With almost everything moved ‘online’ it’s not surprising that our favourite productivity tools are there as well. Of course, that now means that we have a choice between programs, It’s time to answer that “age old question” (from 2006 🤣) Microsoft or Google. Let’s move to the second loud question – Google Sheets or Excel Online!
A spreadsheet by any name
When you compare them ‘next to each other’ (or one on top of the other), you can see that as with the other productivity programs, there isn’t that much difference, certainly in look.
After all a spreadsheet either calculates things or is used for data analyses.
Google Sheets
Excel Online
Formulas and Functions
Formulas
A quick note on creating your own formulas (instead of using a built-in function) – no differences here.
Both Excel Online and Google Sheets allow you to enter whatever formula you need. You start a formula with the equals sign (=) as expected.
Functions
The big thing with a spreadsheet is of course the functions that are available.
Both spreadsheets offer the ‘everyday’ functions that we all use. From the ‘basic’ options (Sum, Average, Count, Min and Max) to the useful logical and text functions (IF, Lookup, OR, AND).
Excel Online has access to the majority of ones available with the desktop version (Excel 365), which (as of writing) is around 550 functions. For those of us not performing complex or ‘higher level’ maths there’s a lot of them we just don’t need.
Likewise Sheets has a similar number coming in at 513, and most of them we just don’t need to use.
There are a few different functions that are specific to each program.
For example:
Google Sheets has functions built-in to take advantage of the other Google options (translate, images and more)
Excel Online has some new formulas like XLookup (which searches vertically (Vlookup) and horizontally (HLookup). As well as a few that are (currently) only available like NOT (to exclude things)
However, both companies continue to update the available functions, and it doesn’t take them long to catch up and match similar commands.
If there are specific functions that you want or need to use, it may help you choose which spreadsheet is best for your needs.
Data Analysis
The second reason to use a spreadsheet is for the data analysis, comparing or forecasting information.
Generally the analyse uses a lot of information, and the more you have the better the results can be. When you’ve got a lot of information, storing and working in rows and columns can just be easier.
For fairly ‘small’ amounts of information (say less than 1,000 rows), there isn’t that much between Google Sheets or Excel Online.
As you get more information, or have more specific needs the differences start to appear.
As Google Sheets wasn’t written with complex or involved data analyse in mind it doesn’t offer the offer the same advanced options as Excel Online does.
However, bear in mind, that with both these programs being online, you are reliant on the processing power outside of your computer. And that processing is shared with other people, as it’s on the servers running the websites.
In other words, you might find working with larger amounts of data slower on both of these programs.
If the speed and options are a concern, web-based spreadsheets might not be the right solution for this work.
Charts
Like everything else, with Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel Online, charting is very similar between them.
In terms of the actual charts – Sheets offers a couple of different options, including Map and Gauge, otherwise the variations are the same.
My personal preference, I prefer to be able to see and choose my chart type, before it’s created (i.e. Excel Online). While in Google Sheets, you insert the chart and then select which type to use.
Collaboration
When you read articles and posts about this, pretty much all of them will say that Google wins outright.
I’m not denying that Google is designed and built for sharing and collaborative working. However Excel and Excel Online also have these options built-in.
The one option I really like, and it’s across the whole of MS Office Online is the ‘Catch-up’ or ‘View Changes’. This shows you a list of the changes that have been made to the file – both by you and anyone who has edit access.
With a spreadsheet this can be important to discover how it’s been edited.
Watch my YouTube video to see it in action: See What’s Changed in Your Documents with Office Online
Next Steps
If you’re working on standard spreadsheets, without the need for complex commands, then it’s going to be personal preference which one you prefer to work with.
As you start to need more powerful options, you’ll want to check which program offers the commands that you need to work with.
Data analyse and large spreadsheets you might find that Excel Online is better, however it might be that the paid version of Excel 365 (with the rest of Microsoft365) becomes worth the expense.
Working Online Posts
Google Office vs Microsoft Online: Deciding on the best one for you
What online word processor is best for you?
How to choose your favourite online spreadsheet (current post)
What’s the best online slides program?
Recent Posts
- Windows 10 End of Support: Your Options Explained (Security, Costs and Consequences)
One of the most common questions I’m hearing these days is straightforward but critical: what happens if I choose to stay on Windows 10 rather than upgrading to Windows 11? With Microsoft’s support for Win 10 ending in October 2025, it’s a decision many users and businesses are facing. Let me break down the facts… Read more: Windows 10 End of Support: Your Options Explained (Security, Costs and Consequences) - How to Check if Your PC Can Upgrade to Windows 11
If you’re wondering whether your Windows 10 device can handle an upgrade to Windows 11, you’re not alone. This question is on many people’s minds as Microsoft announced the need to upgrade to its newest operating system. Fortunately, there’s a simple built-in tool that can give you a definitive answer in just a few clicks… Read more: How to Check if Your PC Can Upgrade to Windows 11 - Windows 10 End of Support: What You Need to Know Before October 2025
It’s time to address something crucial that will affect millions of computer users worldwide: Windows 10 end of support is happening on 14 October 2025. What End of Support Actually Means The date is set in stone. Come 14 October 2025, Microsoft will stop providing free software updates, technical assistance, and—most critically—security fixes for Windows… Read more: Windows 10 End of Support: What You Need to Know Before October 2025 - Slide Numbers in PowerPoint: A How To Step-by-Step Guide
I often find that the simplest features can make the biggest difference in our daily work. If you’re familiar with Microsoft Word, you’ll know how useful page numbers can be. But did you know you can add similar slide numbering to your PowerPoint presentations? Today, I’ll show you exactly how to do add slide numbers,… Read more: Slide Numbers in PowerPoint: A How To Step-by-Step Guide - How many of the Merge Shapes Options do you know?
If you’re addicted to scrolling on YouTube (I get why it’s called doom scrolling. Way too easy to lose hours). There’s a pretty good chance that you may have seen some of the PowerPoint animation videos. So many of them include merge shapes. Most mention one of the options. Today, I’m diving deep into all… Read more: How many of the Merge Shapes Options do you know?
google sheets or excel online, google sheets or microsoft excel, google sheets vs excel online