Traditionally Microsoft Excel has been the favorite and almost the only spreadsheet option for businesses. However, Google Sheets have in recent years come as a big contender for the first position as a data management solution.
It is possible you are stuck with either one of the two and could be wondering whether you are stuck on the best side. This guide highlights the main differences between the two, which can help you decide which of the two fits you best based on your unique needs.
Microsoft Excel training courses in London
Google Sheets and Excel are pretty similar in that the formulas and calculations are the same. If you are new to them, you may not get the most out of them, and thus you need to train on their usage. The good thing is, if you understand how to use one, you can easily use the other.
Most of the courses are designed around Excel because it is the oldest of the two, so if you are thinking about getting training in spreadsheets usage, taking an Excel training course can be a good idea.
There are many options for taking the course, but the most convenient would be taking it online. If you are looking to increase your knowledge in Excel use, these live Excel courses in London can be beneficial.
Key differences
1. Online vs offline
One significant difference between the two solutions is how they work, with the conventional Microsoft Excel being largely used locally. In other words, you do not need to have an internet connection to use Excel if you have bought the Microsoft Office suite of applications.
On the other hand, Google Sheets are completely online-based and are only efficient when used with an internet connection. So if your work involves being at sites without an internet connection, you would be better off working with Excel.
2. Collaboration
As your business scales, so will your need for collaboration on tasks and files. While it is possible to collaborate while working with either of the two, you will have an easier time working with Google Sheets. Google Sheets allow different team members to access the same file and track changes in real-time.
When using Excel, on the other hand, you will need to share documents via email for collaboration which may not be as convenient. Current versions of Excel allow for logging in to a file for collaboration. However, Google’s infrastructure makes collaboration on Google Sheets much easier than Excel online.
3. Data size
While both solutions help in data management and organisation, they have different capabilities in the data they can handle in terms of size and processing.
For example, you can only add and process up to 5,000,000 cells in Google Sheets. Excel, on the other hand, can handle 17,179,869,184 cells.
That means Excel has a larger storage capacity and can do more data processing than Google Sheets would. So, if your organisation handles massive amounts of data, you will be better off with Excel.
4. User-friendliness
If you are new to spreadsheets, it is possible to get overwhelmed by the many menus and features of the available solutions if you are using Excel sheets. On the other end, Google Sheets are minimalistic and thus not as overwhelming.
So, if you are looking for ease of use, Google Sheets are your best bet. But if you are looking for easier customisation for toolbars and edits, you may want to go for Excel.
Final words
While the differences listed above can help you identify what features matter to your organisation, this post may not offer a definitive answer on what solution to use for your business. The right option must perfectly match all your business needs and more.
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