Is Google Sheets Easier Than Excel?

Both Google Sheets and Excel are spreadsheet based tools which you can use for data management and simple project management tools including data storage, data analysis, and the visualization of the data. While Google Sheets require you to have an access to the internet, Excel has no such requirement and it can be used offline.

If you know how to use Excel, you will not need to learn any new skills when it comes to using Google Sheets. The format of both is pretty much the same. Excel is a product of Microsoft and comes as part of Office 365.

The prices of business and personal versions are different. Google Sheets is a product of Google and comes as part of Google Workspace previously known as G-Suite. All the apps included in the Google Workspace are free to use unless you want to upgrade to the business version. There are also dedicated software systems for project management like Primavera, MS Project, and Basecamp that have more project-focused features for enterprise level project management. Google offers a selection of online tools that can be used for project management like Google Sheets and other Workspace apps.

This article will help you understand the similarities and differences between the two and help you decide that which one of these programs will suit your needs better.

Excel is a product of Microsoft so Google does not technically have Excel. However, Google does offer a program that is very similar to Excel in terms of its functionality, which they call Google Sheets. The added benefit of the program is that it is cloud-based and you can easily share your created spreadsheet with others by simply sharing a link. With the calendar integrations, workspace apps, and sharing component, Google Sheets can do many of the same things as MS Planner and other PM tools for simple projects. 

Yes, as mentioned before Google does have a Program like Excel. The program is called Google Sheets and it can be considered a cloud-based version of Excel. The program is free to use and you can easily access it using your Google Account.

Google Sheets is as good as Excel in a number of ways. Both the programs allow you to enter and save data in form of tables. Both the programs offer ample storage space and typical spreadsheet layout. If you are looking to use macros, it will be helpful to know that Google Sheets has also added macros just like there are in Excel.

Although, Google Sheets is just as good as Excel when it comes to the basic functionalities, Excel is still a better option if you are interested in data analysis and the visual representation of data in the form of charts. Excel offers more chart options when it comes to the visual representation of data.

Moreover, Excel has inbuilt formulas for creating things like flow charts and Gantt chart while in Google Sheets you have to do it manually. You will also find more chart customization options in Excel as compared to Google Sheets.

As far as data analysis is concerned, an average spreadsheet user will not find Google Sheets lagging because it does provide all the basic spreadsheet functions.

However, if you need to use complicated formulas in your data analysis you’d be better off using Excel as it also offers advanced formulas along with the basic formulas.

While Excel has some winning points when it comes to advanced features, Google Sheets is better than Excel in other ways. While Google Sheets allow real-time collaboration, Excel offers more templates. 

When it comes to making spreadsheets, Google Sheets only offers 28 templates, while Excel offers 79 templates for the category of budgeting alone. At the end of the day, it all comes down to your personal preferences. Whatever the need of the time is, decides which option is better for you.

Following are some of the ways in which Google Sheets is better than Excel.

• Auto-Save: How many times have you lost your progress because the battery of your computer ended at the wrong moment or because it malfunctioned? While this is a problem that you can face with Excel, you do not have to face this with Google Sheets. Google Sheets automatically saves your progress every few seconds.
• Real-time Collaboration: Collaboration using Excel looks like creating, saving, and sharing multiple updated versions of the file. This can be time consuming and inconvenient. Google Sheets on the other hand allows multiple team members to work on the same file at once and any changes made are automatically saved.
• Affordability: The basic version of Google Sheets is free to use where as the business version costs $5/month. On the other hand, if you want to use Excel you will have to pay $6.99 per month for Office 365 Personal and $8.25 per user per month for Office 365 Business.
• Ease of Sharing: When using Google Sheets, you do not have to go through the hassle of having a downloaded version and then attaching it to the email. You can simply copy the link and share it through any online platform that you prefer using.

When it comes to handling massive spreadsheets and use complicated formulas, it is best to use Excel. However, Google Sheets provide more convenience in the sense that it auto-saves the changes and allows more than one person to work on the sheet at a time.

Google Docs is not the same as Excel. Google Docs should also not be confused with Google Sheets. As Google Sheets can be considered an online alternative to Microsoft Excel, Google Docs can be considered an online alternative to Microsoft Word.

Excel and Access are both the products of Microsoft. We cannot say if one is better than the other overall but when it comes to data management Access is a more suitable option. However, as far as data analysis is concerned Excel has the upper hand.

Some alternatives to Excel include Google Sheets, Zoho Sheets, and SmartSheet.  Whether or not these alternatives are better than Excel really depend on what features you need the most. We recommend you to identify your needs in terms of features and then compare different programs to see which caters to your needs the best. Project management software streamlines project planning, execution, budgets, and analysis so if you have a larger company with many projects in the pipeline or have complex projects involving multiple teams, then project management software is going to be more beneficial than using spreadsheets and free online programs.

The elements of project management can become complex quickly from the idea and planning phase to the execution and management phase. With a dedicated project management system in place, you can also do in-depth reporting and analysis on your project budgets and timelines and also create professional Gantt charts and other visualizations for project planning.  

Microsoft offers several different products that can be used individually or integrated with one another for project planning purposes as well. MS Project is more robust than Excel and MS Project also works with MS Teams to incorporate collaboration needed among teams on a given project. Microsoft also has a more project-based product called MS Planner, so comparing the features and functionality of the various products can help you know if you should use MS Planner or MS Project for your needs. Or, you may need both, which can be integrated into your MS suite of products with ease.