Excel vs Google Sheets Formulas: 9 Differences That Break Your Spreadsheets

When working with spreadsheets, choosing between Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets is a common decision. While these two platforms share many similarities and can often handle the same tasks, there are significant differences in their formula syntax, available functions, and overall approach to calculations. Understanding these differences is crucial for anyone who works across both platforms or is considering making a switch.

Introduction: Why Platform Differences Matter

Both Excel and Google Sheets are powerful tools for data analysis, financial modeling, and business operations. Excel has been the industry standard for decades, offering robust features and extensive function libraries. Google Sheets, on the other hand, brings the power of cloud computing and real-time collaboration to spreadsheet work. While many basic formulas work identically in both platforms, knowing the key differences can save you hours of frustration and help you choose the right tool for your specific needs.

Function Compatibility Differences

Shared Functions with Identical Syntax

The good news is that many common functions work exactly the same way in both platforms:

* SUM, AVERAGE, COUNT, MIN, MAX

• IF, AND, OR, NOT

• VLOOKUP, HLOOKUP (with identical syntax)

• CONCATENATE, LEFT, RIGHT, MID

• DATE, TODAY, NOW

  These foundational functions make it relatively easy to transition between platforms for basic spreadsheet work.

  Functions with Different Names

  Some functions perform the same task but have different names:

  * Excel: STDEV.S / Google Sheets: STDEV

• Excel: AVERAGEIF / Google Sheets: AVERAGEIF (same name but slightly different behavior with criteria)

• Excel: WORKDAY.INTL / Google Sheets: WORKDAY (Google Sheets version is simpler)

  Syntax Differences

  Array Formulas

  This is one of the most significant differences between the two platforms:

  Excel (Legacy):

{=SUM(A1:A10*B1:B10)}

You must press Ctrl+Shift+Enter to create an array formula, and Excel automatically adds curly braces.

Excel 365 (Dynamic Arrays):

=A1:A10*B1:B10

Excel 365 handles arrays automatically without special entry methods.

Google Sheets:

=ARRAYFORMULA(A1:A10*B1:B10)

Google Sheets uses the ARRAYFORMULA function to explicitly define array operations.

Reference Styles

Both platforms support A1 notation (A1, B2, C3), which is the default. However:

* Excel offers R1C1 notation as an optional setting (R1C1, R2C2)

• Google Sheets supports R1C1 but implements it differently

• Most users stick with A1 notation for consistency

  Relative vs Absolute References

  Both platforms use the same syntax for absolute references:

  * A1 - Relative reference (changes when copied)

• $A$1 - Absolute reference (stays fixed)

• $A1 - Mixed reference (column fixed, row relative)

• A$1 - Mixed reference (row fixed, column relative)

  Unique Functions in Google Sheets

  Google Sheets offers several powerful functions that don't exist in standard Excel:

  QUERY Function

  The QUERY function is arguably Google Sheets' most powerful unique feature. It allows you to use SQL-like syntax to manipulate data:

  =QUERY(A1:C100, "SELECT A, B WHERE C > 100 ORDER BY B DESC")

This function can:

• Filter data based on complex conditions

• Sort and group results

• Perform aggregations (SUM, AVG, COUNT)

• Pivot data dynamically

  IMPORTRANGE

  Connect data across different spreadsheets:

  =IMPORTRANGE("spreadsheet_url", "Sheet1!A1:B10")

This is incredibly useful for:

• Creating master dashboards from multiple sources

• Maintaining data relationships across files

• Building distributed data systems

  GOOGLETRANSLATE

  Automatically translate text between languages:

  =GOOGLETRANSLATE(A1, "en", "es")

This function integrates directly with Google Translate API.

Other Google-Specific Functions

* IMPORTDATA - Import data from CSV or TSV files

• IMPORTHTML - Extract tables or lists from web pages

• IMPORTXML - Parse XML or HTML with XPath

• IMAGE - Display images directly in cells

• SPARKLINE - Create inline mini charts

  Unique Functions in Excel

  Microsoft Excel, especially Excel 365, has its own set of powerful exclusive functions:

  XLOOKUP (Excel 365)

  The successor to VLOOKUP with more flexibility:

  =XLOOKUP(lookup_value, lookup_array, return_array, [if_not_found], [match_mode], [search_mode])

Advantages over VLOOKUP:

• Can look left (return columns to the left of lookup column)

• Returns arrays automatically

• Better error handling with custom "not found" messages

• Can search from bottom to top

  Dynamic Array Functions (Excel 365)

  Excel 365 introduced revolutionary dynamic array functions:

  * FILTER - Filter data based on criteria

=FILTER(A1:C100, B1:B100>50)

* SORT - Sort data dynamically

=SORT(A1:C100, 2, -1)

* UNIQUE - Extract unique values

=UNIQUE(A1:A100)

* SORTBY - Sort by another array

• SEQUENCE - Generate number sequences

• RANDARRAY - Generate random number arrays

  Power Query

  While not a formula function, Power Query is an Excel-exclusive feature for advanced data transformation and ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) operations. It provides a visual interface for:

• Combining data from multiple sources

• Cleaning and reshaping data

• Creating automated data pipelines

  Other Excel-Specific Functions

  * TEXTJOIN - Join text with delimiters (now available in some Google Sheets versions)

• IFS - Multiple condition checking without nesting

• SWITCH - Multi-way conditional logic

• CONCAT - Modern concatenation function

  Performance Considerations

  Calculation Speed

  Excel generally offers:

• Faster calculations for large datasets (100,000+ rows)

• Better performance with complex nested formulas

• Multi-threaded calculation engine

• Optimized for desktop hardware

  Google Sheets provides:

• Good performance for small to medium datasets (up to 50,000 rows)

• Slower with very large files or complex formulas

• Cloud-based processing limitations

• Automatic calculation that can sometimes cause delays

  File Size and Limits

  Excel:

• Maximum of 1,048,576 rows × 16,384 columns per sheet

• File size primarily limited by available memory

• Can handle very large files (100+ MB)

  Google Sheets:

• Maximum of 10 million cells per spreadsheet (across all sheets)

• 18,278 columns maximum

• Better for real-time collaboration but limited on size

  Migration Tips When Moving Formulas Between Platforms

  From Excel to Google Sheets

  1. Test array formulas - Convert Ctrl+Shift+Enter formulas to ARRAYFORMULA

• Replace Excel-specific functions - Use Google Sheets alternatives for XLOOKUP, FILTER, etc.

• Check date calculations - Excel uses 1900 date system, Google Sheets uses 1899

• Remove VBA macros - Use Google Apps Script instead

• Verify external links - Replace with IMPORTRANGE where needed

  From Google Sheets to Excel

  1. Replace QUERY functions - Use Excel's FILTER, SORT, and other dynamic array functions

• Remove IMPORTRANGE - Use Excel's data connection features or Power Query

• Convert ARRAYFORMULA - Use Excel 365 dynamic arrays or array formula syntax

• Replace web import functions - Use Excel's Power Query web connector

• Test calculations - Verify all formulas calculate correctly after migration

  Best Practices for Cross-Platform Compatibility

  1. Use standard functions whenever possible (SUM, AVERAGE, VLOOKUP, IF)

• Avoid platform-specific features if you need to share files

• Document platform-specific formulas with comments

• Create separate versions if extensive platform-specific features are needed

• Test thoroughly after migration between platforms

• Use named ranges - They work well in both platforms

• Maintain consistent data structures for easier formula translation

  Conclusion: Choosing the Right Platform

  Both Excel and Google Sheets are excellent tools, and the "better" choice depends on your specific needs:

  Choose Excel when you need:

• Maximum calculation speed and performance

• Advanced data analysis with Power Query and Power Pivot

• Complex financial modeling with large datasets

• Desktop-based work with occasional sharing

• VBA automation and custom add-ins

  Choose Google Sheets when you need:

• Real-time collaboration with multiple users

• Cloud-based access from any device

• Integration with other Google services

• Web scraping and data import from URLs

• Simple to moderate data analysis with easy sharing

  Understanding these differences empowers you to leverage the strengths of each platform and avoid compatibility issues when working across both. Many professionals use both tools strategically, choosing the right platform for each specific task. Whether you're building financial models in Excel or creating collaborative dashboards in Google Sheets, knowing these formula differences will make you more efficient and effective in your spreadsheet work.