Is Numbers similar to Excel?

It has a lot of similarities and a lot of differences. There is more information at http://www.apple.com/mac/numbers/

Other options are Microsoft Office For Mac 2016 https://products.office.com/en-us/mac/microsoft-office-for-mac and LibreOffice https://www.libreoffice.org/

Numbers is not an Excel clone. Native Excel documents will be translated into the internal Numbers document format on opening, and again, translated on export to Excel. You are never working in the native Excel document format. That would be a purposeful reason to use Office 2016 for Mac, which does everything in the native Excel document format, without wondering what feature of Excel is or is not implemented.

When you search for spreadsheet help on the Internet, the majority of posts and videos will assume that you are using Microsoft Excel. Those examples may very well use features of Excel that are not implemented, or implemented differently in Numbers.

Hi Blowny,

Does the Numbers app work similar to MS Excel?

When I started using Numbers, I thought that it was an Excel clone. However, by following this Numbers forum, I found one big difference:

• Excel uses monolithic sheets (islands of data in an 'ocean' of a sheet)
• Numbers uses small, discrete tables (each with a purpose) on a 'canvas'.

After discovering and enjoying the 'charm' of Numbers, I then was frustrated in trying to swap spreadsheets with Excel users. I had to do all the work (convert Excel documents to the Numbers layout) and my Excel colleagues made no attempt whatsoever to follow the KISS principle (Keep It Simple, Sir).

If you are working with colleagues who use Excel, then use Excel for Mac or a free look-alike.

Regards,

Ian.

Blowny wrote:

Does the Numbers app work similar to MS Excel?

If you get an iMac remember this is not an either/or choice. On the Mac you can use both apps (as I do).

Numbers has a large subset of Excel functions that work exactly as they do in Excel. You can get help on using them via the built-in Formula and Functions Help, studying the included templates, or doing internet searches on the Excel equivalents. Numbers does not support Excel's "array" functions (the ones you enter with ctrl-shift-enter) but in many cases there are easy workarounds. Numbers does not have an equivalent to Excel's Pivot Tables that can be so useful for data analysis. Also Numbers is not as good as Excel at producing highly formatted printed output.

For most personal and some business projects Numbers offers an attractive and intuitive environment. For heavy duty data analysis and team collaboration, or if you frequently need to exchange documents with Excel users on the PC or Mac, then Excel for the Mac is a good choice.

But, as I say, you don't have to choose. You can use both.

SG

SG wrote:

For most personal and some business projects Numbers offers an attractive and intuitive environment. For heavy duty data analysis and team collaboration, or if you frequently need to exchange documents with Excel users on the PC or Mac, then Excel for the Mac is a good choice.

But, as I say, you don't have to choose. You can use both.

SG

Good reply, SG.

Regards,

Ian.

Thanks, Ian🙂