Excel vs. Numbers — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman & Urooj Arif — Updated on April 21, 2024
Excel is a powerful spreadsheet tool with extensive features and customization, while Numbers offers a more user-friendly interface and better integration with Apple products.
Difference Between Excel and Numbers
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Excel, developed by Microsoft, is renowned for its comprehensive functionalities including advanced data analysis, pivot tables, and a vast array of formulas. Numbers, on the other hand, is Apple's spreadsheet software, known for its intuitive interface and seamless integration with other Apple applications.
While Excel offers a more robust toolset for complex data management and analysis, Numbers focuses on user accessibility and aesthetic presentation of data.
Excel supports extensive customization and macro programming which appeals to advanced users, whereas Numbers provides templates and simplified tools that cater to beginners and design-focused users.
Excel is the preferred choice in most professional and business environments due to its powerful features and compatibility with Windows, while Numbers is favored by Mac users for personal projects and presentations due to its ease of use and visual appeal.
Comparison Chart
User Interface
Complex with extensive toolbars
Simple and clean
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Data Analysis
Advanced tools like pivot tables
Basic tools and charts
Customization
High, with macros and add-ins
Limited customization options
Compatibility
Windows and Mac, better on Windows
Exclusively for Mac
Ideal Use
Professional, business, and finance
Personal, education, small projects
Compare with Definitions
Excel
Excel is essential in data-driven fields like finance and research.
Financial analysts use Excel for market analysis and portfolio management.
Numbers
Numbers is a spreadsheet software with a focus on visual appeal and ease of use.
Teachers use Numbers to create visually appealing grade sheets.
Excel
Excel is a spreadsheet application designed for detailed data analysis and complex calculations.
Businesses use Excel to manage budgets and forecast financials.
Numbers
Numbers supports basic spreadsheet functions suitable for personal use.
Calculating expenses in a Numbers spreadsheet is straightforward.
Excel
Excel allows users to create detailed graphs and pivot tables.
Analysts use pivot tables to summarize large data sets quickly.
Numbers
Numbers offers a variety of pre-made templates for different uses.
Numbers templates can quickly set up household budgets or travel itineraries.
Excel
Excel's VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) enables extensive automation and customization.
VBA scripts automate repetitive tasks in spreadsheets.
Numbers
Numbers integrates well with other Apple applications like Pages and Keynote.
Embedding a Numbers chart into a Keynote presentation is seamless.
Excel
Excel supports a wide range of formulas and functions for various data operations.
Excel can calculate loan payments using the PMT function.
Numbers
Numbers is preferred for its clean interface and collaborative features.
Families use Numbers to manage shared expenses and plans.
Excel
Be exceptionally good at or proficient in an activity or subject
She excelled at landscape painting
Numbers
A member of the set of positive integers; one of a series of symbols of unique meaning in a fixed order that can be derived by counting.
Excel
To do or be better than; surpass.
Numbers
A member of any of the following sets of mathematical objects
Integers, rational numbers, real numbers, and complex numbers. These sets can be derived from the positive integers through various algebraic and analytic constructions.
Excel
To show superiority; surpass others
Excels at tennis.
Numbers
Numbers Arithmetic.
Excel
(transitive) To surpass someone or something; to be better or do better than someone or something.
I excelled everyone else with my exam results.
Numbers
A symbol or word used to represent a number.
Excel
(intransitive) To be much better than others.
Numbers
A numeral or a series of numerals used for reference or identification
His telephone number.
The apartment number.
Excel
To exceed, to go beyond
Numbers
A position in an ordered sequence that corresponds to one of the positive integers
The house that is number three from the corner.
Ranked number six in her class.
Excel
To go beyond or surpass in good qualities or laudable deeds; to outdo or outgo, in a good sense.
Excelling others, these were great;Thou, greater still, must these excel.
I saw that wisdom excelleth folly, as far as light excelleth darkness.
Numbers
One item in a group or series considered to be in numerical order
An old number of a magazine.
Excel
To exceed or go beyond; to surpass.
She opened; but to shutExcelled her power; the gates wide open stood.
Numbers
A total; a sum
The number of feet in a mile.
Excel
To surpass others in good qualities, laudable actions, or acquirements; to be distinguished by superiority; as, to excel in mathematics, or classics.
Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel.
Then peers grew proud in horsemanship t' excel.
Numbers
An indefinite quantity of units or individuals
The crowd was small in number. A number of people complained.
Excel
Distinguish oneself;
She excelled in math
Numbers
A large quantity; a multitude
Numbers of people visited the fair.
Numbers
Numerical superiority
The South had leaders, the North numbers.
Numbers
(Grammar) The indication, as by inflection, of the singularity, duality, or plurality of a linguistic form.
Numbers
Metrical feet or lines; verses
"These numbers will I tear, and write in prose" (Shakespeare).
Numbers
(Obsolete) Poetic meter.
Numbers
Numbers(Archaic) Musical periods or measures.
Numbers
Numbers (used with a sing. or pl. verb) Games A numbers game.
Numbers
Numbers (used with a sing. verb) See Table at Bible.
Numbers
One of the separate offerings in a program of music or other entertainment
The band's second number was a march.
Numbers
(Slang) A frequently repeated, characteristic speech, argument, or performance
Suspects doing their usual number—protesting innocence.
Numbers
(Slang) A person or thing singled out for a particular characteristic
A crafty number.
Numbers
To assign a number to or mark with a number
Did you number the pages of the report?.
Numbers
To determine the number or amount of; count
Tickets sold for the show were numbered at 500.
Numbers
To total in number or amount; add up to
The ships in the harbor number around 100.
Numbers
To include in a group or category
He was numbered among the lost.
Numbers
To limit or restrict in number
Our days are numbered.
Numbers
To call off numbers; count
Numbering to ten.
Numbers
To have as a total; amount to a number
The applicants numbered in the thousands.
Numbers
Plural of number
Numbers
Many individuals as a group.
Numbers of people have visited the fair.
Numbers
The fourth book of the Old Testament; contains a record of the number of Israelites who followed Moses out of Egypt
Numbers
An illegal daily lottery
Common Curiosities
Is Numbers a good choice for professional business use?
Numbers can be used for business, but it lacks many of the advanced features that professionals in data-intensive fields might require.
What is the main advantage of using Excel over Numbers?
Excel's main advantage lies in its advanced data analysis capabilities and flexibility in handling complex calculations.
What makes Excel popular in corporate environments?
Excel's compatibility with other Microsoft Office applications and its comprehensive features make it a staple in corporate environments.
Can Numbers handle the same amount of data as Excel?
Numbers is not as well-suited as Excel for managing very large datasets or complex analyses.
Which software is better for collaborative work?
Both Excel and Numbers support collaboration, but Numbers is particularly integrated with iCloud, enhancing its collaborative capabilities for Mac users.
Can Excel macros be used in Numbers?
Excel macros, based on VBA, cannot be used in Numbers, which does not support VBA.
How do the chart options in Excel compare to those in Numbers?
Excel offers more advanced and customizable chart options, whereas Numbers focuses on simplicity and aesthetic presentation.
How user-friendly is Numbers compared to Excel?
Numbers is generally considered more user-friendly, especially for those new to spreadsheet software, due to its intuitive design and simpler interface.
Is it easy to switch from Excel to Numbers?
Switching from Excel to Numbers can require some adjustment due to differences in interface and available features.
How does the cost of using Excel compare to Numbers?
Numbers is free for Apple users, while Excel requires a purchase or Office 365 subscription.
Which software offers better template options?
Numbers offers a variety of visually appealing templates, making it easier for users to create beautiful documents quickly.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
Co-written by
Urooj ArifUrooj is a skilled content writer at Ask Difference, known for her exceptional ability to simplify complex topics into engaging and informative content. With a passion for research and a flair for clear, concise writing, she consistently delivers articles that resonate with our diverse audience.
