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Introduction: The Spreadsheet Showdown You Need to Read

Choosing the right spreadsheet software can make or break your productivity. Whether you’re a small business owner crunching quarterly numbers, a project manager tracking team deliverables, or a data analyst building complex models, your spreadsheet tool is your digital workspace. But here’s the million-dollar question: Should you stick with the industry giant Microsoft Excel, or is it time to explore the cloud-native challenger, Zoho Sheet?

In 2025, this decision matters more than ever. With remote work becoming the norm and collaboration being paramount, the spreadsheet landscape has evolved dramatically. Microsoft Excel has dominated the market for decades, but Zoho Sheet has emerged as a compelling alternative that’s winning over teams with its accessibility, affordability, and modern collaboration features.

This comprehensive guide dives deep into the Zoho Sheet vs Microsoft Excel debate, examining everything from pricing and features to performance and user experience. By the end of this article, you’ll have crystal-clear insight into which platform deserves a spot in your productivity toolkit.

Understanding the Contenders: Quick Overview

Microsoft Excel: The Industry Standard

Microsoft Excel has been the undisputed king of spreadsheets since 1985. It’s the tool that professionals worldwide trust for financial modeling, data analysis, business intelligence, and everything in between. Excel is part of the Microsoft 365 suite and comes with both desktop and web versions, offering unmatched power for advanced data manipulation.

Best For: Enterprise organizations, financial analysts, data scientists, professionals requiring advanced analytics, and users working with large datasets.

Zoho Sheet: The Cloud-First Challenger

Zoho Sheet is a cloud-based spreadsheet application from Zoho Corporation, launched as part of the Zoho Workplace suite. Built from the ground up for online collaboration, Zoho Sheet positions itself as a modern, affordable alternative to Excel that doesn’t compromise on essential features.

Best For: Small to medium businesses, startups, remote teams, budget-conscious organizations, and users prioritizing real-time collaboration over advanced analytics.

Feature-by-Feature Comparison Zoho Sheet vs Microsoft Excel: The Deep Dive

1. User Interface and Ease of Use

Microsoft Excel

Excel’s interface has evolved significantly over the years, now featuring the familiar ribbon-style design that Microsoft Office users know well. The desktop version offers extensive customization options, though this wealth of features can feel overwhelming for beginners. Excel Online presents a streamlined version that balances functionality with simplicity.

The learning curve for Excel can be steep, especially for users tackling advanced features like Power Query, Power Pivot, or VBA macros. However, this complexity comes with extraordinary power once mastered.

Zoho Sheet

Zoho Sheet strikes an impressive balance between simplicity and functionality. Its modern, clean interface uses collapsible menus to reduce clutter while keeping advanced features accessible. New users often find Zoho Sheet more intuitive than Excel, with a gentler learning curve that doesn’t sacrifice professional capabilities.

The interface feels contemporary and uncluttered, making it easy to navigate whether you’re a spreadsheet novice or a seasoned pro making the switch from other platforms.

Winner: Zoho Sheet for beginners and casual users; Excel for power users who need every tool at their fingertips.

2. Collaboration and Real-Time Editing

Microsoft Excel

Excel has significantly improved its collaboration features in recent years, particularly through Excel Online and Microsoft 365. Multiple users can now edit spreadsheets simultaneously, with changes appearing in real-time. However, the collaboration experience can vary depending on whether you’re using the desktop version, web version, or mobile app.

Excel integrates seamlessly with Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, and OneDrive, creating a comprehensive collaboration ecosystem for organizations already invested in the Microsoft universe. The desktop version offers more limited real-time collaboration compared to the web version.

Zoho Sheet

This is where Zoho Sheet truly shines. Built for the cloud from day one, Zoho Sheet excels at real-time collaboration. Team members can edit simultaneously, with live cursors showing exactly who’s working where. The chat feature allows collaborators to discuss changes without leaving the spreadsheet.

Additional collaboration features include granular permission controls, cell-level commenting with mentions, comprehensive version history, and the ability to lock specific cells or ranges to prevent unwanted edits. Users consistently praise Zoho Sheet’s collaboration capabilities as superior to Excel’s, particularly for distributed teams.

Winner: Zoho Sheet, by a significant margin. Its collaboration features are more intuitive, more integrated, and more reliable across all devices.

3. Formulas and Functions

Microsoft Excel

Excel remains the undisputed champion when it comes to formulas and functions. With over 450 built-in functions and support for complex array formulas, dynamic arrays, and custom functions through VBA, Excel can handle virtually any calculation imaginable.

Excel’s formula auditing tools, precedent/dependent tracing, and error checking are industry-leading. Features like XLOOKUP, FILTER, UNIQUE, and SEQUENCE have made complex data manipulation more accessible. For financial professionals, Excel’s comprehensive statistical and financial functions are irreplaceable.

Zoho Sheet

Zoho Sheet offers an impressive 400+ built-in functions, covering most standard use cases. Common Excel formulas work in Zoho Sheet, making migration relatively painless. The platform supports array formulas and includes many of the same statistical, financial, and logical functions Excel users rely on.

However, some advanced Excel formulas may not translate perfectly, and Zoho Sheet lacks some of Excel’s newest functions like XLOOKUP. Power users working with cutting-edge Excel features may find limitations.

Winner: Microsoft Excel. While Zoho Sheet handles 90% of use cases admirably, Excel’s depth and breadth of formula capabilities remain unmatched.

4. Data Visualization and Charts

Microsoft Excel

Excel’s charting capabilities are legendary. With extensive customization options, professional-grade chart types, and integration with Power BI for advanced visualizations, Excel sets the standard for data visualization. Users can create everything from basic column charts to complex waterfall charts, sunburst diagrams, and custom combination charts.

The chart customization options are nearly limitless, allowing precise control over every visual element. Excel’s conditional formatting is sophisticated and powerful, enabling complex rules-based formatting across large datasets.

Zoho Sheet

Zoho Sheet offers solid charting capabilities with all standard chart types including bar, line, pie, scatter, and area charts. The interface for creating charts is user-friendly and modern. However, customization options are more limited compared to Excel.

One standout feature is Zia, Zoho’s AI assistant, which can automatically suggest appropriate chart types based on your data and create them with a single click. This AI-powered insight can save significant time for users who aren’t visualization experts.

Winner: Microsoft Excel for depth and customization; Zoho Sheet for AI-assisted simplicity.

5. Performance and Speed

Microsoft Excel

Excel’s desktop version delivers exceptional performance, even with large datasets containing hundreds of thousands of rows. Power users appreciate Excel’s ability to handle complex workbooks with multiple sheets, extensive formulas, and linked data sources.

However, very large files can cause performance issues, particularly on systems with limited RAM. Excel Online has improved but still can’t match the desktop version’s performance with heavy workbooks.

Zoho Sheet

As a cloud-based application, Zoho Sheet’s performance depends heavily on internet speed and browser performance. Users report that Zoho Sheet can slow down with larger spreadsheets, particularly when working with tens of thousands of rows or complex formulas.

For typical business use cases with moderately-sized spreadsheets, performance is generally good. However, power users working with massive datasets may find Zoho Sheet limiting.

Winner: Microsoft Excel, especially the desktop version, for handling large datasets and complex workbooks.

6. Automation and Macros

Microsoft Excel

Excel’s VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) support enables incredibly powerful automation. Users can create custom functions, automate repetitive tasks, build entire applications within Excel, and integrate with other Office applications.

Power Automate (formerly Microsoft Flow) integration adds another layer of automation capability, connecting Excel to hundreds of other services and applications. For organizations with complex workflows, this automation ecosystem is invaluable.

Zoho Sheet

Zoho Sheet supports VBA macros, which is a significant advantage over many Excel alternatives. This means you can migrate many Excel macros to Zoho Sheet with minimal modification. The platform also integrates with Zoho Flow for workflow automation across the Zoho ecosystem.

However, VBA implementation in Zoho Sheet isn’t as comprehensive as Excel’s, and some advanced macros may require adjustments or may not work at all.

Winner: Microsoft Excel for depth of automation capabilities, though Zoho Sheet’s VBA support is impressive for a cloud-based tool.

7. AI and Smart Features

Microsoft Excel

Excel has integrated AI features including Ideas (which provides automated insights), data types for automatic information enrichment, and integration with Copilot in Microsoft 365. Copilot can help generate formulas, analyze data, create charts, and answer questions about your spreadsheet in natural language.

Excel’s AI-powered features like formula suggestions, error detection, and pattern recognition continue to improve with each update.

Zoho Sheet

Zoho Sheet’s standout AI feature is Zia, an intelligent assistant that can clean data, suggest appropriate charts, answer data-related questions in plain English, and even accept voice queries on mobile apps. Zia can identify duplicates, fix inconsistencies, and fill missing values automatically.

Users praise Zia for making complex tasks accessible to non-technical users. The AI feels well-integrated and genuinely helpful rather than gimmicky.

Winner: Tie. Excel’s Copilot is more powerful, but Zoho’s Zia is more accessible and included in the free plan.

8. Mobile Experience

Microsoft Excel

Excel offers native apps for iOS and Android with impressive functionality. Many features from the desktop version work on mobile, though complex tasks are naturally easier on larger screens. The mobile apps integrate well with OneDrive and other Microsoft services.

Basic editing is free on mobile devices, but advanced features require a Microsoft 365 subscription.

Zoho Sheet

Zoho Sheet provides native iOS and Android apps that sync seamlessly with the web version. The mobile experience is clean and functional, with all core features accessible. Changes sync automatically across all devices, ensuring you’re always working with the latest version.

Users appreciate the consistency between mobile and web experiences, making it easy to switch between devices mid-task.

Winner: Tie. Both platforms offer solid mobile experiences appropriate for on-the-go work.

9. Integration and Ecosystem

Microsoft Excel

Excel’s integration capabilities are extraordinary. As part of the Microsoft ecosystem, it connects seamlessly with Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, SharePoint, Power BI, and countless other tools. Third-party integrations number in the thousands through Power Automate.

For organizations heavily invested in Microsoft technologies, this integration advantage is nearly impossible to replicate.

Zoho Sheet

Zoho Sheet integrates natively with the entire Zoho ecosystem, including Zoho CRM, Zoho Projects, Zoho Mail, and 40+ other Zoho applications. Through Zapier and Zoho Flow, users can connect to hundreds of third-party applications.

For companies using Zoho’s suite of business applications, Zoho Sheet fits perfectly into existing workflows. However, the integration ecosystem is smaller than Microsoft’s.

Winner: Microsoft Excel for breadth of integrations, especially for organizations not using Zoho products.

10. Import/Export and File Compatibility

Microsoft Excel

Excel sets the standard with its proprietary .xlsx format, which has become the universal spreadsheet format. Excel can import and export numerous formats including CSV, ODS, and older .xls files. Compatibility with its own formats across versions is excellent.

Zoho Sheet

Zoho Sheet offers excellent import capabilities, supporting XLS, XLSX, XLSM, CSV, TSV, ODS, and even PDF files. Export options include all major spreadsheet formats. Users report that most Excel files import cleanly into Zoho Sheet, though complex macros and some advanced formulas may require adjustment.

The ability to import data from printed or handwritten copies using the “Data from picture” feature is innovative and genuinely useful.

Winner: Microsoft Excel for setting the standard, but Zoho Sheet’s compatibility is impressive and sufficient for most users.

Pricing Comparison Zoho Sheet vs Microsoft Excel: Where Your Money Goes

Microsoft Excel Pricing (2025)

Microsoft Excel is not available as a standalone free product, though several pricing options exist:

1. Microsoft 365 Personal: $6.99/month or $69.99/year

• Excel plus Word, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook
• 1 TB OneDrive cloud storage
• For one person, one device

2. Microsoft 365 Family: $9.99/month or $99.99/year

• Same apps as Personal
• For up to 6 people
• 1 TB OneDrive per person

3. Microsoft 365 Business Basic: $6/user/month (annual commitment)

• Web and mobile versions only
• Business email
• OneDrive and Teams

4. Microsoft 365 Business Standard: $12.50/user/month (annual commitment)

• Desktop apps included
• More advanced features

Office Home 2024 (One-time purchase): $149.99

• Excel, Word, PowerPoint, OneNote
• One device only
• No ongoing updates or cloud features

Excel Standalone: $179.99 (one-time purchase)

• Excel only
• One device
• No cloud features or updates

Excel Online: Free

• Web-based version with limited features
• Requires Microsoft account
• Basic functionality only

Zoho Sheet Pricing (2025)

Free Plan: $0

• Full-featured Zoho Sheet
• Real-time collaboration
• 400+ functions
• AI assistant (Zia)
• 5 GB storage per user
• Perfect for individuals and small teams

1. Zoho Workplace Standard: $3/user/month (annual billing)

• Zoho Sheet plus Mail, Writer, Show, and more
• Custom domain email
• 30 GB storage per user
• Ad-free experience

2. Zoho Workplace Professional: $6/user/month (annual billing)

• All Standard features
• 100 GB storage per user
• Advanced admin controls
• Email hosting with additional features

3. Zoho Workplace Mail Only: $1/user/month

• If you only need email but want Sheet access

Price Analysis

The pricing difference is dramatic. Zoho Sheet offers its full-featured platform completely free, while Excel requires either a subscription ($70-120/year for individuals) or a one-time purchase of $150-180.

Businesses, Zoho Workplace starts at just $36/user/year compared to Excel’s $72-150/user/year.

Budget-conscious individuals and small businesses, Zoho Sheet delivers exceptional value.

Enterprises already paying for Microsoft 365, Excel comes as part of the package, making the incremental cost zero.

Winner: Zoho Sheet for pure affordability and value for money.

Use Case Scenarios: Which Tool for Which Job?

When Zoho Sheet is the Better Choice

Scenario 1: Remote Team Collaboration A distributed marketing team needs to collaborate on a content calendar, budget tracking, and campaign results. Zoho Sheet’s real-time collaboration, commenting features, and version history make it ideal for teams working asynchronously across time zones.

Scenario 2: Startup Budget Management A startup with limited resources needs powerful spreadsheet capabilities without the hefty price tag. Zoho Sheet’s free plan provides everything needed for financial tracking, inventory management, and basic data analysis without any cost.

Scenario 3: Small Business Operations A small retail business using Zoho CRM wants seamless integration between their customer data and sales reporting. Zoho Sheet’s native integration with the Zoho ecosystem makes data flow effortless.

Scenario 4: Educational Settings Schools and educational institutions need affordable, easy-to-use spreadsheet tools for students and staff. Zoho Sheet’s intuitive interface and free access make it perfect for educational environments.

When Microsoft Excel is the Better Choice

1. Scenario: Advanced Financial Modeling A financial analyst building complex valuation models with scenario analysis, sensitivity tables, and intricate formulas needs Excel’s advanced capabilities, robust calculation engine, and powerful tools like Solver and Goal Seek.

2. Scenario: Large Dataset Analysis A data scientist working with datasets containing hundreds of thousands of rows needs Excel’s superior performance and advanced data manipulation tools, including Power Query and Power Pivot.

3. Scenario: Enterprise Integration A corporation already invested in the Microsoft ecosystem needs seamless integration with SharePoint, Power BI, Teams, and other Microsoft tools. Excel fits naturally into this environment.

4. Scenario: Industry-Specific Requirements Professionals in accounting, finance, engineering, or scientific fields often need Excel-specific features, add-ins, or compliance with industry standards that mandate Excel.

5. Scenario: Offline Work Workers in fields without reliable internet access need the full-featured desktop version of Excel that works completely offline.

Pros and Cons: Zoho Sheet vs Microsoft Excel The Honest Assessment

Zoho Sheet Advantages

Pros:

• Completely free for full-featured use
• Superior real-time collaboration
• Clean, modern, intuitive interface
• AI assistant (Zia) included free
• Excellent mobile apps with full synchronization
• No installation required
• Generous version history
• Strong import/export capabilities
• Integrates well with Zoho ecosystem
• Regular updates and improvements
• Lower learning curve for beginners
• Cell-level commenting with mentions
• Granular permission controls

Cons:

• Performance issues with very large datasets
• Limited offline functionality
• Smaller ecosystem compared to Microsoft
• Some advanced Excel formulas not supported
• Fewer chart customization options
• Less powerful for advanced analytics
• Internet dependency
• Smaller user community for troubleshooting
• Not all Excel macros compatible
• Limited third-party add-ins

Microsoft Excel Advantages

Pros:

• Industry-standard with universal recognition
• Unmatched power for advanced analytics
• Superior performance with large datasets
• 450+ functions including cutting-edge formulas
• Extensive chart customization
• Powerful automation through VBA
• Full offline functionality (desktop version)
• Massive ecosystem of add-ins and integrations
• Integration with Power BI for advanced visualizations
• Comprehensive training resources
• Strong enterprise support
• Advanced features like Power Query, Power Pivot
• Better for complex financial modeling

Cons:

• Expensive compared to alternatives
• Desktop version requires installation and updates
• Steeper learning curve
• Web version less powerful than desktop
• Collaboration features less intuitive than competitors
• Can feel overwhelming for simple tasks
• Requires Microsoft account for cloud features
• Large file sizes can cause performance issues
• Subscription fatigue for some users
• Overkill for basic spreadsheet needs

Security and Privacy Considerations Zoho Sheet vs Microsoft Excel

1. Microsoft Excel

Microsoft employs enterprise-grade security including data encryption in transit and at rest, multi-factor authentication, advanced threat protection, compliance with major standards like GDPR, HIPAA, and SOC 2, and comprehensive admin controls for enterprise deployments.

For organizations with strict security requirements, Microsoft’s track record and certifications provide peace of mind.

2. Zoho Sheet

Zoho Corporation takes security seriously with 256-bit SSL encryption, regular security audits, compliance with GDPR and other regulations, data centers in multiple regions, and strong access controls and permissions.

A Zoho has a good security reputation, though Microsoft’s enterprise security features are more extensive and battle-tested at massive scale.

Winner: Microsoft Excel for enterprise-level security requirements, though Zoho Sheet provides solid security for most organizations.

The Migration Question: Switching Between Platforms

Moving from Excel to Zoho Sheet

The migration process is relatively straightforward. Zoho Sheet can import Excel files directly, most common formulas translate automatically, charts and formatting generally preserve well, and collaboration features actually improve in Zoho.

However, complex macros may require adjustments, some advanced formulas might not work, and very large files may encounter performance issues.

Moving from Zoho Sheet to Excel

Moving to Excel is simple because Zoho Sheet exports to Excel format. All data transfers cleanly, formulas remain intact, and you gain access to more advanced features.

The main challenge is the cost increase and potentially more complex collaboration setup.

Future Outlook: Where These Platforms Are Headed

1. Microsoft Excel’s Trajectory

Microsoft continues investing heavily in Excel with AI integration through Copilot becoming more sophisticated, enhanced collaboration features to compete with cloud-native tools, deeper integration with Power Platform, and improved web version closing the gap with desktop.

Excel isn’t going anywhere. It will remain the enterprise standard while evolving to meet modern collaboration needs.

2. Zoho Sheet’s Trajectory

Zoho is aggressively developing Zoho Sheet with continuous AI improvements, enhanced performance optimization, growing integration ecosystem, and competitive feature parity with Excel for common use cases.

A Zoho Sheet is positioned to capture market share from cost-conscious organizations and teams prioritizing collaboration over advanced analytics.

Expert Recommendations: Making Your Decision

Choose Zoho Sheet If You:

• Need exceptional collaboration features
• Want to minimize costs
• Run a small to medium-sized business
• Work primarily online with reliable internet
• Use or plan to use other Zoho products
• Prefer a modern, clean interface
• Need basic to intermediate spreadsheet functionality
• Have a distributed or remote team
• Value simplicity and ease of use
• Want AI assistance without extra cost

Choose Microsoft Excel If You:

• Require advanced data analysis capabilities
• Work with very large datasets regularly
• Need specific Excel features or functions
• Work in finance, accounting, or data science
• Are part of an enterprise already using Microsoft 365
• Need comprehensive offline functionality
• Require extensive third-party integrations
• Use industry-specific Excel add-ins
• Need the most powerful automation tools
• Want the industry-standard tool

Consider Using Both If You:

• Have diverse needs across your organization
• Want to keep costs low for basic users while providing Excel to power users
• Are gradually transitioning from one platform to another
• Need collaboration features of Zoho with analytical power of Excel for different teams

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Zoho Sheet completely free?

Yes, Zoho Sheet offers a completely free plan with full spreadsheet functionality, real-time collaboration, 400+ formulas, charts, and the Zia AI assistant. The free plan includes 5 GB of storage per user and is genuinely unlimited in time, making it an exceptional value for individuals and small teams.

Can Zoho Sheet open Excel files?

Absolutely. Zoho Sheet can import Excel files in XLS, XLSX, and XLSM formats. Most Excel files import cleanly with formulas, formatting, and charts preserved. However, very complex macros or advanced features may require adjustment after import.

Does Excel work offline?

The desktop version of Microsoft Excel works fully offline with all features available. Excel Online requires an internet connection but offers basic offline editing through browser capabilities. Zoho Sheet is primarily cloud-based and requires internet connectivity for full functionality.

Which is better for small businesses?

For most small businesses, Zoho Sheet is the better choice due to its affordability, excellent collaboration features, and sufficient functionality for typical business needs. However, if your business requires advanced financial modeling or analytics, Excel may be worth the investment.

Can I use both Zoho Sheet and Excel together?

Yes, they work well together. You can export files from Zoho Sheet to Excel format and vice versa. Many organizations use Zoho Sheet for collaborative work and Excel for advanced analysis, leveraging the strengths of both platforms.

Is Zoho Sheet as powerful as Excel?

For 80-90% of spreadsheet use cases, Zoho Sheet provides comparable power. However, Excel surpasses Zoho Sheet in advanced analytics, complex formulas, performance with large datasets, and automation capabilities. For basic to intermediate needs, Zoho Sheet is fully capable.

How much does Microsoft Excel cost?

Microsoft Excel pricing varies: Microsoft 365 subscriptions range from $6.99-$9.99/month for personal use or $6-$12.50/user/month for businesses. One-time purchases include Office Home 2024 at $149.99 or Excel standalone at $179.99. A limited free web version is also available.

Does Zoho Sheet have an AI assistant?

Yes, Zoho Sheet includes Zia, an AI-powered assistant that can clean data, suggest charts, answer questions about your data in plain English, generate pivot tables automatically, and even accept voice queries on mobile devices. This feature is included in the free plan.

Which has better collaboration features?

Zoho Sheet has superior collaboration features compared to Excel. It offers more intuitive real-time editing, better commenting and communication tools, easier permission management, and live presence indicators showing who’s working where. Excel has improved its collaboration, but Zoho Sheet was built for it from the ground up.

Can Zoho Sheet handle large datasets?

Zoho Sheet can handle moderately large datasets but may experience performance issues with spreadsheets containing tens of thousands of rows or highly complex formulas. For very large datasets (100,000+ rows), Microsoft Excel’s desktop version offers significantly better performance.

Conclusion: The Verdict

The Zoho Sheet vs Microsoft Excel debate doesn’t have a universal winner because these tools serve different audiences with different needs. Both platforms excel in their respective domains.

Microsoft Excel remains the undisputed champion for:

• Advanced data analysis and complex financial modeling
• Enterprise-scale deployments with massive datasets
• Organizations deeply invested in the Microsoft ecosystem
• Professionals requiring cutting-edge formulas and analytics
• Industries where Excel is the established standard

Zoho Sheet emerges as the superior choice for:

• Teams prioritizing real-time collaboration and remote work
• Budget-conscious individuals and small businesses
• Organizations seeking modern, cloud-native tools
• Users who need solid spreadsheet functionality without complexity
• Companies using or planning to use the Zoho ecosystem

For many modern businesses, particularly startups and small to medium enterprises, Zoho Sheet delivers everything needed at an unbeatable price point. The free plan is genuinely impressive, offering professional-grade features without limitations that matter for most use cases.

However, Excel’s decades of development, comprehensive feature set, and universal industry acceptance make it irreplaceable for certain professional contexts. Financial analysts, data scientists, and large enterprises often find Excel’s advanced capabilities essential.

The good news? You don’t necessarily have to choose just one. Many organizations successfully use Zoho Sheet for collaborative work and day-to-day operations while maintaining Excel licenses for power users who need advanced functionality.

Our Recommendation: Start with Zoho Sheet’s free plan if you’re cost-conscious or prioritize collaboration. You’ll likely find it meets 90% of your needs. Keep Excel in your toolkit for those specific situations requiring its unique capabilities, or if you’re already paying for Microsoft 365, use both strategically.

The spreadsheet wars have created winners on both sides—the real victor is you, the user, with access to powerful tools at varying price points to match any need.

What’s your verdict? Have you tried both platforms? Share your experience in the comments below and help others make the right choice for their spreadsheet needs.