What it is: Free cloud-based spreadsheet tool from Google. Like Excel, but web-based with real-time collaboration.

What It Does Best

Real-time collaboration. Multiple people editing simultaneously. Changes saved automatically. Perfect for team projects.

Accessibility. Works anywhere with internet. No software to install. Share with a link. Mobile apps available.

Integration with Google ecosystem. Connect to Google Forms, Drive, Analytics. Import data from web. Apps Script for automation.

Key Features

Formulas: 400+ functions (VLOOKUP, SUMIF, INDEX/MATCH, etc.)

Pivot tables: Drag-and-drop data analysis

Charts: 20+ chart types with customization

Add-ons: Thousands of free extensions

Apps Script: JavaScript-based automation

Pricing

Personal: Free (15GB storage across Google account)

Google Workspace: $6-18/user/month (business features, more storage)

When to Use It

✅ Team collaboration is priority

✅ Need cloud access from anywhere

✅ Working with Google services (Forms, Analytics)

✅ Budget-conscious (free is hard to beat)

✅ Light to medium data analysis needs

When NOT to Use It

❌ Very large datasets (>5M cells get slow)

❌ Need advanced Excel features (Power Query, Power Pivot)

❌ Complex VBA macros (Apps Script different)

❌ Offline work required (limited offline mode)

❌ Handling sensitive data (security concerns)

Unique Strengths

IMPORTDATA(): Pull data directly from web URLs

QUERY(): SQL-like queries inside spreadsheet

GOOGLEFINANCE(): Live stock market data

Version history: See all changes, restore any version

Publish to web: Share live data as webpage

Google Sheets vs Excel

Sheets wins: Collaboration, cloud access, price, integrations

Excel wins: Speed with large data, advanced features, offline work, data modeling

Visit Google Sheets →

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