Is Google Sheets good enough to replace Excel?

At Box Free IT Alexy Mitko asks: Is Google Sheets good enough to replace Excel?

The correct answer to this kind of question is that it depends on what you’re trying to do.

Google Sheets it good for quick and dirty calculations or for managing lists — particularly if you are working with others. For anything more complicated, Excel has the necessary firepower. Many professionals, particularly those working in accounting and finance, who work with numbers would never dream of moving away from Excel.

Mitko answers the question from an accountant’s view. He says Excel fits accounting work better than Google Sheets:

… the Excel model better fits the way most accounting firms delegate the work. Most accountants work sequentially in their individual roles. There is constant communication between clients, accountants, managers and directors, but only one accountant works on a clearly defined task, which is then reviewed and signed off.

Collaboration is not so central

In other words, being able to collaborate might give Google Docs a big advantage over Microsoft Word, but collaboration is rarely as important when people work with numbers.

It's not hard to see why. Troubleshooting your own spreadsheet is one things, but to fix up errors made by others is far more complicated than tidying up someone else's prose.

I’m a freelance journalist, so I rarely deal with spreadsheets for anything more than making lists or preparing a cash flow forecast. My needs are basic enough to be covered by any tool. While I find Google Sheets tricky to use I admit that might be down to lack or practice. I've found the free Numbers spreadsheet that comes as part of Apple's iWorks suite is more than enough.

Away from Apple, in my experience the free online version of Excel is the best tool for quick and dirty number crunching. I keep my documents on OneDrive and access them from my laptop, iPad and phone.