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Excel can fill and process more than 17 billion cells per file, compared to the limit of 5 million cells for a Google Sheets file.Īs for data visualization and calculating abilities, Excel beats Google Sheets. Though both programs offer nearly identical functionality, they each offer a slightly different experience.Įxcel is standard for most PCs (though you have to purchase the program separately), while Google Sheets is free to anyone with a Google account. In the world of electronic spreadsheets, Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets reign supreme. Four decades later, they’re just as popular - and they have more features than ever.
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Originally known as VisiCalc, electronic spreadsheets propelled Apple toward success. When the electronic spreadsheet debuted in the late 70s, it was considered the first-ever “killer app” - which is another way of saying the concept was so revolutionary, one could justify purchasing a computer simply to take advantage of it.
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