, and send it by email.

In Google Sheets, you can see live edits from other users, you can open a chat window where you can discuss changes. Google Sheets allows multiple people to work on one document simultaneously, where everything is saved automatically. This is extremely useful when working in a team and needing visualization. In this regard, Google Sheets is perfect.

Automatic Saving

Google Sheets will save your work automatically. As for Excel, it depends on your version. If you have the standard version of Microsoft Excel, you will have to save your work manually. You will need to remember to click the save button. If you work with the Microsoft Cloud extension, your work will be saved automatically.

Security

We all want to keep our files safe. Both programs have very good security. Microsoft Excel had a bad reputation before. Microsoft used simple file decoding, which was easy for hackers to crack. Today, it is different. Technology keeps innovating. A crucial update was with the Cloud. File security is always more guaranteed online!

If you store your files on a local disk (on PC), it is good to remember to back up to an online disk or cloud. This way, you ensure that you do not lose the files if something fatal happens. Since Google Sheets stores files on the cloud, it is very difficult to lose them. Companies like Google and Microsoft spend millions protecting their databases. Hackers can still get to your Google account. Today, it is extremely difficult for them, thanks to two-factor authentication or SSL encryption.

File Size

Google Sheets can handle up to 5,000,000 cells. Excel can handle 17,000,000 cells. Excel is ahead here. However, let's ask ourselves, how many cells do we really need in a project? Five million or seventeen million? Unless you are making databases for a state or international company, you will never need millions of cells.

Another factor to consider is performance. Google Sheets is good for regular operations, but if you need complicated formulas, long records, or a large number of cells, you might encounter longer loading times. This is a big problem with Sheets. It often struggles with working with very simple tables. This problem is due to the fact that Google Sheets runs in a browser. The more complex your file is, the more the response time will show. This is the main reason why people who work with a lot of data use Excel.

Excel, as we know, runs on a computer. Excel sends queries or code to your PC. Google Sheets sends to the server, which can be variously distant from you. The same applies when receiving information from tables. Excel sends from computer to computer. Sheets send from the server to you. If you are a regular worker, you will not have these problems.

Customization

If you need many functions in one place, Microsoft Excel handles this very quickly. Excel has a nicely done toolbar, where you can quickly find anything you need. Google Sheets does not have such a quick menu. This can often be very limiting.

It depends on you whether you want to have everything quickly in one place or go through the menu every time. Both Excel and Sheets have keyboard shortcuts used for basic spreadsheet editing.

Google Sheets Example

Simplicity

The modern world has raised a new generation that learns with Excel in schools.

Most people either hate or love Excel. People who spend their time learning hundreds of formulas and options that Excel offers usually love Excel. On the other hand, there are people who do not have time to learn Excel and need to work. For these people, Excel is quite a complicated affair. Google Sheets is very easy to learn. It will take you a little while.

However, they are still spreadsheet calculators. Both programs are similar, given that they have the same purpose. If you are not very friendly with a spreadsheet calculator, Google Sheets is a better choice for you. If you like math and complicated statistics, Microsoft Excel is just for you.

Google Sheets vs Excel Features

Most basic formulas and functions are the same in Excel and Google Sheets. However, let's discuss what to watch out for when choosing.

Macros

Macros are used for repetitive work. These are short scripts where you need to know the basics of programming.

Using macros can save us hours of time. You can record your process that you need to do on multiple items, and then the computer will do it automatically for you. It is like recording a video. Macros can be saved. You can record a macro and use it anytime. It is a simple way to save a lot of time and nerves.

Microsoft Excel macros have been around for some time. Google Sheets introduced them only in 2018. From our experience, we prefer using macros in Google Sheets.

Charts

Excel has more options with charts. It offers a whole range of ways to customize the chart. Google Sheets uses simple charts that are not complicated but are accurate.

If you make charts for business meetings or project presentations, Excel is a clear choice. Google Sheets is suitable for simple visualizations when the user needs to see the data set visually.

It is important to say that using charts in Sheets is easier than in Excel.

Pivot Tables

Pivot tables are magical things that we all need to simplify large amounts of data. For example: You can have a column with expenses. With one click, you can find the highest expense, the lowest expense, or sum the expenses. These functions are very important for spreadsheet calculators. Both Excel and Google Sheets have this option!

Formulas

Google Sheets and Microsoft Excel have basic functions that you need, such as: SUM, MAX, MIN, and AVERAGE.

Google Sheets has a big advantage in plugins, where people create plugins for Sheets. Just search, and you will find a plugin for anything, from calculations to programming.

What Do We Recommend?

Our recommendation is to think about what you need, how you work, and your past experience, and decide based on this. For us, we can only say that we use Google Sheets.